DEER-DRIVING IN THE PINE FORESTS. 407 



and around me small objects from above — it was a party 

 of hawfinches pelting me with scales of pine-cones, broken 

 off in their search for seeds. These and the crossbills are 

 shy and wild, and, except on such occasions when unaware 

 of one's presence, seldom allow of approach. For half an 

 hour I watched their active movements, the tree-creepers 

 and fire-crests, and the antics of a small animal, I think a 

 genet, that was performing fantastic feats on a sunny knoll 

 in front : meanwhile the distant shouts of the beaters were 

 becoming more distinct, and at last I thought I could 

 recognize the excited cry of Yavaf ya va ! — there he goes ! 

 The genet vanished down a burrow, the birds ceased to 

 pelt me, and a few moments later, to my excited eyes, the 

 whole green expanse of juniper and heath-scrub before me 

 appeared alive with great tawny beasts, all bounding for- 

 ward directly towards my position. As the deer approached 

 the hillocks I observed that a specially fine stag, with two 

 smaller ones and some hinds, would pass on my right, 

 while three more stags were making for the pass on the 

 left. I concentrated all attention on the first, which slowly 

 trotted past my front within thirty yards ; but, as I had 

 foreseen, had already more than half disappeared ere he 

 reached the firing point and my bullet sped towards him ; 

 then, turning sharp round, I sent the second barrel at the 

 last of the other three stags, just bounding from sight into 

 the deep pass on the left. The results were of course 

 invisible ; both were snap-shots, but I thought I had laid 

 on true, and was musing on the possibilities, more than half 

 inclined to be ecstatic at having, or believing I had, really 

 " pulled off " a clean right and left in my first interview 

 with the Spanish red deer, when a rustling in the brush- 

 wood in front disturbed these happy cogitations, and 

 another stag with three hinds appeared. They came 

 forward quite slowly, evidently suspicious of danger ahead, 

 and stopping at intervals to look back towards the noisy 

 beaters. They rose my hillock at a foot's pace, the stag 

 leading — an eight-pointer — and at last stood actually within 

 five yards. There was, in fact, nothing between us but 

 the single pine and the slight breastwork of bushes I had 



