

TRAGICAL EVENT. 339 



of an eye, raised and discharged my gun, when the object at 

 which I aimed at once sunk to the ground. Though Elg 

 and the soldier were standing immediately behind me, 

 neither of them saw it. But this was not to be wondered 

 at, as, owing to the denseness of the cover, it was only 

 from time to time that even a transient view could be 

 obtained of anything in the distance. 



Almost at the instant of firing, and at the very spot 

 to which my aim was directed, the dog became visible, and 

 began to bark loudly ; on seeing which I cried out in great 

 alarm : " Elg ! is it possible ? can I have shot my dog ?" 

 But observing by the way in which the animal pulled at 

 his tether, that he was uninjured, and recollecting that he 

 was with Svensson, the truth flashed at once across my 

 mind, and I exclaimed: "It is Svensson and not the dog 

 that is killed !" And such was the dreadful fact ! On pro- 

 ceeding to the spot, there lay the poor fellow stretched at 

 his length, and stone dead ! It was a piteous sight to look 

 on : a grey-headed old man he was then in his sixty- 

 fifth year thus weltering in his own blood; and to me a 

 doubly heart-rending spectacle, as it was my own hand 

 that had sped the fatal bullet. We were all horror-stricken. 

 For my part, what with reflecting on myself for having 

 been the cause of the calamity, and grief for the loss of 

 an old and tried comrade, my feelings are not to be conveyed 

 by words. 



Indeed we were utterly confounded, as well as horrified; 

 for after the very strict injunctions given to the poor man, it 

 was quite incomprehensible to us how an old and experienced 

 Chasseur, like him, could have ventured to leave his post. 

 But, no doubt, he did so under the idea that we had searched 



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