THE SAL FOEESTS 319 



selves, and enjoying a game at romps, commenced feeding 

 pretty quickly down towards the bank of the river. We 

 at once retreated over the bank of our knoll ; and, getting 

 into a hollow protected by a fringe of bushes, crept up 

 to the banks and again reconnoitred. They were quite 

 unsuspicious, the wind being highly favourable ; and they 

 seemed likely to come and drink in our very faces. When 

 within a few hundred yards, however, they halted a long 

 time behind a little rising ground. I was in agony lest 

 the dogs shotdd make us known, as they were dreadfully 

 excited by the restraint of the stalks, and seemed to know 

 perfectly well that there was something to hunt at hand. 

 Presently a single hind topped the rise, and for full five 

 minutes stood sniffing round in all directions, her great 

 ears cocked in aid of her sense of smell. At last she 

 seemed to be satisfied, and moved slowly forwards, now 

 pausing to crop a mouthful of grass, and then again starting 

 and looking about as if she had heard or smelt something. 

 A stag now walked up past her, and without the least 

 precaution came boldly on to the water, which he entered 

 about a hundred yards above our post. The rest of the 

 herd were stiU mostly hidden by the rise. Creeping 

 through the bushes I prepared to fire at the stag, and 

 gave orders for the hounds to be shpped at once after I 

 should file. I was barely in time to secure a shot, before 

 the stag, alarmed by a yelp from one of the dogs, turned 

 to flee up the bank. As it was I dropped him on the 

 pebbly bank, shot through the shoulder ; and, turning the 

 rifle on the hind who was pausing startled at the ishot, 

 the other btdlet passed through her thigh, injuring the 

 hip joint. She fell on her hind-quarters for a few moments, 

 but presently recovered, and made ofi after the herd across 

 the flat. The four dogs had sprung from the shps, and 

 splashed through the shallow stream before she had well 

 got on her legs ; and they very nearly had her before she 

 got fairly into her pace. Then, however, she distanced 

 them at once for a few hundred yards, when the old bitch 

 " Bell," who was extremely fast, began to draw steadily 

 up to her. The pups were a hundred yards behind, giving 

 tongue like foxhounds, and old Tinker laboured along 



