A brief Eli story

Eli and I were walking down the Brown's River Main. It was drizzling softly, no wind. The only sounds were the echo of my boots on gravel and the tinkle of the bear bell Eli wears when he's off-leash.
Suddenly, about a hundred meters ahead, a deer emerged from the woods, bounced across the road into the logging slash and along a slight ridge, then down, disappearing into the trees below.
Expecting Eli to be hot on the trail, I was surprised when instead he emerged from the pool at the side of the road where he'd been drinking, and continued ambling down the road.
Then he was abreast of where the deer had emerged. He suddenly stopped, sniffed, and shot off, following the deer's path along the ridge. He seemed to lose the scent, and I could see him circling until he'd picked it up again. He continued further down the hill, and then I lost sight of him as well.
So I continued down the road, knowing that Eli would catch up a few minutes later.
Which is what he did.