BULLET AND SHOT 



(about one foot high). It usually means a pretty hot 

 time before one is within range, as deer have the most 

 aggravating way of moving on and on. How often, 

 after a grilling time, with a fierce sun beating down 

 on my head and back, have I got almost near enough 

 to open fire, dripping with perspiration, and black as a 

 sweep from the charred and burnt grass, to see some 

 inquisitive hind come towards me, sniffing suspiciously,, 

 while her unconscious lord was quietly grazing just out 

 of range ! At this time of year the ladies appear 

 especially on the qui vive, and many a hard hour's 

 work has been quite spoiled by a hind scenting or seeing 

 me, and giving the alarm. When disturbed they go off 

 with big bounds, but soon settle down to a running trot, 

 and strange to say, instead of making for cover, make 

 for the open, halting now and then to see what caused 

 the disturbance. On more than one occasion such a halt 

 has proved fatal, for it gave me an opportunity for a long 

 and perhaps a steadier shot than when I had just finished 

 my hot crawl. A wounded stag always makes for cover, 

 and once in the thick elephant grass it is almost im- 

 possible to find them. On these shoots one frequently 

 comes across native fisheries (deep pools of muddy water, 

 which they stock with small fish for drying), and at these 

 very good hunting -dogs can be procured, especially in 

 the Pegu District, where they have a famous breed of 

 dogs. Sometimes we can recover our stag with their 

 aid. Another invaluable "tracker" is the vulture, which 

 abounds when there is anything to eat, though where 

 they depart to when no carrion is about, is hard to say. 

 One afternoon I wounded a stag badly, getting a good 

 shot, after a long stalk, at about one hundred yards. I 

 knew I had planted my bullet where I wanted to, and saw 

 he was hard hit; yet he made a dash for the high grass, 

 and, before I could get in another shot, had disappeared. 

 I was shooting with a Lee-Metford -303 and dum-dum 

 bullets, and was disappointed with the result. I drove 

 the bullock cart through and through the long grass, but 



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