THE OLD BUCK. 329 



wait here an hour, and then go up to the ridge, and 

 keep along it for a good distance. Afterwards you 

 must climb along the steep wall of rock above where 

 we shall be standing, and come out at the further end. 

 Make as much noise as you like, but do not start for 

 a full hour. Let me see : it is twelve now by my 

 watch, at one you can set off; you will want an hour 

 to reach the top." 



"Yes: full that," said the young fellow; "'tis 

 scrambling work there, but in about an hour I can 

 do it." 



We went on, and presently were going to quit the 

 path and enter the wood, but Neuner thought it was 

 better to keep even still further down before doing so. 

 " He may see us," he said, " for the forest has been 

 rather thinned here. I know that buck well : he is a 

 most cunning fellow, and so shy that it is the most 

 difficult thing in the world to get near him. Bauer 

 shot at him once, but missed : he has been shot at too 

 by the poachers, so that he is as wary as an old fox." 



" Is that his usual haunt where we saw him today?" 



"Why he changes his place pretty often. Some- 

 times he is opposite on the left-hand side, when no 

 cattle are there ; sometimes he will wander round to 

 the Pricker. He ought not to have gone away just 

 now, far below him as we were ; but that comes from 

 being shot at so often." 



We looked at our watch, and found that we had 

 fifty minutes to get to the place where I was to stand ; 

 by that time he whom we left behind would be on 



