ROUND THE CAMP FIRE 329 



The element of danger is of course inseparable from 

 the pursuit of dangerous game ; indeed, it seems to lend 

 that spice of adventure so inviting to the ordinary English- 

 man's heart, and a large portion of the excitement and 

 consequent keenness. But it is not war that the sports- 

 man wages ; nor the pitting of life against life. It is a 

 hunt. So why come at handgrips with disaster for want 

 of a little ordinary prudence ? 



Of course there are men who are not to be turned from 

 dangerous courses by the warning of others, or even, in 

 this instance, by the actual experience of somebody else's 

 death or severe injury ; but very few who have once come 

 to grief themselves behave in this manner. It is a pity 

 that their warnings are not paid more attention to, for 

 they alone are capable of appreciating the results of 

 such mistakes. As noted before, there are circumstances 

 which are beyond one's control, cases in which the most 

 cautious and experienced of men may fall victims to 

 an unhappy combination of unfortunate chances which 

 one calls " bad luck " ; but the majority of accidents 

 are due to a disregard or ignorance of the rules of this 

 very exciting game, while in not a few instances they 

 are distinctly the result of faulty advice and dangerous 

 theories. 



One of the latter, which is directly responsible for the 

 loss of many a useful life, is the unqualified and far too 

 comprehensive assumption that a wounded feline should 

 be followed up. 



The writer is aware that he is treading on delicate 

 ground here, but to the indignant snort which he fancies 

 he can hear in some quarters he would reply not to form 

 too hasty a conclusion until the question has been care- 

 fully examined from both sides all sides rather, might 

 we say. 



How often does one come across such ill-advised though 

 no doubt well-meant phrases as : " Every sportsman who 



