A TYRO'S DISTRESS. 125 



too high, the line of vision does not follow the line of the 

 barrel, but crosses it, and has a downward tendency, whilst 

 the barrel perseveres in a more horizontal direction : and 

 this is the doctrine of elevated sights. 



You will often have to stop suddenly, and fire in the 

 midst of a sharp run ; or when you are dead blown ; stand 

 as steadily as you can, and be at once collected ; practice 

 alone can give you this power ; and it will give it, for I 

 myself was as sure at these sort of shots as at any other, 

 provided the deer were running. I found it more difficult 

 to take a quiet shot while lying on my stomach in the 

 heather. 



Sometimes the wind is so tempestuous that you have no 

 power over the direction of your rifle. There are no means 

 to counteract this, and you had better go home ; but if it be 

 not too violent, you can kneel on one knee, and get a rest 

 by supporting your left elbow on the other. 



Take care that the ramrods to your rifles be large and 

 strong; they will otherwise be broken in the hurry of 

 loading. I recommend you, moreover, to make one of your 

 hill-men carry a very long and stout one in his hand, having 

 a mark made in it at the length of your barrel, that you 

 may ascertain the exact load. I used no other when this 

 was at hand. 



As for the sport itself, that no one can have a proper 

 perception of till he is chief in command, and able to stalk 

 the deer himself; and this he cannot do without long 

 practice, close observation, and a thorough knowledge of 

 the ground and habits of the animal. As an instance of 

 this, one of the best shots in a rifle regiment was appointed 

 some years ago to the office of forester in the Ben-Orinm 

 Forest, in Sutherland ; but being a stranger to the country, 

 devoid of assistance, and without the means of good instruc- 

 tion in the craft, he was only able to kill one hart during 

 two years of apprenticeship, and at length resigned his 

 situation in despair. Novices, therefore, have necessarily a 

 deer-stalker allotted to them from the forest, who very 

 properly keeps the devoted rifleman in due subjection ; he 

 will not permit him to show a hair of his head above the 

 heather on certain ticklish occasions, and the miserable 



