This poem reflects on the rescue of a stray buck that fell into the river after a pack of dogs chased it to the water, and Merlin Van Tornhout and Percelle Johnson managed to get it out. The buck was chased to the icy river. It tried to get across but it fell into an icy crevice. Merlin and Constable Johnson found it and they started to pull it out. Eventually they were able to get it out, only for it to go right back in. They get it out again, and this time, the buck snorts, and then runs away.
This poem is a metaphor for what was happening with Merlin. When the buck got trapped in the ice, this represents how Merlin got caught trying to rescue his girlfriend from the orphanage. The buck trapped in the water