UNTOWARD ACCIDENT. 229 



friend ; but as he did not seek sport, so he was determined 

 not to shun it if it were thrust upon him. And fortune 

 (who seldom does things by halves) now placed another of 

 her favours in his way. Whether or not he benefited by 

 the chance will be seen in the sequel. 



Thus then it was : a few hinds and calves, with a good 

 hart amongst them, came rapidly over the shank of the 

 hill which he and Lightfoot were descending. The hart 

 was generally masked by the hinds ; but as their paces were 

 unequal, he was sometimes exposed for a moment. Both 

 sportsmen suddenly clapped up the rifles to their shoulders : 

 the point was too nice a one for ceremony. The fatal sound 

 of Lightfoot's was first borne along the moor fatal did I 

 say ? fatal to what ? Alas, to the hind that was coming 

 up in the rear of the hart ; down she dropped, and her 

 maternal cares ceased for ever. In the meantime Tortoise 

 kept holding pertinaciously where the hart was, keeping 

 his gun well forward : half of him at length was clear, the 

 trigger was instantly pulled, and the ball took effect ; but 

 the wounded stag went on behind the others, and the men 

 couched down upon the heather blossom. 



And now happened one of those untoward accidents that 

 will sometimes occur in spite of ordinary precaution. The 

 dogs had been brought forward for the stricken deer ; and 

 Corrie, who had a small greyhound-like head, slipped him- 

 self from the leash, and away he went on the traces of the 

 deer. Nothing could be more agonising, for there was every 

 probability that he would put the main herd out of the cast, 

 and disappoint all the parties at the wood. But come what 

 might, the keen hound was gone forth, and no earthly power 

 could arrest him. 



The small parcel that had been fired at joined the great 

 herd, full in Corrie's view ; and all disappeared for a while 

 in the hollow of a deep ravine, with the dog at their traces. 

 But they soon reappeared on the opposite brae, Corrie being 

 still close upon them : every man was absolutely in despair. 

 He forced them into a compact mass, ran furiously at their 

 rear, then to one flank and then to the other ; and ever as 

 he came on, the outward deer endeavoured to wedge them- 

 selves into the mass out of reach of his horrid fangs. 



