DEER-STALKING. l8i 



" Then I'll go at them at once," I reply, whereat 

 he shakes his head more gravely than ever. 



" No chance to-night," he says. " You can't reach 

 him where he is, and we've no time to wait, no 

 food ; we had better get down to a scctcr before 

 dusk, many bad places to cross." 



This is true, but I signify to him that I must 

 try for him again notwithstanding ; he reluctantly 

 assents, gloomily reverting to the " no food " fact, 

 and darkly alluding to two hunters once lost and 

 starved to death on the fjeld under similar cir- 

 cumstances. We start, however, and after a con- 

 siderable detour reach a point where, in contradiction 

 to the old hunter's opinion, I thought I should 

 get within range of him, but to my great dis- 

 appointment, I find not only that the distance is 

 too far for a shot, but that he has got up again 

 and is slowly following his companions higher up 

 the mountain side. 



And now a very serious consultation takes place, 

 with grave division of opinion. The old hunter 



