“I never did like venison!” was Case’s comment on the situation.
Clay turned and looked his chums over in mock anger.
“Just when I find a deer for you!” he cried. “Just when you’ve got a chance you may never have again, you go and back out. What’s the matter with you boys? Think the deer is not fit for food?”
“I’ve lost my appetite for venison, that’s all,” Case explained. “You can shoot if you want to. Shoo! Shoo! Shoo, deer!”
He arose and waved his hands at the animal, shouting at the top of his voice. The deer stepped away a few paces but came back at the bleat of the fawn. Clay regarded the boy with an amused smile.
“You tell me I can shoot, and then you go and scare her away,” he complained. “What is getting into you boys?”
“Did you see her eyes?” asked Alex. “If you shoot her we’ll leave you here in the wilderness. I’m going to see what’s the matter with the little fawn. Is this the time of year for fawns?”
The other boys answered that they did not know, and Alex said that he didn’t think it was. But there was the fawn, with the mother watching over it, whether it was the baby deer season or not. The deer bounded away as Alex approached, but stood watching as he lifted the fawn.
“Just got wound up in vines!” the boy cried. “Come and see what a clever little chap it is! Wish I could keep it.”
“Nix! Not on our boat! Not with the mother looking at us like that!” declared Case, who had stepped up to the fawn.