40 DEER-STALKING. 



it for many days ; they will desert that part of the 

 ground and perhaps be driven quite away. There are 

 young stalkers, bloodthirsty, excitable, and keen, who 

 will maybe try and preach to the contrary. They 

 have in all probability taken their gentleman up well ; 

 procured him a good and easy shot ; and as first one 

 barrel then the other is emptied in vain, they grow 

 frantic and long to see a beast roll on the heather. So 

 it is, " Now, sir, again ! " and as you open the rifle-breech, 

 two fresh cartridges are thrust in, and crack ! crack ! 

 they go, the deer two hundred and fifty yards away, 

 and no result. These are hurriedly followed by two 

 more, and again the hills echo to the reports of 

 the wasted cartridges. The writer has known this 

 fusillade kept up till deer were fully five hundred 

 yards away ! 



After missing with both barrels keep as much con- 

 cealed and as still as possible, but load again instantly 

 in case the deer take a circle, which they will some- 

 times do, and thereby offer really good and easy second 

 chances. If they continue their straight-away course, 

 sit still and blame the rifle, the deer, or the stalker, or 

 the light, and generally try and recover as quickly as 

 maybe from the depressing effects of the miss. 



A gentleman who had distinguished himself by a 

 series of brilliant misses, on the last of these sad 

 misfortunes somewhat feebly remarked to his stalker, 

 " Well, Donald, whose fault was it that time ? " and 

 received for reply, " Well, he wasn't more than a 

 hundred yards, and it's not my fault you missed him ; 

 and it wasn't the fault of the stag, for he stood still 



