282 LOST TROPHIES ALWAYS THE FINEST. 



alas ! we are both mistaken this time. Although we follow 

 the track until evening, never again do we set eyes on that 

 monarch of the forest after his clearing the ridge. 



It was some time ere I could realise the sad fact that I had 

 lost this splendid brute. I now came to the conclusion either 

 that the hardened detonating shell must have burst to pieces 

 in the thick muscles of the shoulder without penetrating 

 farther, or that the whole thing was an optical delusion. At 

 any rate that stag must have borne a charmed life, for, as he 

 stood looking at us after the rifle was empty wae's me ! it 

 was only an old muzzle-loader my gun, loaded with honest 

 leaden bullets, was within arm's reach. But its carrier, who 

 I had no idea was crouching quite close behind me, in his 

 excitement had forgotten to hand it to me. 



My frame of mind, as I plodded wearily down through the 

 dark pine woods, was decidedly grumpy. For the best part 

 of two days did we perseveringly search for the wounded 

 stag, with only the doubtful satisfaction of finding here and 

 there a few drops of blood on the trail. Fancy is often apt 

 to picture the trophies one loses as the finest, but those mag- 

 nificent lost antlers haunt my memory to the present day. 



The moon being now near its full, Eamzan proposed that 

 we should try watching beside one of the trags that was most 

 resorted to by the stags. We therefore shifted our quarters 

 back to the vicinity of the pool where, several nights before, 

 I had imagined the tournament had taken place. Although 

 this night-watching for stags is rather a " shady " way of 

 doing business, there is certainly a wild charm about it on 

 a calm moonlight night, as the sportsman or poacher, as he 

 may perhaps be considered lies in wait, expectant for his 

 quarry, beside some quiet pool, his senses all quickening at 

 the slightest rustle of a leaf in the hushed forest. 



The shadows of evening were deepening in the woods when 

 we spread our blankets behind some bushes under the tall 

 sombre pine-trees near the trag we intended watching. As 



