A TAXTALISIXCJ QUEST 309 



tlint m;irks tlic stci'ii of" a drcr. SaN'c the liauiiclics and a 

 hit of tli«' licll\- I could sec iiothiiiL;'. Iml lie was ex idnit 1\' 

 awaic ot'our }treseiici'. and began to move, I lilt(<l my rillc 

 and liasiil\- took a sight foi'wai'd of his haunch l>ai)g, and 

 down he crashed. Sure of my stag, I sprang (h»\vn the 

 roeks, l)ut to m\' diso-ust he was up a-jaiii an<l smasliinij; 

 throuoji the tre(\s out of ni\' sinlit. We followed fast in 

 ihc hope of keeping him in view, hut did not see liim again 

 till he emero-ed on oiien r>round half aniile off. There he 

 stood with head lowered and o[)en mouth. We lay down 

 well hidden to watch him. With my glass, the dark red 

 patch, too far back in his ribs, where I had hit liim, was 

 [ilainlx- \ i-ihle. and when he la}' down I thought the end 

 was onI\- a (|Uesiion of minutes, but he rose again and 

 slowK' made his wa}' up the si(h' of the ra\ine. halting 

 every iiundred yards. As soon as he disappeared o\'er the 

 sky-line, in spite of the great heat \ ran like a lamplighter 

 over the shar[) rocks, but when I reached the s[»ot where 

 he had \anished from m\' \ iew I saw no stag Init an 

 endless sea of ravines, \aHeys and gullies, one l)eyond 

 another, covered with stunted pines. Following the blood- 

 stains we found a j)lace where he had been d«»wn. and then 

 we waited a while, but not for long. Through the blazing 

 heat of mid-day and far int»j the afternoon we searched one 

 piece of covert and ra\ine after another. C'elestin kept on 

 saying : " M<tis, vest aur (jn'il csf hiort.' Of this 1 was 

 equally suiv. but 1 realised as the <kiy wore on that the 

 odds were heavily against our linding him in -uch ground, 

 and we were reminded b\' the red glow on the eliMs that 

 we must get l)ack before iighi failed us. The next day was 

 spent in a further and fruitless search m whi<h all joined. 



