100 BAEASINGH. 



jumped, and turned round down hill, looking into the glen at his feet. I 

 was rather hurried by seeing the smaller stag also spring up, so aimed at 

 the big one's shoulder and fired. Two hinds sprang up at the shot, and 

 away went the four along the hillside, too far for a second shot by the 

 time I had reloaded. He slowed down, so I felt sure I had hit him, and 

 with my glasses I could see blood on his right side, high up. 



They turned into a corrie about 400 yards ahead, and I soon saw the 

 smaller stag and the hinds hurrying down the hill. It was evident the 

 stag hit was too sick to follow, so we waited a bit, and presently he came 

 out slowly, and went down hill at a walk until he reached some over- 

 hanging rocks, under which he turned. Away we went to finish him, but 

 he did not like the spot, and moved on again into the next corrie, where 

 I missed a snap shot as he went floundering through the heavy thickets. 

 We followed him up for some distance through corries and ravines, 

 finding a great deal of blood all along, but, as we could not come up 

 with him, I turned down to the easy slopes below, while my man 

 took up the trail. Presently he broke out of the copse in one corrie into 

 another and larger one, and I hurried on for a shot ; but he reached new 

 cover ahead, bolting as I came into it, and led us a weary chase through 

 much timber and ravines. He was not inclined to stop anywhere, so we 

 had to keep following him up. His tracks were often lost, and not 

 recovered for some time. At last he broke back, and I missed a snap 

 with the double '500, a young oak coming between me and the stag as I 

 pressed the trigger. The oak was shattered, but the stag held on. 



The chase was getting a long one by this time, but we stuck to it, and 

 I got another snap with the '500, missing with both barrels. I was dis- 

 gusted with my shooting, but, as I was much pumped and unsteady, I 

 could not expect better luck. I seized the '450 from my other man, 

 loaded it, and spotted the stag as he slowly clambered up the other side 

 of a ravine, 130 yards away. He stopped to look round, and gave me a 

 broadside shot, but I was so shaky and tired that it took me all I knew to 

 press the trigger steadily. Down he dropped, with a broken back, and I 

 sent a man over to catch his horns as he rolled through the bushes, to 

 prevent his tumbling into the stream below. When I got across, I was 

 delighted to find he was a ten-tiner, with an excellent coat as well. He 

 was awfully fat, weighing about 4001b., and it was a long job skinning 

 and cutting him up. The horns were beautifully clean and fine. 



The fag home with a rifle to carry was no joke, for the ground was 

 very steep ; but I was so satisfied with the sport that I struggled on. 

 I never had been excited so much over any hill shooting, and enjoyed 

 it immensely. My missing four shots with the '500 was not unlikely to 

 happen, as it was sighted for 4drs., but I used 5 ! It sold me later on 

 when after oorial, and it was then I determined on a '450 Magnum as 

 being the weapon for the hills. My first shot at the stag with the '450 

 had hit him on the right side of the back, just missing the bone, and had 

 exploded all down his ribs ; the shock must have been very severe, but 



