TO KOSKACODDE 227 



round to my left I suddenly saw a second 

 stag not 150 yards away. The horns of the 

 first stag were clean. The second stag had 

 a better head, but the velvet was peeling off 

 and the frontal tines, and indeed most of the 

 horn, were crimson with blood. It was difficult 

 to determine the points, owing to the bits of 

 velvet hanging all about, but getting the glass 

 on to him I saw that though the frontals were 

 good the rest of the head was very indifferent, 

 so he had too to be passed. 



We whistled to move the second stag but he 

 took not the slightest notice of us, and it was 

 not until we gave him, and incidentally the 

 first stag, our wind that they both went away 

 over the plain at a slinging trot. 



Coming home in the gloaming we saw another 

 stag come out of the wood and walk along the 

 shore. We got within fifty yards of him, but 

 the head was, if possible, inferior to the 

 other two. This was bad luck ! We had seen 

 four stags in one day and not one worth 

 shooting. 



September 8th. We got away at 6 a.m., 

 crossed the lake in the canoe and made for the 

 top of a small hill about a mile away. The 

 country was undulating. Numerous ponds lay 

 in the hollows. Clumps of wood (drokes), in 

 which the stags rested during the day, were 



Q 2 



