CHASING THE ROE 49 



before I did, knows every pass in the wood, and 

 can conjecture the probable course of a hunted 

 buck almost infallibly. A truer sportsman never 

 existed alas ! that I should have to use the past 

 tense. In the hunting-field, by the salmon river, 

 in the grouse butts, or at a hot corner, equally 

 trustworthy ; best known, perhaps, in his later 

 years on the racecourse, where he loved to see 

 Queen's Birthday, Nunthorpe, and other horses 

 bred by himself, carry his colours to victory, 

 although he seldom made a bet. He takes up his 

 position on the brae face to the right, while I 

 hurry on to my pass, which I reach about noon. 

 We did not make a very early start, nor was it 

 necessary to do so ; four or five hours' hunting is 

 quite enough to exhaust the capacities of a limited 

 pack. The heathery ridge where I take my place 

 stands high in the centre of the wood, overlooking 

 on all sides little valleys, or rather glades, through 

 which the roe are likely to pass ; but, although 

 I can see well from my point of vantage, it will 

 be necessary to keep a sharp lookout, as the 

 colour of a roe's hide bears a strong protective 

 resemblance to the tint of the bracken, now 

 rapidly turning brown, and there is more or less 

 covert everywhere around me of which the light- 

 footed beasts will be sure to take every advantage. 

 They will not draw attention to their presence 

 when hunted, as do the blundering fallow-deer, 

 but flit noiselessly past like ghosts of that variety 



