150 TKAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPOET. 



in winter after a hard frost, and the deer get quite 

 accustomed to the noise, and evidently regaixl it as 

 nothing unusual. We altered the face of nature very 

 considerably. You woxtld have thought there had 

 heen a second edition of the recent commotion in 

 Java ; but it was all of no use, so we decided on 

 sending John round to give the stag his wind, trust- 

 ing that when started he might eventually come our 

 way. Deer, if they catch a glimpse of you, or of 

 anything they don't understand, invariably stop and 

 look, perhaps for a couple of minutes it may be 

 much longer till they reassure themselves, or till 

 they decide there is danger. When they wind you 

 they scarcely pause one second, they know their 

 enemy is there, and they are off like a shot. This 

 deer was no exception to the rule. As soon as John 

 crossed him he went with a will, and went the wrong 

 way too ; so with a faint curse I turned my head 

 homewards, or rather after the men, for in what 

 direction homewards lay, I knew not. Seeing, as I 

 though, that sport was pretty well over for the day, 

 as soon as I descried " the shepherd's house " in the 

 distance, I forged gradually ahead, and was beating 

 "record time," I fancy, over that part of the hill, 

 when I was pulled up by a " Hist ! " in rear, a 

 sound somewhat similar to that affected by " Knights 

 of the ^Napkin " when they wish suddenly to arrest 

 the career of a professional friend with the mustard- 

 pot. When one has passed season after season in 



