202 A HAED DAY ON THE HILL 



it, then cantered across, followed by the rest of the 

 herd. 'There, take the black one,' whispered the 

 expert at my side, and I loosed off at a dark stag as 

 he crossed the open. 



' You have missed him, sir,' he exclaimed hoarsely, 

 as the beast disappeared behind an eminence on our 

 left. ' Take that other ! Now ! ! ' and I gave this beast 

 the other barrel; at least I meant to do so, but the 

 stalker declared that it was another miss, that I had 

 fired too high, for he saw the bullet strike the rock 

 beyond the stag. In ordinary circumstances I should not 

 only have been vexed with myself, but heartily ashamed, 

 for they were both fair shots, not more than a hundred 

 yards off; but I was in such pain as dominated every 

 other sensation. Indeed, I felt relieved from the 

 necessity for further exertion, having accomplished a 

 stalk more easily than might well have been, and might 

 go home at once. But before doing so I accompanied 

 the stalker in a listless, perfunctory way as he went up 

 to examine the ground where the deer had passed. It 

 was well we did so; for there, behind the hillock on 

 our left, lay both my stags stone-dead, shot through 

 the heart ! One was a royal, and the other was as good 

 a beast, except that one antler was broken. Certainly, 

 this was the best piece of luck that ever happened to 

 me in a deer forest ; indeed it is the only occasion that 

 I can remember killing two stags right and left. 



It was past noon before the double gralloch was 

 accomplished, and blazing hot. Now for home! 'Would 

 Sir Herbert not just come a bittie up till I get a spy 

 down the Chimney? I would say there is sure to 



