178 RIFLE AND ROMANCE 



lately fruit-stripped branches flecked with the transparent 

 gold of budding leaves, and, nearer us, knee deep in the 

 coarse grasses of the little clearing, moves the herd of 

 spotted deer in its capricious ways. 



The chital have now reached their home, having, no 

 doubt, lately made their way into the bandi from a 

 nocturnal visit to the open fields outside. These old 

 village sites are always attractive to the ungulata^ and are 

 a sure find for chital throughout the day, until the cool 

 of evening tempts them from the shade to wander slowly 

 through the forest towards their nightly feeding-grounds. 

 Then it is that the silence of the dark hours is broken 

 by the braying of the stags or sharp whistling of the 

 hinds. 



Here, then, is the herd at home, as yet unconscious 

 of our presence ; and far may one travel to match so fair 

 a sight. It would be superfluous to recall the oft-penned 

 claim of that perfect little stag to first place among all the 

 graceful family Cervidce. He possesses it without a doubt, 

 beyond all cavil, as he stands there, unconsciously posing 

 as a faultless picture of colouring and grace of form those 

 lines of a beautiful shapely frame the light brown muzzle 

 and dark eyes the rich deep russet of that snow-flecked 

 hide, and those long beaded horns, sweeping back in a 

 curve and terminating in shining polished tips certainly 

 the most beautiful of the deer tribe ! 



And his surroundings ? While falling little short of the 

 beauties of an English park-land, they are those of nature, 

 free and untrammelled ; enclosed by no ring fence, guarded 

 by no trespass notice and all ours ! 



But something has warned the sharp instinct of a hind 

 that all is not as it should be some sense of brooding 

 danger a fitful curl of betraying breeze. "Phrew!" sounds 

 the warning signal "Threw! phrew!" and in an instant 

 there is a quick flashing of dappled hides. 



The herd is gone! Beyond the knoll of Pipaldd a 



