NO IIAIR-BREADTII ESCAPE. 1G9 



tempestuous that you have no power over the direction 

 of your rifle. There are no means to counteract this, 

 and you had better go home ; Lut if it be not too vio- 

 lent, you can kneel on one knee and get a rest by sup- 

 porting your left elbow on the other. 



" Take care that the ramrods to your rifles be large 

 and strong ; they will otherwise be broken in the hurry 

 of loading. I recommend you, moreover, to make one 

 of your hill-men carry a very long and stout one in his 

 hand, having a mark made in it at the length of your 

 barrel, that you may ascertain the exact load. I used 

 no other when this was at hand. As for the sport 

 itself no one can have a proper perception of till he is 

 chief in command, and able to stalk the deer himself; 

 and this he cannot do without long practice, and a 

 thorough knowledge of the ground and habits of the 

 animal. Novices, therefore, having very necessarily a 

 deer-stalker allotted to them from the forest, who very 

 properly keeps the devoted rifleman in due subjection, 

 he will not permit him to show a hair of his head above 

 the heather on certain ticklish occasions, and the miser- 

 able 3'outh IS always totally unconscious of what is 

 going on. This not showing a hair of his head 

 is rather cruel to the poor stag, as it does not 

 allow him a hair-l)readth escape." Mr. Scrope enters 

 into all the details of the apprenticeship of an aspirant 

 to deer-stalking, which may also be learned by perusing 

 that very entertaining story by Cooper in the conversa- 

 tion between Glenvallich and Tresham. As to poachers, 

 Scrope states one never hears of such ruffians as infest 

 the preserves in England; men who screw up their 

 courage at the beer-houses, asserting with imprecations 

 that they will shoot any keeper rather than be taken. 



VOL. II. N 



