DEER-STALKING. 189 



snow surface at the sole mercy of the law of 

 gravitation. 



Reader, were you ever face to face with death, 

 and that too of an awful and violent nature ? It 

 looks horrible on paper, but it is not so bad. The 

 moment all power of self-control was gone I re- 

 membered that at the bottom of this snow slide 

 was a hideous precipice, over which, unless some 

 miracle intervened, I should be projected in a few 

 seconds. I have heard tell that persons in some- 

 what similar positions have had the whole of their 

 past lives presented to them by an instantaneous 

 process of mental photography. Nothing of the 

 kind occurred to me. I am not aware that I was 

 even frightened. I don't say this boastfully. On 

 occasion I can " funk " as freely as anybody. Prob- 

 ably there was no time for it ; but I repeat that 

 I, knowing this ghastly gulf to be then below me, 

 and that I was travelling towards it with the speed 

 of a meteor, somehow felt small, if any, anxiety 

 as to the result. I had had some narrow escapes 



