CHAP. XIv.] A RUNTING BULLDOG. 115 
giving me a good broadside shot; I fired, and he reeled, turning 
half round. Bang went my other barrel, and the stag rolled 
over like a rabbit, with a force and crash that seemed as if it 
would have broken every bone in his body. Up he got again, 
and went off, apparently as sound as ever, into the large wood, 
passing close to a sportsman who was loading ; when in the wood, 
we saw him halt for a moment on a hillock and take a good 
steady look at us all, who were lost in astonishment at his escape 
after having been so fairly upset. He then went off at a steady 
swinging gallop, and we heard him long after he was out of view 
crushing through the dry branches of the young fir-trees. “ Bring 
the dog,” was the ery, and a very large animal, something be- 
tween a mastiff and a St. Bernard, was brought; the dog went 
off for a little while, barking and making a great noise, but after 
rushing up against half a dozen trees, and tumbling over amongst 
the hidden stones, he came back limping and unwilling to renew 
the hunt. I had left my bulldog with a servant at a point of 
the wood some distance off, and I proposed sending for him; 
one of the sportsmen, who had never seen him engaged in this 
kind of duty, sarcastically said, “ What, that dog who followed 
us to-day, as werode up? He can be no use; he looks more fit to 
kill cats or pin a bull.” Our host, however, who was better 
acquainted with his merits, thought otherwise; and when the 
bulldog came wagging his tail and jumping up on me, I took 
him to the track and sent him upon it; down went his nose and 
away he went as hard as he could go, and quite silently. The 
wood «was so close and thick that we could not keep him in sight, 
so I proposed that we should commence our next beat, as the 
dog would find me wherever I was, and the strangers did not 
seem much to expect any success in getting the wounded stag. 
During the following beat we saw the dog for a moment or two 
pass an opening, and the next instant two deer came out from 
the thicket into which he had gone. “ He is on the wrong scent, 
after all,” said the shooter, who stood next to me. ‘“‘ Wait, and 
we will see,” was my answer. 
We had finished this beat and were consulting what to do, 
when the dog appeared in the middle of us, appearing very well 
satisfied with himself though covered with blood, and with an 
ugly tear in his skin all along one side. “Ah!” saidscme one, 
iZ 
