164 LEAVES FKOM A GAME BOOK. 



SO unsighting us. Alas ! for him that second of hesi- 

 tation was his death warrant, for the rifle spoke in the 

 very nick of time, the bullet dropping him to all 

 appearance stone dead. Quickly lowering the hammer 

 of the left barrel to put on the stop, with lengthy 

 leaps we dashed down hill to where he lay, only to 

 reach him just as the sinewy hind-legs began to kick 

 in vigorous convulsions. On to one of them Edmund 

 flung himself, while I, seizing his horns, fixed his head 

 to the earth ; so thus between us we held him till 

 the knife could be unsheathed and used. 



A few minutes later the gallant stag lay prone on 

 the now nearly dark hillside, and it was only then 

 that we began to realise the good luck that had befallen 

 us, for at our feet was a splendid thirteen-pointer, 

 which next day scaled quite clean just under seventeen 

 stone. Then it was that I turned to Edmund to 

 say, "Well, now, what do you think of my little 

 stag ? I saw him when you asked me to take a look 

 at the small one, but I kept it dark to give you a 

 surprise." 



