60 TUE EASTEEN HUNTERS. 



course, the animal fed directly up the slope, and 

 hence only presented his hind quarters. To fire at 

 him in such a position would be useless; for if struck 

 the wound could hardly stop the beast, who would 

 quickly be lost in the neighbouring jungle. He 

 waited a brief half-minute, but finding that the stag 

 still persistently fed directly away, and was at every 

 step increasing the distance between them, Norman 

 seized a pebble and grated it harshly against the 

 granite boulder. 



The nearest hind turned rapidly round to look at 

 the place from which the unaccustomed noise had 

 issued. The stag himself ceased feeding ; but less 

 curious than his female relative, or deeming it 

 perhaps her duty to detect danger, he only raised 

 his head and lazily turned it to observe her motions. 

 The movement, however, brought his body partially 

 round, and presented a slanting shot to the ready- 

 prepared hunter. 



Pointing his rifle through the crevice, he put on 

 the hair-trigger and fired, and was glad to hear the 

 answering " thud " of the bullet striking flesh. The 

 stag reeled and fell to his knees, but recovered him- 

 self and broke into a lumbering canter. 



Norman had left his double rifle with the shika- 

 ree, preferring to use his fine-sighted hair trigger for 

 the stalking shot, and now he half regretted it. 



