2IO SPORT. 



&c., &c., " however, he would try it" The wind 

 did not blow differently below ; without the least 

 difficulty we got in and crawled up to a mossy 

 knoll not fifty yards below which I knew the stag 

 was feeding. Then before I could stop him or 

 quite get up to his side — he was crawling first — 

 he raised his head over the top of the knoll, and 

 after a good look bobbed it suddenly down, and 

 beckoning me up handed me the rille, making 

 gestures with the other hand signifying that the 

 stag w^as immediately below. " Noo's your time," 

 he whispered, as I silently cocked the rifle and 

 slowly raised my head above the knoll. Horror ! 

 There was the stag in the middle of half a dozen 

 deer galloping down the hill as hard as he could 

 go. I sprang to my feet with, I fear, an expletive 

 which I can't reproduce here, and his haunches being 

 well towards me I let fly a snap shot at the back 

 of his neck as he was disappearing over the next 

 rido-e, and though the distance was well under 

 eighty yards, of course I missed him. Never can 



