A SUPPOSED MISS. 115 



Six of us were stationed at from one hundred and fifty to 

 two hundred paces apart; and concealed ourselves behind 

 trees or otherwise, as best we might ; whilst the other two 

 were directed to start the animal, and drive him towards us. 

 Two shots were presently heard to the right of me ; but as for 

 a while afterwards all was still, 1 began to imagine the animal 

 was either killed, or had made his escape. At last, however, 

 at some fifty paces' distance, and in rather thick cover, I 

 caught sight of the elk as he was on the point of breaking the 

 Cordon. Though the snow was nearly three feet deep, he 

 was galloping, and his movements so silent, that my ears 

 alone would never have made me aware of his presence. 

 Having a double-barrelled gun ready cocked in my hand, I 

 at once let fly right and left, though apparently without 

 effect, for he speeded on his course as if nothing had hap- 

 pened. Being a tolerable shot in cover, the object, aimed at 

 large, and the range short, I was somewhat puzzled at this ; 

 and the more so when shortly afterwards told by the man 

 posted next to me, and exactly in the line of my fire, that 

 I had missed the elk altogether, both of my balls having 

 struck the snow near to where he stood. And this his 

 assertion bore the semblance of truth ; for on examining the 

 track of the deer neither blood nor hair was to be seen. 

 Nevertheless, I had my doubts ; and after our party had 

 collected, we went in pursuit, and had not gone far when 

 we perceived the poor creature prostrate, and at its last 

 gasp. A fire was presently kindled, and the deer (large 

 as a heifer) quickly flayed, when it was found that, inde- 

 pendently of a ball which one of the party had lodged in 

 his body prior to my firing, both of my balls, known 

 by the greater apertures in the skin, instead of having 



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