xxir THE DEER 365 



find I was obliged to wriggle upon my side and back, feet-foremost. 

 By degrees I made progress, and I flattered myself that I should 

 get within 100 yards, when suddenly a hind and fawn which had 

 been concealed in the deep heather sprang to their feet about 150 

 yards upon my right. I sank below the heather, and was out of 

 sight, but I felt that the stag was on his legs. Gradually and 

 cautiously raising my head, I saw the stag standing about 120 

 yards from me ; the hind and fawn, upon the right, were looking 

 out across the line of our positions. They evidently had my 

 wind. If they had commenced to run, the stag would have 

 followed in an instant. He was looking downwards upon the 

 glen below, but he was standing almost broadside towards me. 

 I was lying on my back, therefore slowly and carefully I sat up, 

 my head was just above the heather as I raised the rifle. Almost 

 at the same moment the hind and fawn started off; the stag was 

 in the act of moving when I fired. He fell to the shot, disappear- 

 ing in the heather, and now and then exposing his antlers as he 

 struggled on the ground. I began to step the number of paces to 

 measure the distance, which is my usual custom. I had arrived 

 about half-way, when the stag suddenly jumped up, and without 

 a moment's hesitation started at full speed down the steep 

 mountain side, as though he had never been touched. 



" Slip the dog," I shouted at the top of my voice, but the 

 knowing gillie had already done it. He had closed up with the 

 keeper, whom I had left behind when the stalk commenced, and 

 he had been watching the progress of the stalk with intense 

 . excitement. He saw the deer fall, and was running towards me 

 when the stag regained his feet ; at the same moment he loosed 

 the dog, and Oscar, who was a first-rate hound, came bounding 

 past me with the game full in view. 



Whatever superiority Oscar might have possessed upon level 

 ground, was entirely lost through the rough nature of the country. 

 The stag completely distanced him in the race down hill; one hope 

 remained, that upon reaching the peat moss in the bottom, the 

 heavy soil would be against the deer, and the hound might recover 

 some advantage. 



Hurrying at the best pace possible down the steep incline, 

 through the deep heather, occasionally slipping backwards over the 

 clattering stones, we ran down the hill, which in ordinary moments 

 would have required careful walking. Now, the stag was going 

 across the deep peat moss, and the snow-white Oscar was a bright 

 speck upon the brown surface, gaining decidedly in the race of life 

 and death. Had the deer been stationary, it would have been 



