104 BENULA AND FARLEY, 1920 



my steps, but had not got 10 yards from Boa 

 when I heard a hiss from him, and looking round 

 saw him beckoning me. I was beside him in a 

 second, and there, about 1,000 feet below us, 

 was our stag, sick unto death but just able to 

 totter along. We tried to get down to him 

 but he kept on, and Boa suggested that we should 

 leave him as he was drawing us so far away from 

 the ponies, and he would get him in the morning 

 as he could not go far, and he would have no 

 difficulty in finding him, and anyway it would be 

 too late to get the ponies round to get him in 

 the same evening; in addition there was a good 

 chance of getting another stag on the other side 

 of the ridge on our way down to the ponies, so I 

 readily assented, and back we climbed to the 

 ridge. I may mention that Boa got him next 

 day all right; he was lying down almost in the 

 same place where we had left him, and he was 

 surrounded by hinds, who I suppose had come to 

 tend him, as there were none near him when we 

 left him (reminding one of Landseer's picture of 

 "The Dying Stag," a copy of which, presented by 

 the artist " to the Master of Lovat," is in Balblair). 

 He was not dead, and Boa had no difficulty in 

 getting to about 130 yards from him, and could 

 have shot him through the neck, but thought he 

 would get in a little nearer; and in so doing the 

 hinds got him and went off, and this made the stag 

 get up and stagger into rather a steep place, where 



