VIRGINIAN DEER. 147 



Silence "u-as resumed, find the two continued 

 creeping along the bean-field as quietly as possible 

 on all-fours. Presently the overseer jogged the 

 black upon the shoulder with his heel, and both 

 stopped still. Fifty paces off, in the full light of 

 the fire, was a stag quite as big as the other, 

 standing as still as Albert Durer's stag in " The 

 Vision of St. Hubert." It would have been highly 

 imprudent to advance another step, so Slouch 

 raised his rifle, and, taking careful aim, pulled the 

 trigger. The stag gave a tremendous bound, and 

 fell dead. The report woke up all the echoes of the 

 neighbourhood, and the owls which were perched 

 up among the trees, fled alarmed at the unaccus- 

 tomed noise. To disembowel the creature, fasten 

 it by the four feet, and throw it over the crupper, 

 was the business of a quarter of an hour. This 

 operation took place in silence, and when it was 

 finished, Pompey took the horse by the bridle, and 

 led the w^ay back again to the house. Suddenly a 

 noise made them both stop, and Slouch, who had 

 reloaded his rifle, saw the form of an animal and 

 two bright eyes running from the opposite direc- 

 tion. He presented and fired, when Pompey, 

 rushing forward, exclaimed — " Oh ! what liab you 

 done ? You shot Mr. Rensom's pet colt." In fact, 

 Slouch had killed a magnificent two-year-old stone 

 dead. The ball had]]struck it full in the middle of 

 the neck. 



L 2 



