SPORT AND TRAVEL 129 



day was of the vilest for shooting, as the wind was 

 blowing a perfect hurricane. However, as Achmet, 

 the hunter I had engaged for this trip on the previous 

 day, averred that he had heard from a shepherd that 

 there were some deer on the hills to our right, I went 

 out under his guidance to look for them, and it was 

 not very long before we came on the tracks of two 

 animals, whose hoof-marks looked so large on a piece 

 of ground at the foot of a cliff which was free from 

 snow, that I felt sure they were both big stags. I had, 

 however, but little hope of shooting one of them, for 

 the wind was blowing with such violence that I am 

 sure I could not have hit an elephant at one hundred 

 yards' distance, without a good firm rest for the rifle, 

 and that is usually what you don't get just when you 

 want it. 



The tracks of the deei led us almost to the top of 

 the hill we were on, where the snow lay at least three 

 feet deep ; and we came on them quite suddenly and 

 unexpectedly, taking shelter from the wind behind 

 some rocks. The one was lying on the snow just at 

 the foot of a large boulder, and the other was standing 

 near him. When we saw them we were amongst 

 some rocks slightly above them, and behind one of 

 these we immediately crouched. I then raised my 

 head very cautiously, and examined the deer. They 

 were not more than ninety or one hundred yards 

 distant, and I could see very plainly that the one lying 

 down had no horns ; but I knew it was a stag, as I 



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