278 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



beauty, as he stood and looked round with his head 

 in the air ! In colour he looked almost white, as the 

 sun shone on his blue -roan coat. I now got the 

 fidgets to be at him, and began to look around for 

 the chance of a stalk. The herd were moving down 

 into the grassy basin below us, feeding as they went. 

 A tongue of cover ran down a nullah to a point, and 

 towards this they seemed to be heading. I was just 

 on the edge of another such strip of forest. I jumped 

 up and made the best of my way back up the hill to 

 where the fork, as it were, joined. There was no time 

 to be lost. I soon reached the main forest and hurried 

 down the strip, which I hoped would give me cover. 

 If the herd continued moving in the same direction, 

 and I could get there in time, my chance of a shot 

 was good. The wind was all right, and I felt quite 

 sanguine as to the result. In less time than I thought 

 I got to the end of the strip. There they were 

 pottering along in the same order, the stag last, un- 

 fortunately. They were still about 300 yards from 

 where I lay concealed. How slowly they moved ! 

 Nearer and nearer they came ; at 200 yards they 

 turned off" a bit, the stag still the farthest of all. Oh, 

 my nerves ! When I want to shoot, can I do so ? I 

 put my two thumbs together. Fairly steady. Pre- 

 sently a hind put up her head and stamped. Some- 

 thing had disturbed her. Not I ! The wind was 

 still in my face. She trotted on a bit, and the rest 

 looked up and followed. They then filed past me 

 until they stood 100 yards from where I lay. The 

 stag had made up to them and stood broadside on. 



