ON BIG GAME SHOOTING GENERALLY 13 



for every once he shoots too low. Put your cap under your 

 rifle if you are going to shoot from a rock rest ; shoot from a 

 rest whenever you can, and if you miss the first shot, do as the 

 Frenchman wanted to when pheasant shooting, i.e. wait until 

 he stops. If it is a ram or a deer, unless he has seen or winded 

 you, it is a thousand to ten that he will stop within 50 yards or 

 so to look back to see what frightened him before leaving the 

 country. When he stops you will get another chance at a 

 stationary object, and one shot of this kind is worth a good 

 many ' on the jump.' If a beast does not look likely to stand 

 again after the first shot, a sharp whistle will sometimes stop him. 



You will hear, especially from Americans, who very often 

 can shoot uncommonly well with the Winchester, and from 

 Indians, who are the poorest shots in the world, of extra- 

 ordinary shots at long ranges. Pay no attention to them. 

 If you cannot get within 200 yards of game, except antelope 

 in an open country, you are a poor stalker ; and rely upon it 

 more game is killed within 80 yards than is fired at over 200. 

 Indians get what game they kill, not by their fine shoot- 

 ing at long ranges, but by their clever creeping and stalking. 

 At the same time, there is a limit to everything, and if you 

 attempt to get too close, a glimpse of your cap, which would 

 only make a deer stare at 150 yards, will make him dash off 

 as if wolves were after him at 50 yards. 



Having dropped your stag, lie still (if you have wounded 

 him only, this is still more necessary) and reload, as many a 

 man has been terribly disappointed at seeing a deer which he 

 considered was ' in the bag ' get up and go off from under the 

 very muzzle of an unloaded rifle. But your stalk may end with- 

 out your getting a shot. Some puff of wind of which you had 

 no suspicion may warn your quarry before you get within range 

 of him, and if this happens, watch which way he goes, and do 

 you go by another way, for he will put every beast he passes in 

 his flight upon the ' qui vive.' 



In case of wounded game do not be in too great a hurry 

 to follow it. A wounded beast which is pressed will go on 



