72 ERCHLESS AND FARLEY, 1918 



he had good horns with a 28-inch span. We were 

 very lucky to get him, as we stumbled on him at 

 5.30 on our way home, having given up all hope 

 after a terrible day of disappointments and two 

 rather bad misses. We were coming round the 

 far side of the West Hill, and I was behind John, 

 but saw the beast first; he was a good deal below 

 us and about 200 yards away, so, seizing the rifle 

 from John, I crept and crawled to the end of the 

 ridge in front of us, and, peeping over, found him 

 still there, standing broadside on, about 150 yards 

 away; and, getting hastily into position, got him 

 through the heart. 



On the llth Merton got an 8-pointer, 13 stone 

 6 pounds, on the West Hill, and wounded another 

 in the afternoon, but lost him. On the 12th we 

 drove the wood, and I was the lucky one and got 

 the only shot of the day, when they were driving 

 the east beat ; it was a long shot at a wounded stag 

 (probably wounded by Merton two days before 

 when stalking with Roy), well over 200 yards, 

 and I was doubtful whether I had hit him, but I 

 thought it better to go and have a look after the 

 drive, and after careful inspection and a rather 

 clever bit of tracking by Jimmy Johnston for 

 150 yards or so, we came on our stag stone 

 dead. I had hit him rather far back and high 

 up under the spine. He was only a moderate 

 beast, an 8-pointer weighing 13 stone 8 pounds, 

 but it was satisfactory to get a wounded stag, 



