284 GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



her by the ear. P ran up, but having no knife, 



was obliged to shoot the hind. Just then the beaters 

 joined us. 



We walked down towards the others and learned, 

 as I expected, the dogs had pulled down my wounded 

 hind not far from my brother officer. Just after he 

 had knifed her and driven off the dogs, the other three 

 deer appeared. The young planter killed the stag 

 with one shot. The hinds going across, my chum 

 killed one just as the dogs, coming towards the place 

 where they had heard the last shot fired, sighted them. 

 Then commenced the course, the end of which we had 

 seen. This was a capital beat, each of us had got a 

 deer and we were in high glee. 



For the next beat I elected to stand in a piece of 

 jungle adjoining the patana, as I had seen the dis- 

 advantage of being placed in the long grass. For a 

 long time I saw nothing, though I heard occasional 

 distant shots. At last Ranee raised her head sharply, 

 looking intently at the opposite slope of the jungle. 

 For some time I could see nothing, but the bitch 

 fortunately awaited the signal to move. At last I 

 made out a young sambur stag standing in the thick 

 jungle, nearly, if not quite, a hundred yards off. A 

 sapling partly hid his shoulder from me and the range 

 was extreme. I felt sure, however, that he had seen 

 the dogs and would not give me another chance, so 

 aimed nearly at the top of his shoulder and pulled 

 both triggers. The double heavy charge (there were 

 four drachms and a half in each barrel) from so light a 

 weapon spun me half round, and the dogs started off 



