“Kept it as a pet. Taught it to catch birds for us, and to fetch those we shot like a dog. Oh, what a beauty!”
This was on seeing the fine large fat deer which had fallen to Brazier’s gun.
“Yes,” said Brazier, with a satisfied smile; “it was a piece of good fortune, and it will relieve me of some anxiety about provisions.”
“But it will not keep,” said Rob.
“Yes; cut in strips and dried in the sun, it will last as long as we want it. You see, we have no means of making up waste in our stores, Rob, and the more we get our guns to help us the longer our expedition can be.”
The boatmen and the two lads reached the deer just about the same time, and the latter stood looking on with rather an air of disgust upon their countenances as the crew set to work and deftly removed the animal’s skin, which was carried off to the boat to be stretched over the awning to dry, while those left rapidly went to work cutting the flesh in strips and bearing it off to the boat.
“I say, Mr Brazier,” said Rob after watching the proceedings for some time, “hadn’t those strips of flesh better be dried on shore somewhere?”
“Why?”
“Because they’ll smell dreadfully.”
“I hope not,” said Brazier, smiling.