NEW ZEALAND DEER-STALKING 113 



that time it was nearly dark, and would have been 

 quite by the time we had waded the river and got 

 up to where he was ; so we were obliged to get 

 on down. 



Burton came in about 7.30 with a good ten-pointer 

 he had killed in the bush. This turned out to be 

 his best head ; a very nice rough horn with a length 

 of thirty-eight inches though somewhat narrow in 

 span. Shortly after shooting it they had heard 

 another stag roaring, so Duncan (his guide) put 

 the head down whilst they stalked it. The stalk 

 was a failure ; so was Duncan's memory, for he 

 could not remember where he had put down the 

 head, nor on which side of a small burn it was. They 

 searched for three hours and had given up the job 

 in despair, when quite by chance they stumbled 

 across it on their way down the hill. 



It was dark by the time they reached the river- 

 bed, which, at the poinfc they struck it, is very 

 wide. They had scrambled along over the boulders 

 and rocks with which their course was strewn for 

 some distance, when they saw a dark object lying 

 on the stones in front of them. This presently re- 

 solved itself into a sleeping stag, who, hearing them 

 approach, jumped up, and disappeared. They hadn't 

 seen the last of him, however, for a little later they 

 encountered him again, apparently very much annoyed 

 at having been roused from his beauty sleep, and 

 determined to wreak vengeance on some one. Seeing 

 them, it seemed to think they would be suitable 



