DEC. ACCIDENT IN ROE-SHOOTING. 67 



this by a curious accident which happened to 

 myself in the woods of Altyre while roe -shooting 

 this month. 



The hounds were in pursuit of a roe ; and I was 

 partly occupied in listening to their joyous cry, and 

 partly in admiring the beautiful light thrown by 

 the low rays of the winter sun on the bright trunks 

 of the fir-trees, contrasted as it was with the gloomy 

 darkness of their foliage, when I heard the foot of a 

 roe as it came towards me, ventre a terre. Taking 

 a cool aim I sent a cartridge through the poor ani- 

 mal's head, who, of course, fell rolling over like a 

 rabbit. I went up in order to bleed her, according 

 to rule, when, just as I was knife in hand, I heard 

 the hounds coming up in chase of another roe. I 

 dropped the knife on the heather, and at that instant 

 the dying roe gave an expiring plunge, as animals 

 almost always do when shot in the head. Her hind 

 foot struck the hilt of the couteau de chasse, driving 

 it straight into my foot. Having, not without some 

 little difficulty, drawn it out, I had next to cut off 

 my shoe, when the blood came out like a jet d'eau. 

 Making a tourniquet of my handkerchief and a bit 

 of stick, I managed to stop the bleeding, not, how- 

 ever, before I began to feel a little faint. Then not 

 waiting for my companions, who were at a distant 

 part of the woods, I hobbled off to a forester's 



