“It was no easy task for one man, equipped only with an axe, to level much of the forest round about, and in addition to that we had a home to build. My mother could help some, however, and together they finally erected a cabin. It was small, but it was snug and promised good shelter against the blasts of winter. It took some time to do all this though, and cold weather was at hand by the time the cabin was completed and a fair-sized space had been cleared.
“Winter approached and we had a home, and the beginnings of a farm. It had taken a good many weeks to acquire these things, however, and my father had had time for little else. Consequently our store of meat for the long, cold months was very low. Father had had little chance to hunt. He set out one morning, his gun over his shoulder, Robin at his heels and a small supply of jerked venison in his game bag. He was in hopes of bagging a buck, which would feed us for a long time.
“Several miles he walked through the forest. Usually game abounded in this region, undisturbed except by an occasional Indian hunter. This time, however, father saw nothing except a flock of wild turkeys which flew away before he could get a shot. All the morning and into the afternoon he tramped through the woods and over the hills. Along toward the middle of the afternoon he suddenly spied a large stag. Ordering Robin to follow ‘at heel’ he crept cautiously along in an attempt to get a good shot at the deer.
“Just before he came within range, however, the buck suddenly took fright and bounded away. My father followed his trail eagerly, mile after mile. Night was almost at hand when he discovered his game standing on a large rock, his figure clearly outlined against the sky. Closer and closer father crept and finally raised his gun and fired. The deer leaped high into the air as the shot rang out and fell to the earth dead. Father ran forward joyfully and a few moments later had the buck on his back and was headed for home.
“For the first time he noticed that snow had begun to fall. It was the first snow of the winter and soon covered the ground and the branches of the nearby trees. Father had traveled many miles that day and now was far from home. He knew the country only slightly and now that the snow was on the ground it was hard to recognize landmarks. Things look vastly different in winter from what they do in summer and father had never seen this part of the country in its winter coat. Meanwhile, the storm constantly increased in fury.