298 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



disappear I gave her the contents of the second barrel. I 

 knew I had hit her, yet she did not fall, so after her I went 

 at my best pace, now clambering over fallen trees, anon stum- 

 bling- through matted shrubbery, or tearing 1 , with eyes half 

 closed, through dense fern brakes. I travelled in this manner 

 for two miles as rapidly as I could, the only halt I made being 

 a short one to load my gun, and finally emerged on a splendid 

 wild meadow that skirted the stream. While heedlessly 

 passing over this, for I saw no deer tracks, the doe I had 

 wounded started up about twenty yards to my right; but 

 before she could get as many feet away I planted a load of 

 buck-shot in her heart, and she toppled over after running a 

 short distance. I gralloched her there and then, and started 

 off towards my old stand, but as I could hear firing in every 

 direction I decided to halt to learn its import. Shots were 

 heard detonating through the forest for several seconds, like 

 explosions of fire-crackers, and as soon as they ceased the 

 long, mellow tones of three or four cow's horns, which are 

 there used for hunting-horns, were heard ringing through the 

 woodlands, as a signal for an assembly. 



Before I started to answer the summons, the half-breed 

 was at my side, and so noiseless was his approach that 1 did 

 not know he was near me until he spoke. He, the best 

 hunter of the party, had killed nothing, owing to his desire to 

 do too much, and deserting his stand, so he helped me to carry 

 the doe to where the other victim lay, and we placed both 

 together. The guide then sounded his horn, and as his blast 

 was well known, and it was supposed he had some new 

 project in view, the party began to straggle in from every 

 direction, some emerging suddenly from the undergrowth, 

 while others strolled down the runways. When all were 

 assembled I learned that twelve deer had been killed inside 

 of three hours, and that the hounds must have driven twenty 

 more at least towards the river, judging from the number 

 that passed on either side of the men on the stands. 



Knowing from this that the animals were very abundant, we 

 concluded to hunt that section all day, and to place some of the 

 party on the runways that led up towards the hills. All the 



