THE BARA SING. 321 



Subhan, after a while, proposed that we should cross the 

 head of the ravine to which we were close, and so reach 

 the ridge over it, and above the deer, leaving Kamal and 

 the guide who, when they saw us at a point determined, 

 were to descend and move down the ravine ; when, it 

 was hoped, the deer alarmed would cross the ridge near 

 us to enter another ravine. The plan was approved as 

 the only one we could here adopt. 



We put it in force and gained the ridge, along which 

 Subhan was advancing, and passing a clear, open, grassy 

 dell leading from the ravine in which were the deer, 

 when Mooktoo, greatly excited, signalled the game : but 

 at that very moment they became concealed by the fir 

 trees fringing the ridge over which they went, and we 

 arrived in time to see a fine stag and hind far below us 

 in the bottom of the adjoining ravine. We now de- 

 scended some distance, hoping to catch a sight of the 

 deer but in vain ; and as it was, in all probability, 

 useless to look for game elsewhere at this hour we 

 resolved to take up our quarters here for the day, thus 

 reserving the chance of the deer coming out to feed in 

 the evening. I, therefore, selected a seat in the rocks 

 under a bush just space enough for me to sit in and 

 what with a fine fat wild -duck for breakfast, and my 

 newspapers afterwards, contrived to pass the time with- 

 out weariness. 



About four o'clock we all roused ourselves to peer into 

 the ravine, and Mooktoo soon detected a stag coming 

 from under some trees. He, however, almost imme- 

 diately passed from view downwards. Waiting some 

 time without another glimpse of him, we moved upwards 

 with the intention of trying to meet him, but found the 

 sides of the hill so steep, and the dry herbage so noisy, 

 that we thought it quite useless to proceed in that direct- 



