WEIGHING THE "ROYAL." 89 



for us, and in ten minutes we were all at table, dis- 

 cussing the events of the day. Later on my host 

 sent me to bed in a most happy frame of mind, by 

 telling me to have the head packed and sent off to 

 be set up for myself. The next day, though it was 

 "the Saabeth," we weighed him, twenty-one stone 

 clean, without heart or liver. Since then I have 

 killed plenty of deer each season, but that still 

 remains my first and only shot at a "royal." As each 

 year comes round I live in hopes of securing a head 

 worthy to hang opposite to this one the subject of a 

 very red-letter day in my sport life. The stalk de- 

 scribed was remarkable from the fact of our having 

 got up to such a large herd of deer at the very first 

 attempt; and also, it was noticeable from our getting 

 a fairly easy broadside shot after we had fired two 

 barrels at them. As illustrating the great difficulty 

 of getting up to a large herd of deer, I give an extract 

 from my game book. 



" 1883, Sept. 28 Found a very good stag in the flat. 

 I was after him from ten o'clock till dusk. He had 

 eighty hinds with him, and after seven distinct stalks 

 we were eventually defeated. I did not get a shot 

 all day." 



