"They look pretty fresh," Bob announced after he had carefully examined the tracks.
"Then I reckon we'd better follow them."
The tracks crossed their trail at right angles and led up the side of the mountain to their right. At this point, however, the assent was not steep and, although they plunged at once into thick woods, they found the going easier than they had expected.
"He's sinking in pretty deep," Jack said as they hurried along.
"Yes, we ought to catch up with him before long unless the tracks are older than I think."
They had been climbing for the better part of an hour when the tracks turned and lead parallel with the side of the mountain. At first they welcomed the change in direction, thinking that it would be easier but, before they had gone a hundred yards farther, they found themselves on a part of the mountain where it was much steeper and, owing to the slant, it was extremely difficult to keep their balance. But they went on as rapidly as possible, now and then falling headlong in the snow as a shoe slipped and threw them off their balance. But they each time picked themselves up with a laugh and hurried on confident that they must soon sight their quarry.
"Look over there," Bob said as he paused and pointed toward the east.
"It's beautiful," Jack declared as he watched the edge of the sun, looking like a huge ball of fire, creeping over the top of the opposite mountain. "But there's something even more beautiful just at present," he whispered a moment later as he clutched Bob's arm and pointed to a spot about a hundred feet in front.
There, on a slight rise in the ground, stood a magnificent buck facing them. The animal stood up to its knees in the snow and did not seem at all afraid.
"Isn't he a beauty?" Bob whispered.