366 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA 



fore leg between this and the leg itself. The laws 

 of woodcraft dictate this procedure with a roe, 

 whereas we " harle " a hare or rabbit with the 

 tendon of the hind leg. I must confess nothing 

 delights me more than this old science (so neglected 

 in England), with its quaint customs and maxims. 

 Why, for instance, should the man who is dressing 

 a stag never step over it ? It is easier to under- 

 stand the maxim that, if royalty is present, he 

 must not remove his coat or hat, though this, too, 

 must make the job anything but pleasant on a 

 sweltering autumn day. 



The buck — a six-pointer, by the way — is a heavy 

 one, and I am quite satisfied when I have hung 

 him on a pine tree conspicuously, so that Duran 

 will find him without difficulty later on. I sit 

 down in the winter sun to get my lunch, of which 

 Dinah gets her share. When we have finished, I 

 light my pipe and enjoy the splendid view. 



The valley at the side of which I am resting, 

 like most of those hereabouts, ends in a punch- 

 bowl-shaped hollow, bordered with fine pine-clad 

 cliffs. Above these is the main range — sheep 

 pastures in summer, but already given up now 

 to the wolf. As far as I could learn, the chamois 

 never come to the Eazica valley in winter ; prob- 

 ably it, and also the next one lower down, Dudle 

 by name, are too small, and too often disturbed. 

 As the valley broadens out below its sides become 



