406 



WILD SPAIN. 



sundry long lines traced in the sandy soil by the gun-stock of 

 the old forester, Juan Espinal, before leaving me at my post. 

 These lines served to indicate both the positions of the 

 adjoining guns, and also the limits uithin which a shot 

 might not be fired. It is obviously a paramount necessity 

 in this class of shooting never to shoot forward — i.e., into 

 the beat ; the game must be allowed to pass right through 

 and well clear of the line before a shot can be thought of : 

 a circumstance which adds vastly to the difficulty of 

 placing one's bullets on the right spot. 



The first thing when one is left alone in the solitude of 

 the forest is to survey carefully one's field of action, to 

 consider all possible contingencies, and prepare accordingly ; 

 the most essential point being so to place oneself as to 

 see without being seen.* My first impression, in this case, 

 was one of wonder as to where I could possibly place a 

 bullet at all. My post, as already mentioned, was in the 

 face of a ridge, or rather in a hillock forming part of 

 the ridge, and having a deep pass on either hand. Thus 

 the receding ground sloped away so as to disappear from 

 sight just at the entrances of the passes, forty or fifty 

 yards away. In short, the possible lines of fire intersected 

 the probable course of the deer, if any came, at exactly 

 the point at which I should lose sight of them altogether. 

 It was unsafe to move my position backwards, and in front 

 I could find no convenient cover ; so returning to my 

 allotted post, I bethought myself to record my fears, and 

 plot out the situation in my pocket-book. Then I settled 

 down in the small redoubt of cut bushes I had put together, 

 and waited. The solitude of the forest was delicious, and the 

 silence only broken by the gentle fluttering of some small 

 birds in the pines overhead. Continually there fell upon 



* The following note, being made from experience and on the spot, 

 may be worth inserting : — In driving large game of any kind, be care- 

 ful to make a good screen : there is always time to build up a breast- 

 work either of branches, or rocks, or snow, or whatever the material 

 at hand may be. If placed behind a thick bush, cut a deep nick into it 

 with the hunting-knife, so that one stands well back — i.e., right into the 

 bush, and appears to form an integral part thereof. How glad one is 

 of these little precautions when game appears ! 



