i 3 o SPORT AND TRAVEL 



could distinguish quite distinctly the knobs on his 

 head from which the horns had fallen. His com- 

 panion had not yet shed his antlers, and as he stood, 

 broadside on, they appeared larger than they really 

 were. The wind was blowing in such a way that I 

 found it most difficult to keep my rifle steady, even 

 though I was resting it on a rock ; and if I had had to 

 fire off hand, I believe I should have missed the shot 

 altogether, easy as it was. When I fired, both deer 

 came plunging past us through the deep snow, and I 

 tried to fire again at the stag with horns, but the wind 

 was so strong I could not keep the sight on his body 

 at all, and on seeing that he was throwing blood from 

 his nostrils, gave up attempting to do so, as I knew 

 that he was already as good as dead with a shot 

 through the lungs. He soon rolled over ; and the 

 hornless stag, wondering what was the matter with 

 him, halted and stood broadside on to us near his 

 dying companion. His legs were buried in snow to 

 the knees, and that perhaps made him look heavier in 

 the body than he really was, but he certainly looked 

 a monster; and I was so near him for I had run 

 forwards through the snow that I could not only 

 clearly see the knobs on his head from which a pair of 

 mighty antlers could but very recently have fallen, but 

 could even distinguish the black patch on his under 

 lip. After standing motionless for a few moments, he 

 turned and plunged heavily through the snow down 

 the hillside. 



