DEER-STALKING 63 



or never, as he showed every sign of an inten- 

 tion of going round the corner of a knob out of 

 sight. Alas for the toss and the lucky penny ! 

 If this was to be the first shot, I had far better 

 have lost. However, bang went the rifle, off 

 went the bullet where Heaven knows fol- 

 lowed by a second from my companion's rifle, 

 and away went the whole herd, more frightened 

 than hurt. 



Since then I have fired a good many shots 

 at deer with fair success, but occasionally I 

 have been guilty of misses which could only 

 be described by the word disgraceful. It is a 

 melancholy moment when a stag gallops off un- 

 scathed which you really ought to have made 

 certain of with a bow and arrow ; and the only 

 thing to do is to bear the stalker's reproachful 

 glances with resignation, and own up to your 

 shortcomings like a man. Depend upon it, in 

 the smoking-room in the evening you will be 

 more pitied than condemned if you condescend 

 to tell the absolute truth without excuse or 

 evasion. " Did you ever see such a miss as 

 that?" said a relative of my own one of the 

 finest shots that ever handled a rifle to the 

 stalker, after letting off a stag broadside under 

 a hundred yards in a good position, on a clear 

 day, with every condition in his favour. "Aye, 

 I have, sir, mony a one," was the reply, and 

 there was no more to be said. But on this 



