148 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. vn. 



was a fawn ; the ball had passed through the shoulder 

 of the mother, and had broken the fawn's neck upon 

 the opposite side. I am astonished that this chance 

 of killing two at one shot does not more often happen 

 when the dense body of a herd of deer is exposed to 

 a rifle-ball. 



Deer-stalking is one of the most exciting sports in 

 the world. I have often crept upon hands and knees 

 for upwards of a quarter of a mile through mud and 

 grass to get a shot at a fine antlered buck. It fre- 

 quently happens that after a long stalk in this man- 

 ner, when some sheltering object is reached which 

 you have determined upon for the shot, just as you 

 raise your head above the grass in expectation of 

 seeing the game, you find a blank. He has watched 

 your progress by the nose, although the danger was 

 hidden from his view, and your trouble is unrewarded. 



In all wild shooting, in every country and climate, 

 the ' wind ' is the first consideration. If you hunt 

 down wind you will never get a deer. You will have 

 occasional glimpses of your game, who will be gazing 

 intently at you at great distances long before you can 

 see them, but you will never get a decent shot. The 

 great excitement and pleasure of all sport consists in 

 a thorough knowledge of the pursuit. When the dew 

 is heavy upon the ground at break of day, you are 

 strolling noiselessly along with the rifle, scanning the 

 wide plains and searching the hanks of the pools and 



