80 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 



whicli lie rolled along like a cricket ball in front of me. 

 I could not gain on him a yard, and so I lay down and 

 took a deliberate aim at his stern, and hit him again. 

 He didn^t stop, however, but went a good deal slower, 

 and as he went up the opposite slope he could not get to 

 the top, but rolled down again to within fifty yards of 

 where I was. He sat up on his haunches, rolling his 

 head from side to side, and lolling his tongue out of his 

 mouth ; I approached to within fifteen yards, and put him 

 out of his misery by a shot through the heart. He was 

 in beautiful condition, with a coat like silk, and as fat as 

 butter. We broke him up and took off his skin, and 

 while the boy was operating on him I laid down on the 

 slope and enjoyed " Roderick Eandom ^' and honey dew 

 till the sun climbed over the opposite trees. 



The valley below us must have been a sort of happy 

 land for game (I suppose there is a city and fourteen 

 rum-mills there now), for a small band of deer came 

 out of a clump of trees about a mile off, and frisked and 

 gambolled about like kids. I watched them for more 

 than an hour, as they browsed and scampered about. 

 They gradually fed up to within 500 yards of where I 

 was sitting, and I thought I would try my carbine, so 

 fired at a lot of three, who looked about the size of a 

 regulation target, and saw the dust fly up in a cloud at 

 a hundred yards the other side of them. To my surprise 

 they never bolted an inch, but kept looking all round 

 them, and stamping their feet in a ludicrous manner. 

 I fired again, and again I went over. This time they 

 seemed to think something was up, as they all came 

 together in a body, and gravely held a confab, I expect. 

 I aimed just in front of the whole lot and fired again, 

 this time evidently with effect, as the whole band in- 



