Just as it was growing dark he reached the cabin; and, with a sigh of relief, put his rifle in its place, and sat down on one of the stools to take another good look at his prize.
After resting a few moments, he took a tape-line from one of the pockets of his saddle-bags and proceeded to make some measurements.
Here is the entry he made in his diary—or, rather, a portion of it:
I have to-day secured my first specimen of the—I don’t know whether to call it Cervus columbianus or Cariacus columbianus, or Cariacus macrotis; for no two authorities I have read agree on that point. If he is a deer at all, he belongs to the family Cervidæ, and therefore ought to be called Cervus something. Who knows but I may some day be an authority on these little matters myself? He is a mule-deer; I know that much, and his dimensions are as follows: spread of antlers, fifty inches; fourteen well-developed prongs. Height, five feet four inches from the ground to tip of antlers; at the haunches, three feet eight inches. Length of ears, a fraction over eight inches. Body, round and plump; legs very slender; feet so small that they seem greatly disproportioned to the size of the animal. Color of coat a dark gray, tipped with black, changing to yellow and white on the breast and flanks, and to a tawny on the legs. Tail, thin and switchy; white at the top, and terminating in a black brush three inches in length. Weight, about two hundred and fifty pounds.
After Oscar had made this entry, and while he was sitting with his elbow on his knee and his chin resting on his hand, looking down at the deer to see if there were any points about him that he had not noted, he heard footsteps breaking through the crust outside the cabin; and the next moment the door opened, admitting Big Thompson, who carried something slung over his shoulder. He stopped on the threshold and uttered an exclamation of astonishment.
“What have you got there?” inquired Oscar.
The guide handed over his bunch of game, consisting of an otter and several mink, for his employer’s inspection, and turned his attention to the deer, which he examined with considerable interest.
“Ye’ll never get a better one, if ye stay here till yer har’s as white as the driven snow,” said he. “’Taint often ye see a black-tail larger’n this yere. An’ I think I heard ye say that ye didn’t know nothin’ ’bout huntin’ big game.”
“And I told you the truth,” replied Oscar. “But I have paid strict attention to everything you said in regard to the habits of the animals found in these hills, and when I go hunting I make use of the information you have given me. I know enough to beat you, don’t I?”
“Looks like it from here,” answered the guide.