DEER 271 



into its cover and said, " Come along, Sahib ; we will 

 get behind that rock, where I know there is a bit of 

 a cave, and stop until the snow has given over ; it 

 won't last long." Off he ran in front of me and dis- 

 appeared behind a rock. But in a moment he was 

 out again with a yell and nearly knocked me over, 

 with a bear a foot or two behind him. I was un- 

 armed, but so astonished that I stood stock still, and 

 faced him, as did my under shikari, who was close to 

 me. The bear, meeting two more men face to face, 

 shied off and bundled down the hill, much to my 

 satisfaction. We then took possession of his shelter 

 behind the rock. The snow soon ceased, and we 

 resumed the trail. At last we came on droppings 

 still warm ; the stag was evidently not far off, so we 

 proceeded more cautiously. As we topped a ridge 

 overlooking a nullah rather wider than some, my 

 shikari whispered, " I think he is somewhere in this 

 nullah," and peered cautiously over through the 

 shrub on the crest. " Hist, Sahib, there he is." I 

 caught sight of him at the same time about 150 yards 

 off, broadside on, looking as big as a cow, a perfect 

 mark on the white snow. I drew a bead on his 

 shoulder and pulled the trigger. After two convulsive 

 plunges he went down ; my bloodthirsty shikari was 

 off like a shot, knife in hand, to make him lawful 

 meat, for the throat must be cut with an invocation 

 to Allah before the blood has ceased to flow. He 

 was a good stag, and though only a ten-pointer he 

 had a pretty pair of antlers. We cut off the head, 

 gralloched him, hitched a rope to his forelegs, and 



