102 GAME. 



fright or of curiosity interfere with their instinct of self- 

 preservation ; and, though on a few very rare and ex- 

 ceptional occasions I have bagged several red deer from 

 the same herd with successive rifle shots, it was because T 

 had every advantage of position and wind. Being unable 

 to see or smell anything unusual, the shots only produced 

 a momentary alarm. 



This deer has less vitality than any other of the large 

 plains animals, and more readily succumbs to a well- 

 directed bullet. Unless the back is broken, however, he 

 rarely falls at once, and being generally found near 

 thickets, and instinctively taking to them when wounded, 

 he is very frequently lost unless the hunter has a good 

 dog. Even with his heart split he may run 100 or 

 200 yards ample space in which to conceal himself, 

 should the thickets be dense. I once, on a specially un- 

 lucky day, mortally wounded four splendid bucks without 

 bagging either. On the next day I went over the same 

 ground with my dog (which had been sick the day before), 

 and found all the bodies, unfortunately spoiled from re- 

 maining so long after death without disembowelling. The 

 best sportsman, unless he has a good dog, may calculate 

 on losing one out of every three actually killed. 



