CHAP, xiv.] A HUNTING BULLDOG. 115 



giving me a good broadside shot; I fired, and he reeled, turning 

 half roundf Bang went my other barrel, and the stag rolled 

 over like a rabbit, with a force and crash that seemed as if it 

 would have broken every bone in his body. Up he got again, 

 and went off, apparently as sound as ever, into the large wood, 

 passing close to a sportsman who was loading ; when in the wood, 

 we saw him halt for a moment on a hillock and take a good 

 steady look at us all, who were lost in astonishment at his escape 

 after having been so fairly upset. He then went off at a steady 

 swinging gallop, and we heard him long after he was out of view 

 crushing through the dry branches of the young fir-trees. " Bring 

 the dog," was the cry, and a very large animal, something be- 

 tween a mastiff and a St. Bernard, was brought ; the dog went 

 ott' for a little while, barking and making a great noise, but after 

 rushing up against half a dozen trees, and tumbling over amongst 

 the hidden stones, he came back limping and unwilling to renew 

 (he hunt. I had left my bulldog with a servant at a point of 

 the wood some distance off, and I proposed sending for him ; 

 one of the sportsmen, who had never seen him engaged in this 

 kind of duty, sarcastically said, " What, that dog who followed 

 us to-day, as we rode up ? He can be no use ; he looks more fit to 

 kill cats or pin a bull." Our host, however, who was better 

 acquainted with his merits, thought otherwise ; and when the 

 bulldog came wagging his tail and jumping up on me, I took 

 him to the track and sent him upon it ; down went his nose and 

 away he went as hard as he could go, and quite silently. The 

 wood was so close and thick that we could not keep him in sight, 

 so I proposed that we should commence our next beat, as the 

 dog would find me wherever I was, and the strangers did not 

 seem much to expect any success in getting the wounded stag. 

 During the following beat we saw the dog for a moment or two 

 pass an opening, and the next instant two deer came out from 

 the thicket into which he had gone. ' lie is on the wronar scent, 

 after all," said the shooter, who stood next to me. " Wait, and 

 we will see," was my answer. 



We had finished this beat and were consulting what to do, 

 when the dog appeared in the middle of us, appearing very well 

 satisfied with himself though covered with blood, and with an 

 ugly tear in his skin all along one side. " Ah ! " said some one, 



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