260 TOM SAYERS. 



did not follow him. I looked along the track where the 

 first stag had fallen for broken antlers, finding none I 

 hoped they were all right, but when I got down to him I 

 found that one was snapped off at the centre of the beam, 

 and the other had half the upper tine gone. I walked 

 back and picked up the broken antlers and part of the 

 broken tine, so was able to mend them. The head is not 

 equal to many of my Nielgherry stags, but still it is a 

 handsome trophy ; he had fallen down from sixty to eighty 

 feet and was a good deal knocked about and bones broken. 

 My first shot had hit him near the hip joint and the other 

 near the point of the shoulder. 



There was a stag which frequented the sholas near Peer- 

 mund which, from his fighting propensities, I named Tom 

 Sayers ; he had very massive antlers and I was keen to have 

 them. After killing the leopard, the description of which 

 will be found in the chapter on tigers, I was wending my 

 way to the bungalow, quite satisfied with my morning's sport, 

 when on the crest of the opposite hill appeared a fine stag. 

 I knew him at once as he descended the hill towards me ; 

 he was making for the big wood from which I had just 

 emerged, so skirting along the edge under cover of the 

 rhododendron trees, I made haste to meet him. I had 

 got as far as I could without showing myself, and was 

 doubting in my own mind whether he had not given me 

 the slip, when suddenly I saw his massive antlers appearing 

 beyond some detached rhododendrons ; on he came walking 

 towards me quite unaware of danger, and when about ninety 

 yards distant, I took him, and gave him both barrels. He 

 turned and dashed away into a patch of high fern. I knew 

 he had got both shots, and on running through the fern 



