RECKLESSNESS OF RUTTING STAGS. 211 



within a quarter of a mile of where I lay. This time it 

 must have been more of a challenge than a serenade, for it 

 soon called forth a loud response in the echoing wood from 

 a rival forest king, who seemed to draw nearer the chal- 

 lenger until their voices suddenly ceased. From this I 

 divined that the rivals were fighting it out on the grassy 

 arena beside the pool. Darkness, however, prevented my 

 interference with their quarrel. 



Early next morning one of the watchers came and re- 

 ported that during the night another hangul had actually 

 come and rolled in the mud beside the pond, within 

 about twenty yards of which the dead one was lying. This 

 sounded rather improbable ; but, as I intended hunting again 

 in that direction, I resolved to go and examine the place 

 myself. There, sure enough, was the fresh impression 

 where a second stag had rolled in the wet mud and had 

 left some of his hair sticking to it. Of one thing there was 

 no doubt both the watchers must have fallen asleep and 

 let their fire go out, although they stoutly denied having 

 done so. 



These ponds or " trags " are used by the herdsmen for 

 watering their cattle when up grazing on the hill-tops. 

 They are always favourite resorts of the stags for soiling 

 themselves in during the rutting season, when the animals 

 become very restless, and often so reckless that when follow- 

 ing a stag in thick forest you may sometimes even attract 

 him towards you by breaking a dry twig, the slight noise of 

 which the stupid beast, in his love-sick imagination, supposes 

 may be caused by a hind. 



Shortly after leaving the pond, a hangul raised his voice 

 in a thick pine-wood below us ; so we determined to try 

 and follow him up there, for it was too late in the morning 

 to expect him to show himself outside it. As the roaring 

 was not continued, we adopted the following plan : after 

 carefully testing the wind in the usual manner, by tossing 

 up scraps of dry grass, Eamzan and I moved stealthily 



