134 REMINISCENCES OF A SPORTSMAN. 



off for me to fire at him, and whilst I was turning in 

 my mind how to approach him, he suddenly turned his 

 head, got sight of me, and started off at full speed. I 

 was almost certain that he would direct his course up 

 the steep ridge on the side where I stood, with the ob- 

 ject of entering the forest; and observing that he ran a 

 short distance up the stream before he began to ascend the 

 height, I made all speed to meet him at the top and 

 salute him with my two barrels. But in my hurry and 

 excitement, keeping my eyes fixed on the spot where I 

 hoped to intercept him, and not looking on the ground, 

 I came in contact with a large piece of rock, over which 

 I tumbled headlong. My gun flew out of my hand, and 

 I experienced the most excruciating pain from a bad 

 wound on my right shin, which completely disabled me 

 from further pursuit, and I lay for some time in a most 

 uncomfortable state on the ground, sadly vexed at 

 having missed my intended victim. After the pain 

 in my leg had in some degree subsided, my first 

 care was to regain my gun, and I received some 

 consolation by finding that my Joe Manton had not 

 been damaged by the concussion. I had now no 

 alternative but to hobble home and recount my 'mis- 

 fortune to my brother sportsmen, who regretted much 

 the accident and my failure in providing them with 

 some of the wild boar for our commissariat. As I was 

 then in excellent condition, the wound soon healed; 

 and in three or four days I was able to take the field 

 again. Shortly after, as I was shooting in this neigh- 

 bourhood, I met a considerable flock of sheep, and 

 amongst them, to my no small surprise, a fine full-grown 

 stag. On inquiry, the shepherd informed me that the 

 flock and stag belonged to the priest of the parish, who 



