THE PRACTICE OF DEER-STALKING 161 



lad in charge that the steamer had broken down 

 and could not come to the usual place. So we had 

 to make the best of it and row all the way in the 

 small boat. It was blowing pretty fresh, but not 

 really hard, and the direction was favourable. But 

 alas ! the oars were old and only suited for paddling 

 from the launch to the shore. One of them broke 

 in two before we had been five minutes on board, 

 and we were left drifting about at the wrong end of 

 our lake. After much difficulty we succeeded in 

 paddling across to the other side, using one oar and 

 the seat of the boat, there being no road on the side 

 on which we embarked. I then started on a ten-mile 

 walk, on a roughish track, in a pitch-dark night, 

 through thick woods the whole way. Tired as I was, 

 it was with a sense of no small relief that on reaching 

 a keeper's house, within three miles of home, I 

 got hold of an old pony and still older saddle, and, 

 having mounted, thought to reach the Castle comfort- 

 ably if not triumphantly. Vanity of vanities ! Scarce 

 half a mile of the remainder of the journey was 

 accomplished when my pony shied at a sheep that 

 started from the roadside, swerved, and down I came 

 saddle and all. The girths had given way ! My back 

 was so bruised that I could not remount, though I 

 had little inclination for that mode of progression 



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