246 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



turn up. We were now within fifty paces of the edge 

 of the tableland. On one side, to our right, even 

 almost with the surface of the country, was the crown 

 of a tall tree, a wild mango, the roots being in the 

 ground fully 120 feet below. The laterite " cropped " 

 over, forming a ledge, a good deal hollowed out under- 

 neath. So a lead line dropped from the edge would 

 have touched a natural terrace, on which a few trees, 

 including the tall mango, grew, below which again 

 there was a sheer fall of about twenty feet, and then a 

 slope which ended in a narrow but dry watercourse 

 which divided that hill from the next. These 

 particulars are requisite to explain what followed. I 

 had lain perdu perhaps a quarter of an hour, when 

 first one doe and then another pricked up their ears 

 and looked to our right. We gazed in that direction 

 too, and saw presently the tips of a splendid pair of 

 antlers. The warrior who carried them seemed in no 

 hurry. It was not the rutting season, or probably he- 

 would have been a little quicker. While looking in 

 the direction of the advancing beauty, the shikari e 

 touched me on the shoulder and pointed to an 

 altogether opposite course, and there, equally slowly 

 marching along, was another stag, for all the world 

 the duplicate of the one on the right. I anticipated 

 some fun as I w r as sure these gay Lotharios would 

 not agree, for although the hinds would not then 

 accept their attentions, I have no doubt the object in 

 view was to ingratiate themselves with the does and 

 walk off with them, for more ardent advances at 

 a future date. I fancy the one on the right was the 

 lawful owner of the harem, the one on the left an 

 intruder, as he advanced quicker and immediately 



