j GOING FOR A FALL 365 



j procure a spring trap, and drove on, and found the 

 \ same party as on the previous occasion, wondering 

 ' what on earth had happened to us. We soon dis- 

 covered that, save a shaking, we were none the worse, 

 and so we went on to our old places, and of course, 

 just as I expected, only secured five middling beasts. 

 Despite my assurance that this would be the case, Mr. 

 Winans would not believe me. ' I guess, friend,' he 

 said, ' we shall have just as good sport as we had the 

 first day, as the wind is from the same quarter,' 



If I had attempted to seize the reins and to help 

 Mr. Winans stop the horses on that memorable occa- 

 sion, we must both have been killed, for the horses 

 kicked the trap so rapidly to bits. He held his reins 

 loose, thinking that he was driving American horses ; I 

 had no time to say anything, and so ' rode for a fall,' 

 and carried him out with me, but I could not fall clear 

 of him with a lot of heavy rugs tripping me up, and so 

 fell partly on him, for which he often jokingly abuses 

 me, when I tell him 'that lucky fall saved his life,' 

 thereby reversing the usual order of things. 



Where stalking is carried on with the help of pro- 

 fessionals there is more true sport in shootino- driven 

 deer than in so stalking them. In the drive a man 

 must calculate the distance for himself, and select the 

 deer with the best head, unless he is a child ' with 

 arms,' or 'in arms': therefore, unless he has a nurse, 

 in the shape of a professional, beside him, as most 

 men have, he is a very much better sportsman than 

 the usual run of stalkers who require such assistance. 



A friend of mine, while waiting at a pass when 

 shooting hinds in the snow, witnessed a very remark- 

 able fight. He and his keeper had borrowed some 



