266 HUMAN VULTURES. 



the last of him had he not chosen the open instead of the 

 wooded side of the spur for his line of retreat, thereby giving 

 me a chance of spoiling his haunch as I did. 



It was too late to make arrangements for carrying away 

 the spoils that evening ; so leaving our two spare men to keep 

 up a bonfire for scaring off the bears, which would be certain 

 to sniff the venison, Eamzan and I started for the camp. 

 Night overtook us in the dark forest whilst we had still 

 some way to travel, but our signals of distress were soon 

 answered by our men below, who brought up pine-torches to 

 light us down the hill. 



Next day the villagers, who seemed to have scented the 

 meat from afar, flocked to our camp from all directions, like 

 so many vultures. 



As the stags were reported to be now pretty constantly 

 heard on the heights above Nouboog, we returned to our old 

 quarters in that direction. During the next two or three 

 days, although stags were frequently heard, nothing with 

 horns was seen, until early one morning the spy-glass was 

 brought to bear upon a solitary fellow carrying a splendid 

 royal head, and roaring like a bull as he quickly ascended a 

 steep open hill-face before disappearing over the ridge above 

 it. After a hastily despatched meal we started to look up his 

 domain, our blankets and supper being taken with us, as we 

 purposed spending the night on the hill. 



A stag, which we thought might perhaps be our friend of 

 the morning, again " tuned his pipes " in the evening, as he 

 moved up through the forest towards the open ridge above it. 

 At length he made his appearance, but only when it had 

 grown so dark that we were unable to recognise the shape of 

 his horns as he stood bellowing there within what, in day- 

 light, would have been easy range. As we saw nothing more 

 of the beast after my random shot at him in the dim uncer- 

 tain light, I scored what I might only have expected a miss ! 

 Several distant stags began roaring in different directions as 



