SPORT AND TRAVEL 205 



these open grassy places, from which the snow had 

 already been almost completely melted, owing to its 

 having been exposed all day to the direct rays of 

 the sun, that this deer must have been feeding or 

 lying; but he must have heard us approaching, as 

 we only just saw him disappearing round a boulder 

 of rock. 



The next day I went out with Jinks, and think- 

 ing that I might find this same buck deer sun- 

 ning himself in the early morning, for I had heard 

 from Graham that at this season of the year mule 

 deer bucks never wander about, but live very close 

 round some chosen spot, I made straight for the 

 place where I had seen him the previous day. When 

 near the edge of the ravine I advanced alone, and 

 finally crawled on hands and knees to the top of the 

 grass slope, and there, sure enough, I found the ani- 

 mal I was in search of. He was lying basking in the 

 sunshine, about a hundred yards below me. At first 

 I could only see his head and neck, but after crawl- 

 ing a little farther forwards, got a view of about half 

 his body. I fired at once and hit him in the back 

 almost between the shoulder-blades. He endeav- 

 oured to rise, but only succeeded in tumbling out of 

 his bed and rolling down the steep slope into a clus- 

 ter of pine-trees. When I got down to him he was 

 not quite dead, so I put him out of pain with another 

 bullet. He proved to be a fine fat buck, with an 

 immensely thick neck, and was altogether fatter and 



