THE SAL FOEESTS. 389 



a hundred yards above our post. The rest of the herd were 

 still mostly hidden by the rise. Creeping through the bushes 

 I prepared to fire at the stag, and gave orders for the hounds 

 to be slipped at once after I should fire. I was barely in time 

 to secure a shot, before the stag, alarmed by a yelp from one 

 of the dogs, turned to flee up the bank. As it was I dropped 

 him on the pebbly bank, shot through the shoulder; and, 

 turning the rifle on the hind who was pausing startled at the 

 shot, the other bullet passed through her thigh, injuring the 

 hip joint. She fell on her hind quarters for a few moments, 

 but presently recovered, and made off after the herd across the 

 flat. The four dogs had sprung from the slips, and splashed 

 through the shallow stream before she had well got on her 

 legs ; and they very nearly had her before she got fairly into 

 her pace. Then, however, she distanced them at once for a 

 few hundred yards, when the old bitch "Bell," who was 

 extremely fast, began to draw steadily up to her. The pups 

 were a hundred yards behind, giving tongue like foxhounds, 

 and old Tinker laboured along scarcely half way from where 

 they had started. Bell was very near the hind, when I 

 saw her disappear bodily into a hole. But the deer was now 

 failing fast; and, seeing no chance of making the forest, 

 turned round and came back towards the river. The pups 

 and Tinker now made up considerably by cutting off the 

 corner, and very soon the brindled one, " Sheroo," who was 

 rather the faster, was racing alongside of her, making un- 

 certain snatches at the shoulder. The yellow dog soon joined 

 him, and together they managed to throw over the deer just 

 as she reached the bank of the river. They all three rolled 

 down the bank together ; and before the deer could recover 

 herself Tinker was up and pinned her by the throat. The 

 bitch was not far behind, and among them they nearly tore 



