The open place that the buck had occupied among the lily pads, was red and oily with blood. But the buck had gone.
“He went out upon the other side,” said No Man. “Let us follow him.”
So they waded thro’ the pool and the stones clicked under their feet, but this time it was No Man who went ahead.
Here and there the leaves of the alders were splashed with blood, and some of the sharp tracks that the buck had made as he leaped were full of blood.
The track led out of the alders, across a gray marsh and into a thicket of beechnut bushes and wild raspberries.
Out of the midst of this thicket the buck suddenly sprang, clear to the hooves, and leaped away. His antlers were laid back on his shoulders and he made a noise that was between a whimper and a scream.
They came upon him further on in another thicket, but he could not get up, he could only look at them with his great brown eyes, and tremble.
There was a bunch of blue feathers that seemed to be sprouting from his side. Every now and then the buck turned his head and licked the feathers with his rough tongue.
She Wolf was now thoroughly afraid of No Man and she was sorry she had come into the forest with him. Therefore, to give herself heart she stepped forward and hit the buck a terrible blow with her club, right between the eyes.
“Take your knife and cut off some meat,” said No Man, “for it is a good time to eat.”