114 STALKS ABROAD 



objects on which to make a start, and advanced with 

 lowered head. Burton threw a stone and hit it in 

 the flank ; but this had no effect, and the animal ad- 

 vanced a few paces nearer and stood swaying its head 

 from side to side a few inches off the ground. As 

 some one had to go and the stag seemed disposed 

 to give no quarter, Burton fired a shot but without 

 effect. The stag still advanced, until a second shot 

 took him in the chest and finished him off. I saw 

 him the next day where he had fallen. He had a 

 small head of six points and was obviously a young 

 beast. This is the only really well-authenticated 

 instance I can vouch for of a wild stag attacking a 

 man ; for I think that there is very little doubt he 

 would have charged if left to himself. Instances 

 of tame deer attacking people are common, and one 

 poor fellow at least met his death in this way in 

 Scotland. Most likely the darkness and time of year 

 had something to do with this six-pointer's boldness, 

 for it is extremely unlikely that any wild stag, how- 

 ever much worked up by passion, would attack a 

 man in broad daylight. 



April 16th. After a somewhat restless night 

 (there were about twelve people sleeping in a hut 

 not much more than fourteen feet by twenty-five 

 feet) Buckley and I started at 5.30 to try for the 

 eleven-pointer we had seen on the preceding evening. 



It was quite dark when we left, but after crossing 

 the river and getting some way up the hillside the 

 day broke. It was a " saft " morning, the ground 



