396 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



I found the bullet-hole in the hind-quarters, as I had expected ; 

 but I know nothing of its course, as we had no time to dissect it, 

 having a finer stag to clean below us, the first that I had shot. 

 We accordingly descended, and having led our horses to the spot, 

 we took off our coats, and determined to cut up the stag, as it was 

 wonderfully fat, and altogether a beautiful specimen of a wapiti. 



We had partially flayed this animal, and were stooping over it, 

 engaged in the occupation, when a peculiar sound of something 

 pinying in the air above our heads, accompanied at the same time 

 by the report of a rifle, startled us from our work. Almost 

 immediately these ominous sounds were repeated, and a third shot 

 in rapid succession caused my hunter Jem to exclaim, " Look out 

 Indians !" 



Another shot followed, and several in rapid succession, before 

 we could even guess the direction from which they came. 



As we stooped over the deer, we faced the valley below us ; our 

 backs were turned towards the ridge or summit of the hills above 

 us. We were standing upon a spur that ran from crest to valley- 

 bottom ; upon our right was an amphitheatre, a regular horse-shoe 

 of high cliffs forming the outline of the ridge ; a terrace slightly 

 below our level, with only a few places where it would be possible 

 for horses to descend from the highest point above. We now 

 observed mounted men scouring along the sky-line, evidently 

 looking for a passage to the lower ground. At the same moment 

 my eye distinguished what I at first supposed was a runaway horse, 

 which was galloping along the auditorium of the amphitheatre. 

 In another instant I perceived that this was a wapiti stag with 

 large antlers, coming in our direction, and I felt certain that it 

 would cross the saddle of the hill-top above us, from which we had 

 just descended. 



Jumping into the saddle, I gave Buckskin the spurs, and 

 hurried up the hill to arrive if possible below the saddle, on the 

 right, to intercept the stag. Jem followed, and by dint of the 

 sharp rowels I managed to force the lazy Buckskin up the steep 

 incline, and to gain the hollow in the ridge through which I felt 

 sure the wapiti must pass. I jumped out of the saddle when 

 within 100 yards, and a few paces on the lower side of the hollow 

 pass. Hardly was I upon my feet when the large antlers and head 

 and neck of the stag appeared at full speed, tearing through the 

 open space. I fired, but I saw the dry earth fly a few inches 

 short, as the bullet struck the top of the bank which concealed the 

 body of the stag, but exposed the neck and head above. In another 

 instant the stag was flying through the pass, and thoroughly in 



