A FALL HUNTING TRIP. 99 



growing momentarily broader, showed on the horizon, and 

 the cloud passed away, leaving us once again in cold, blue 

 weather. 



After lunch we returned to where the stag was lying, 

 and Jack and I had just opened our knives to take off the 

 head and neck-skin, when I spied a number of deer across a 

 low valley to the north, moving along the hillside fronting 

 us. We had a good look at them, and counted a score or 

 more of does, and no less than four stags, all seemingly with 

 good heads. 



We followed them at once. The approach, owing to 

 the position of the does, was awkward, but a good deal 

 comes to him who waits, and finally we succeeded in crossing 

 the valley unperceived and crawled in among some boulders 

 about two hundred yards from the four stags, all of which 

 were lying down. We had hardly arrived there before five 

 does and a young stag came up over the shoulder of the 

 barren and passed along within twenty yards of where 

 we lay. This party, however, after giving us an agony of 

 apprehension lest they should lie down between us and 

 the large stags, fed gradually away from us until they dis- 

 appeared. 



We now carefully examined each of the four stags. All 

 carried good heads, the best displaying, as far as I could 

 judge, upwards of thirty points. Meantime, a fifth stag 

 that had hitherto remained hidden, having probably been 

 lying down behind a clump of juniper, emerged into view 

 and began to make straight for the spot where we were 

 concealed. His head was distinctly superior to that of any 

 of his four companions, and I had ample opportunity to 

 inspect it while he came slowly towards us. The antlers, 

 it is true, were not very large, but exceedingly symmetrical, 

 the bays being particularly fine and curved inwards. I 

 reckoned that he carried thirty-five points, more or less, but 

 quite possibly more. 



