SPORT AND TRAVEL 113 



I repeated the call in a louder key, they at once 

 stopped feeding, and after looking towards us with 

 cocked ears for a few seconds, trotted off up the 

 mountain-side. They had not gone far when two 

 other hinds which had evidently taken the alarm from 

 them, came trotting out of the gully, followed immedi- 

 ately by a magnificent stag, the same, no doubt, I had 

 been after all the day. Oh, why had he not come out 

 of the gully and shown himself when I was behind the 

 rock down the hillside ? Then I could have had a 

 shot at him at less than two hundred yards, but now 

 the distance which separated us was quite four. 

 Well ! there was just a chance of hitting him, so I 

 raised the sight and fired, but missed, as I feared I 

 should do. Immediately the shot was fired, my 

 shikarry seized me by the hand, and pulling me for- 

 wards intimated that we must run and try to cut the 

 deer off at a shoulder of the hill where they seemed 

 likely to pass. 



As they were somewhat below us, we reached the 

 pass before them ; and I took up a sitting position, 

 and with my elbows rested on my knees, waited 

 for them. Very soon the four hinds came in sight, 

 and passed within a hundred yards of where I was 

 sitting. As they trotted past me one behind the 

 other, they looked for all the world like Waterbuck 1 

 cows. When I saw the hinds approaching, my heart 



1 The Waterbuck is one of the commonest of the South African 

 antelopes. 



8 



