DEER-STALKING. 165 



snow surface at the sole mercy of the law of 

 gravitation. 



Reader, were you ever face to face with death, 

 and that too of an awful and violent nature? It 

 looks horrible on paper, but it is not so bad. The 

 moment all power of self-control was gone I re- 

 membered that at the bottom of this snow slide 

 was a hideous precipice, over which, unless some 

 miracle intervened, I should be projected in a few 

 seconds. I have heard tell that persons in some- 

 what similar positions have had the whole of their 

 past lives presented to them by an instantaneous 

 process of mental photography. Nothing of the 

 kind occurred to me. I am not aware that I was 

 even frightened. I don't say this boastfully. On 

 occasion I can " funk " as freely as anybody. Prob- 

 ably there was no time for it ; but I repeat that 

 I, knowing this ghastly gulf to be then below me, 

 and that I was travelling towards it with the speed 

 of a meteor, somehow felt small, if any, anxiety 

 as to the result. I had had some narrow escapes 



