352 DANGER OF HAIR-TRIGGER 



middle in snow, though the rest of our party were dis- 

 appointed because there was no snow to keep the deer 

 low down to the guns. Having arrived at our passes, 

 Donald Fraser driving towards young Lord Lovat and 

 myself, I descried several lots of hinds in the distance 

 which were coming straight to my pass ; and at last 

 they came right and left of me, trotting past. Such a 

 glorious chance of getting three or four of them, at 

 least, I thought. I put up my rifle quietly so as not 

 to attract their attention, and before I had put it to my 

 shoulder it went off, though I scarcely even touched 

 the trigger. 



Now, since a sporting rifle ought at the very lightest 

 to pull I lb., it will be readily understood how utterly 

 useless and dangerous a hair-trigger on such an occasion 

 would be ; and I knew that with such a weapon I could 

 be of little use. As bad luck, too, would have it, that 

 was the only pass in which the wind was right during 

 the three days I was there. In all the others it was 

 hopeless to expect deer. 1 think Donald Fraser was 

 even more vexed than I was, for hinds when coming 

 straight on are not very difficult to shoot. When we 

 were walking in line, and it was safe to do so, I again 

 tried the well-balanced Purdey ; but on each occasion 

 the deer were galloping, and the hair-trigger was use- 

 less. Let my reader take warning by my sad fate, 

 and if he ever chances to borrow a rifle, see that the 

 pull-off of the trigger is all right, and such as he is 

 accustomed to, as he will not only miss, but perchance 

 make a mess of it, and cause the drivers no slight 

 anxiety, even if he is fortunate enough to do none of 

 them serious damage. 



After the season is over, rifles should always be 



