166 LEAVES FROM A GAME BOOK. 



The shot had indeed been a lucky one, for on 

 examination we found the ball had gone high and 

 smashed the spine just over the heart, and two inches 

 higher would have made it a miss altogether ; moreover, 

 it was almost the only wound that would have assured a 

 few moments of absolute immobility, for, had the bullet 

 been planted fairly in the heart, the chances are the stag 

 would have run at least a few paces, and then, as he 

 tottered to his death, his fall would have launched 

 him rolling down hill, to be dashed to pieces like his 

 predecessors. 



Our luck had also been the greater, as it is but seldom 

 stags notice each other quite so early in the season, for, 

 as a rule, their jealousies do not commence until a week 

 later. At the foot of the Eilig burn we were met by the 

 pony-man, so with the help of three pair of hands our 

 quarry was quickly strapped on the saddle, when a merry 

 party stumbled home in the dark. On the way I confided 

 to Edmund that, though I had killed many deer, includ- 

 ing several royals, yet till now the twelve points had 

 never been exceeded, and that I was under a solemn vow. 



