A TANTALISING QUEST 291 



spic'il. 1»ut t]\ry do not miioniit to n tontli of tlio suvfnno. 

 AssiiiniiiL;- that deer lia\e been ''spotted" from sonic 

 elevated position, it is a work of time to reacli the place, 

 and. in the nu'aiiw liil(\ it is practically certain that they 

 will ha\-c nio\-c(l. if onh' a little; and, without a know- 

 k'dcc oC their exact position, there is every pn»l>aliility 

 of '• junipini;- " them. 1 do not discard the glass, hut, in 

 spite of our fiilure to score. T believe in the dog's nose by 

 preference. On the other hand, one must admit, that 

 unless perfectly trained, his impatience may get the better 

 of his discretion at a critical moment, and the chance may 

 be spoiled b\- an uncontrollable whimper. 



lUit let lis go down andtind the tiacksof the deer that 

 we lia\e disturbed, and sec it' they will read us any uscrul 

 lessons. Tn the course of the investigation the special diffi- 

 culties which attend this kind of hunting will a])])ear. We 

 soon found them, and also the couches in which the deer 

 were lying when we came over the ridge. Sit down in this 

 bed which a stag has just vacatetl when he was juinpcil 

 b\' us. From behind he was protected bv the wind. lie 

 was himself in dee]» shade, and in front of liini a thin 

 screen of seedling trees ju>t hid the wlinje nl \\\> Imd}', 

 while his hoi'ns harmonised perfectly with the dead snags 

 of a fdlen branch. Ihit tliat did no! picxcnl his liaxing a 

 lull view of the opposite iidgc. True, it is lindiercd as 

 heavily as on this side, but lie would n^t fail to see us cross 

 one of the little openings. 



T.et US follow the page of Iiis story as printed by 

 hini-elf. lie piMliMbU' la\' low till we were hidden, 

 then sprang, not with the tore ;ind all nnaion nt a 

 tame animal, but with a siiinle bound as il he had 



