214 THE EASTEEN HUNTEH8. 



long as lie could keep up. However, I need hardly 

 say that was not for long ; so the beast got away, 

 probably seathless." 



There was no game marked down the next day ; 

 so the three hunters went out early in the after- 

 noon to try their luck after samber and cheetul, 

 at a place some miles oft 1 , and said to be a 

 favourite resort ; and none of them returned empty- 

 handed. 



Hawkes made a neat shot at a cheetul-buck, 

 which he stalked, and knocked it over. On going 

 up to give it the coup de grace or rather, entrusting 

 that duty to his attendant, for he was hardly yet 

 sufficiently practised enough to cut a deer's throat 

 himself without much reluctance he attempted to 

 seize the animal's legs while the man, knife in hand, 

 tried to get a firm hold of its head. Objecting, how- 

 ever, to the intended operation, he, to use Hawkes' 

 expression, as he afterwards recounted the adventure, 

 " fought like blazes to prevent having his throat 

 cut." Though he was unable to rise from the 

 ground, he struck out and struggled vigorously with 

 his captors ; sent the shikaree, knife and all, flying, 

 and kicked a piece clean out of Hawkes' jacket and 

 .shirt Fortunately the blow was just short of the 

 arm, or he might have had to rue the day he so 

 unwarily seized the legs of the prostrate buck. The 



