RECOLLECT K A' >^ OF CTT.nfniS Ill-NTINC (il 



l(t in\" (■liiui>iiK'.s.s, lliey s;i\v iii\- head and |iiiii]ir([ up. 

 TliiiikiiiL!,' tliev were about to start, I was iu rallier too 

 o-rcal a liun'\', and was n'uiltv of a most aunoNM'iiL^- ]>i('cc of 

 il'i'iclicric. 1 was sliootiiin" straiulit dowu, and ilid imt 

 grasp the riHe tightly enough witli my left hand, so that 

 its weight pulled otl" the trigger before 1 had (juite aligned 

 the sights. I am ashamed to say it is not the only 

 occasion that a simihir act of carelessness stands recorded 

 airainst me. The shot disturbed a lol nf eleven and 

 another of two. The latter went and lav (h)\vn in a cfood 

 place, and we made an excellent ap]^]'()a<'h. There they 

 were, not more than lift y yai'ds off, one feeding and the 

 other lying down. I was determined I \\(»iil<l iiol l)e in 

 too o'reat a hurr\' this time, and hiv watchino- them over 

 the ridge, with my legs in Switzerland and my ritle in Italy, 

 waitino- till the bi<>-o-est luiiieil a Hltle. I felt that he was 

 bound to roll over. Jle was, howevei-, of a dilferent 

 opinion, and galloped off iinseathed. It wouM have been 

 ditliiuh to make a worse miss. At two oclock we spied 

 a big buck l\ing on I lie top of a narrow rocky ridge. We 

 had a ditlieult stalk down the rido'e itself, erawlino- some- 

 times on one side, sometimes on the other. The wind was 

 uncertain, and he got a whiff prematurely, and was oil 

 l)efore I looked onci'. 1 hail a long and dim slmt. and did 

 not know whether he was hit or not. until, foUowinu' the 

 tra(d<, we found some spots of blood. Wo ti-acod it till 

 it o'ot too dark lo Iblluw it, and we hail to come lo I lie 

 conclusion thai he was only scratched. 1 am rnniiidrd 

 of the sensible utterance of a voun!»- friend on a similar 

 occasion, " Kegardez iei I tout ce i|ue })uis dire c'est 

 ceci ; (jue si un izzanl doesn't tomber within fifty 



