A WINTER CAMPAIGN IN DONANA. 369 



of unusual size, and each time he faced the dogs with 

 gnashing tusks, they retired. At last a shot fired in the 

 air dislodged him, and a quick rifle-shot took effect in 

 his lower jaw. Again he sought refuge among the bram- 

 bles, but the dogs now held the advantage, and inch by- 

 inch he was driven forward to a point where he offered an 

 easy mark to several guns, and soon Manolo's long navaja 

 was performing his obsequies. Another stag of thirteen 

 points (see photo, p. 363), and a brace of foxes, right and 

 left, were secured in a small isolated thicket just before 

 dusk, and the last ten miles of our ride had thus to be 

 managed in the dark. 



One more incident before we leave these forests. Early 

 on a winter morning we had reached the remote covert 

 of Salavar, and owing to its extent, and the strong wind 

 blowing, which would prevent the shots being heard, it was 

 decided to drive it in two sections. At the end of the first 

 beat, which had produced three stags — two lynxes also 

 passing the line unscathed — the guns and drivers were 

 assembled preparatory to the second (windward) batida, 

 when, from that direction, a couple of distant gunshots 

 were distinctly heard. Clearly poachers were at work, and 

 already the forest-guards were conjecturing (and rightly 

 as it proved) the personality of the depredator — an old 

 offender who had before given trouble. The man pene- 

 trated to the heart of these wild regions accompanied only 

 by his son, and his mode of procedure was to station him- 

 self to the leeward of any likely bit of covert, and sending 

 the lad round, to await the chance of the latter driving 

 forward any deer which might happen to be lying in it. 

 His two shots had been at hinds. Leaving the main party 

 to surround the mancha, two of the keepers galloped off in 

 the direction of the shots, separating so as to enclose the 

 poacher and cut off his retreat. Soon one of these came 

 across the tracks of naked feet on the sand, and shortly 

 overtook the culprit already preparing a drive of the covert 

 we had just beaten. Taken by surprise, resistance or flight 

 were impossible ; the poacher's gun was taken from him, and 



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