82 STALKS ABROAD 



avoid making some noise, though Henry seemed to be 

 able to walk as softly as a cat on almost any surface. 

 We were aiming to cut diagonally across the line 

 which the stag had marked out for himself when we 

 last saw him, and were indeed on the fringe of the 

 bushes when I sat down abruptly and very hard in 

 the middle of a little frozen burn. While a cold chill 

 slowly permeated the whole of my knickerbockers and 

 being, I uttered not a sound ; but when Henry turned 

 round and made a face at me, endeavouring to com- 

 prise in one glance scorn at my clumsiness, fear that 

 it had frightened the stag, warning not to repeat my 

 performance, and confidence in his own ability to 

 save himself from a similar mishap, it was too much 

 for me and I snapped out, " You silly ass ! I didn't 

 do it on purpose ! " 



I had apparently frightened the stag, for, as I 

 scrambled to my feet, twenty yards ahead of us there 

 came a rush from behind a tree and a white patch 

 disappeared from view. Henry was kneeling in the 

 snow pointing with outstretched finger. So, pulling 

 the cap from the rifle, I hurriedly joined him. Then 

 very dimly through the brush I saw a moving form 

 and took a hurried snap. Result nil ! Henry ran 

 on, but I remained, for out of the tail of my eye I 

 caught a glimpse of twinkling feet and beyond them 

 a narrow opening, through which the snow gleamed 

 white. I covered it with my sights and as a dark 

 form obscured the pale background beyond, fired. 

 No desperate flurry in the snow succeeded my shot, 



