chap. II. NEWER A ELI.IA. 25 



CHAPTER II. 



Newera Ellia — The Turn-out for Elk-Hunting — Elk-Hunting — Elk. 

 turned to Bay — The Boar. 



Where shall I begin ? This is a momentous ques- 

 tion, when, upon glancing back upon past years, a 

 thousand incidents jostle each other for precedence. 

 How shall I describe them ? This, again, is easier asked 

 than answered. A jcurnai is a dry description, min- 

 gling the uninteresting with the brightest moments of 

 sport. No, I will not write a journal ; it would be end- 

 less and boring. I shall begin with the present as it 

 is, and call up the past as I think proper. 



Here, then, I am in my private sanctum, my rifles 

 all arranged in their respective stands above the 

 chimney-piece, the stags' horns round walls hung with 

 horn-cases, powder-flasks and the various weapons of 

 the chase. Even as I write the hounds are yelling in 

 the kennel. 



The thermometer is at 62 Fahr., and it is mid-day. 

 It never exceeds 72° in the hottest weather, and 

 sometimes falls below freezing point at night. The 

 sky is spotless and the air calm. The fragrance of 



