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" called the hill-gooseberry. The fruit is ripe. We sit and watch 

 " and eat. The deer decline to move. We tap our rifle stock, we 

 " cluck ; they take no notice. At last we resolve to enter the 

 " wood, and creep along to out-flank them. We do so in fear and 

 " trembling, passing them within twenty paces. There are only 

 " two, tempting shots indeed ! and who knows but the stag may 

 " be off and away. Perish the thought ! We move on without 

 " alarming them, and at last emerge from the covert, out of their 

 " sight ; and now comes the moment of excitement in this phase of 

 " sport ! Believe me, it makes me positively nervous, even relating 

 " the tale. The hill side we now are on rapidly falls towards the 

 " river below, where it rushes over a precipice, forming a grand 

 " water-fall, beautiful to behold. The hill-side is covered with a 

 "short scrubby rough leafd plant, about a foot and a half high. 

 " Bending low we circle round the shoulder of the slope, beyond 

 " the wood. The quick eye of the stalker-catches sight of a hind's 

 " ears, at the very spot he hoped for. The stag must be nigh. 

 " Down on all fours we move carefully along, the stalker keenly 

 " watching the ears. A short distance gained and the hind detects 

 " the movements of our heads. At the same moment the upper 

 " tines of the stag's antlers are in sight ; he lies to the right of the 

 " hind, about 120 yards distant, hidden by an inequality of the 

 " ground. Be still, oh beating heart ! Be quiet, oh throbbing 

 " pulse ! Steady ! oh shaky hand ! or all your toil is vain ! 

 " onward yet only a few paces ! Be not alarmed, oh cautious hind ! 

 " we care not for you. Crouching still lower, we gain ground ; 

 " the head and neck of our noble quarry are in sight, the hind still 

 " gazes intensely. Presently she elongates her neck in a most mar- 

 " vellous manner. We still gain. On once more we move, when 

 " up starts the hind. We know that in another moment she will 

 " give the warning bell, and all will vanish. The time for action 

 " has arrived I We alter our position in a second, bring the deadly 

 " weapon to bear on the stag ; quickly draw a steady bead, hugging 

 " the rifle with all our might, and fire ! The hinds flash across our 

 " vision like the figures in a magic lantern, and the stag lies 

 " weltering in his couch ! 



" There, my friend Editor, however imperfect and desultory this 



