"Here!" Ted yelled.
Carrying his hat, streaming perspiration, but entirely happy, John
Wilson panted up to join him.
"He went out," he said cheerfully, "and I'll swear he flushed no more
than twenty yards ahead of you! Thought sure you'd see him."
"Where'd he go?"
"Quartered up the mountain and crossed the summit just a little to the
right of some white birches."
Ted nodded. The course described by John Wilson had kept the big buck in
thick cover all the way. It was the route he might have been expected to
take, except that there were a dozen others with brush just as thick.
However, there was every chance that he would go the same way a second
time and tomorrow morning John Wilson would be posted in the birches
while Ted tried to drive the buck through.
"What's it like on top?" John Wilson asked.
"Patches of laurel and rhododendron. We'll go see what we can do."
* * * * *
That night, tired and hungry, the pair made their way down Burned
Mountain. They hadn't seen the monster buck again, but were in no wise
disheartened. There were twenty days of the season left and John Wilson
had had, and failed to take, a chance at a very good eight-point buck.
Obviously, he'd meant it when he said he wanted only the biggest.
Ted prepared supper and washed the dishes afterwards.... The two hunters
were sprawled in the living room when Tammie whined to announce that
someone was coming. A minute later there was a knock at the door and Ted
opened it to confront George Stacey.
"Come on in, George."
"Cain't. Gotta git home. Thought I'd stop an' tell ya that Thornton,
down to Crestwood, fetched in one of them big bucks today."
"He did?"
"Sure did, an' hit's big enough for ary two bucks. Go see hit. Hit's
a'hangin' on the game pole."
"Thanks, George."
"Yer welcome. Go see hit."
"Want to go?" Ted asked his guest.
"Sure thing!"
The night air had a distinct bite, and a definite promise of freezing
cold to be. Ted turned the heater on, and after they'd gone a mile or
so, the pickup's cab filled with welcome warmth.
As soon as they came in sight of Crestwood it was evident that something
unusual had occurred at that resort. Carl Thornton provided parking
space for his guests. Now all the available area was filled and parked
cars lined both sides of the driveway. Ted backed into one of the few
empty spaces. He and John Wilson got out to join the crowd at the game
rack.
Crestwood's hunters had brought in seven other bucks this opening day
and three of them were big deer. But the biggest seemed puny beside the
monster that the crowd was eyeing. Its antlers were laced close to the
game pole, but its outstretched hoofs nearly touched the ground. If this
buck did not set a new record, it would come very close to so doing.