The Triumphant Life of Theodore Roosevelt edited by J. Martin Miller

92 LIFE IN THE WEST
A LONG SHOT
Upon one occasion, while sitting on his veranda, he heard
a splashing sound in the river some distance away, and glanc-
ing in that direction saw three deer, which had emerged from
the thicket of the trees on the opposite bank, slaking their
thirst in the stream. Entering the house he picked up his rifle
and, using the pillar of the porch as a rest, fired at the largest
of the animals, a magnificent buck. It was a long shot, and
full}' 250 yards, but he brought down the deer. The best shot
he ever made and, as he apologetically puts it, just such a shot
as any one occasionally will make if he takes a good many
chances and fires often at ranges where the odds are greatly
against his hitting, was at a black-tailed deer. Coming
across three of these animals, when about 200 yards distant he
fired, but missed, the bullet striking low. Holding his rifle
high he made a second shot, above and ahead of them, which
only succeeded in turning the deer, which quickly vanished
behind the shelter of a bluff. Elevating the sight of the gun
to 400 yards, he waited for them to reappear, and had the
satisfaction, a few minutes later, of seeing one of them stand-
ing broadside toward him. As he was about to fire, another
deer appeared, and, thinking it would be a good plan to have
as large a mark as possible to shoot at, he waited and when
the second animal came to a stop abreast of the first, he aimed
carefully and fired. The next instant, to his surprise, he
observed the two deer struggling upon the ground, and,
hurrying to the spot, discqvered that the bullet had bro-
ken their backs. Measuring the distance from where the
animals lay to the point where he had stood when firing the
shot, to his wonder and delight he found that it was over 400
yards.