202 THE DEAD STAG. 



led the way, followed by the doe, and the old stag brought up 

 the rear. As they passed me at the short distance of twenty 

 paces, I fired at the leader, and, as I thought, with deadly aim; 

 but the ball passed over his back, and splintered the rock 

 beyond him. The report rang over the waste, and the deer's 

 surprise was evinced by the tremendous rush they made to 

 clear the defile before them. I selected the stag for my 

 second essay ; eye and finger kept excellent time, as I 

 imagined I drew the trigger a miss, by everything unfor- 

 tunate ! The bullet merely struck a tyne from his antler, and, 

 excepting this trifling graze, he went off at a thundering pace, 

 uninjured. 



Cursing myself, John Manton, and all the world, I threw 

 my luckless gun upon the ground, and rushed to the summit 

 of a neighbouring rock, from which the heights and valleys 

 beyond the gorge of the pass were seen distinctly. The deer 

 had separated the hart and doe turned suddenly to the right, 

 and were fired at by my cousin, without effect. The stag 

 went right ahead ; and while I still gazed after him, a flash 

 issued from a hollow in the hill, the sharp report of Hen- 

 nessey's piece succeeded, and the stag sprang full six feet from 

 the ground, and tumbling over and over repeatedly, dropped 

 upon the bent-grass with a rifle- bullet in his heart. 



I rushed at headlong speed to the spot where the noble 

 animal lay. The eye was open the nostril expanded, just as 

 life had left him. Throwing his rifle down, Hennessey pulled 

 out a clasp-knife, passed the blade across the deer's throat, and 

 requesting my assistance, raised the carcass by the haunches, 

 in order to assist its bleeding freely. 



Having performed this necessary operation, and obtained 

 the assistance of two of our companions from the valley, 

 whence they had been driving the deer, we proceeded to 

 transport the dead stag to the lowlands. It was no easy 

 task, but we accomplished it quickly; and perceiving some 

 horses grazing at no great distance, we determined to press 

 one for the occasion. A stout pony was most unceremo- 

 niously put in requisition, the deer laid across his back, and 

 after emptying flask and basket joyously beside a stream of 

 rock-water, we turned our faces to the cabin, where the news 

 of our success had already arrived. 



