316 A DEER IN VIEW. 



George, " the hounds won't have it; there is no scent of 

 any sort here, and if there had been anything on foot it 

 must have crossed the bend of the creek, but there is 

 nothing to be seen on mud or sand, and it's all nonsense." 

 How Mr Canterall relished this very plain counter-asser 

 tion to his cry of " wolf" I know not; he said nothing, 

 and I suspect he let his gun off by accident ; we then 

 continued on our draw. 



Some time after this I perceived at last, by the peculiar 

 wave of his stern, that Druid had found the very stale 

 usings of a deer, when a little further on, on observing 

 the stern still more busily at work, I rode to the spot, 

 and then found Druid arrived at two lairs, probably of one 

 and the same deer, who had shifted his position. From 

 this spot we continued again for miles without a " touch " 

 of any sort, and it was getting late in the day when we left 

 the creek we had been trying, and were proceeding in a 

 more direct line for the camping-place on each side of a 

 low dry ravine or small creek, or rather winter water 

 course, in which there was now nothing but rank grass. 

 I was obliged to make a little detour from the line of this 

 cover to avoid a steep rocky promontory, around which 

 I had just arrived in my way again to ride by the side of 

 the long grass, Druid and Bar both at my heels, when 

 right in front of Mr Canterall' s horse and within thirty 

 yards of him I saw a young doe spring from her lair, and 

 run straight away from him. " Bang ! " went Mr Can 

 terall, missing the fairest shot I ever saw, and then 

 failing to make any use of his second barrel. " Holloa 

 on the hound," I shouted, but, alas ! the ignoramus knew 

 not how to do it ; so with all the haste I could I reached 

 the spot, and away with a roar went Druid, but still faster 

 and perfectly mute went Bar over a wide stretch of beau- 



