SKETCHES OF SPORT IN HUNGARY. 395 



game-laws protected him, and I confined myself to watching 

 him attentively. 



He was a true wild stag reared in the open forest, with 

 horns such as one no longer sees in the woods of central 

 Europe, where the deer are huddled together within a small 

 area and have degenerated to miserable shadows of their 

 former selves. It is only in more eastern countries, where the 

 woods have not been turned into promenades, that real Red 

 Deer are still to be found. 



The following day my brother-in-law and I breakfasted 

 while it was still quite dark, and then left the shooting-lodge. 

 He drove back along the greater part of the valley, and I 

 walked after one of the keepers, who led me along a steep 

 slope through a thick wood. 



My guide, a dark-looking fellow whom I had previously 

 known, strode silently in front of me wrapped in his long 

 grey cloak his expressive eyes, tanned visage framed by 

 black ringlets, powerful muscular frame, easy movements, 

 and noiseless way of gliding through the cover being all 

 thoroughly characteristic of the fine strong race of the 

 Southern Slavonians. 



A splendid hiding-place near an exposed bait had been 

 prepared for me, and almost before daybreak a pair of large 

 Ravens appeared, which flew to the lure without much cere- 

 mony and began to enjoy themselves heartily. Suddenly 

 they croaked hoarsely and cast frightened glances towards 

 the edge of the wood hard by, and on looking in that direc- 

 tion I saw a wolf peeping slyly out. 



I cautiously took up my rifle, hoping that the fellow would 

 feel appetized for a little breakfast, in which case I would 

 willingly have served him with some lead; but my expecta- 

 tions vanished on seeing his worship, who was probably 

 returning from his nightly raid with a full stomach, move on 

 at a quiet trot and vanish from my sight into the wood. 



