280 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



After following for about two hours, for tracking 

 here and there was difficult, the sun got hot, and I 

 had to proceed cautiously, as he was now lying up for 

 the day. The trail led along the side of a steepish 

 range, and the spurs over which I passed were rather 

 abrupt. As I got to the top of one such spur and 

 looked cautiously over my heart pumped into my 

 mouth ; there he lay right in the open, not much 

 more than 100 yards below. There was no getting 

 any nearer, so I made up my mind to shoot. I put 

 on the bead, alas ! too full, and pulled off. He was 

 on his legs in a moment, and plunged into the forest. 

 I felt somehow that I had shot over his back, as 

 one often does with a down-hill shot. However, I 

 followed his trail for some way and looked out for 

 blood traces, but all to no purpose, so I gave it up 

 and went home sad. After this, as time was getting 

 on, and Siberian bad weather (which is no joke) 

 approaching, I marched back to Ongodia, the ter- 

 minus of the posting road, where I had left my 

 tarantas, as the postchaise of the country is called, 

 and so on back to Kainsh, ten days' posting, where 

 I struck the railway to Moscow. 



YARKAND DEER, MARAL 



The red deer of Turkestan is to be found in the 

 forest region bordering the Tarim river. About the 

 same size as the Scotch red deer, they carry very 

 even, well-shaped heads, with terminals, generally two 



