THE STAG OF THE BLACK CHEETA ROCK. 267 



I started to find him. I did not succeed in getting a stalk, so 

 put my men through one or two small woods, posting myself at 

 the likely spots for the deer to break cover. I was proceeding 

 to one of these points when I was told a stag had been seen 

 standing at the edge of the wood, which he had entered with- 

 out my seeing him. I ran round the top to intercept him, on 

 which he quietly trotted out at the bottom, " a fine handsome 

 beastie," as a Scotch keeper would say, I at once recognised 

 him to be the stag I was after and one that had dodged us out 

 of the very same wood some time before ; he seemed now 

 to be making for a wood at the foot of the precipitous rock. 

 The first black leopard I ever saw came out of this wood and 

 sat in the open washing his face with his paws, like an old 

 black torn cat before the fire, so I named the rock after him. 

 Seeing that the stag was making for this cover I concluded 

 he would in all probability lay up there. I had a pony out 

 with me so I tied him up near the run by which the deer had 

 entered, and ordered the men to walk through the top ; but 

 there was one difficulty to be overcome ; the wind was 

 blowing right into the wood ; if I posted myself at the lower 

 and most likely spot for the deer to break cover, he would 

 be sure to have my wind and not come out that way. I 

 therefore tried a stratagem. Walking along close to the 

 wood I stood at one spot letting him thoroughly wind me, 

 and when I judged he knew exactly where I was standing 

 I stole back the way I came and made a long detour 

 to a pass higher up the hill. The men had orders to 

 enter the wood from above and commence clapping their 

 hands as soon as they saw me posted ; presently out trotted 

 a smaller stag some distance up the hill above me ; he 

 stood and looked at me and gave a tempting shot, but I 



