ABUNDANCE OF DEER. 
87 
which they cut down both the deer and the rhinoceros, the 
latter occasionally showing fight and doing considerable 
damage to horses and riders. 
On my first day we entered the deer ground soon 
after daylight, and after a short time came on a large 
open plain some miles in extent, covered with grass, 
interspersed with forests of reeds and trees ; on this plain 
several herds of deer were feeding, a beautiful sight, the 
stags keeping far out of shot, and on catching sight of us, 
trotted out to reconnoitre. Every now and then one would 
stop, shake his an tie red head, and dash back to the herd as 
if to warn them of approaching danger, when the whole 
clustering together and showing quite a forest of heads and 
horns, would dash into the reeds, and disappear long before 
we could get within shot. It was only by skirting the little 
bays and inlets of grass at the side of the reeds that we 
had any chance, and even then it was difficult to approach 
within two hundred yards. I shot badly, firing at too great 
distances and at snap running shots ; in fact the rush of deer 
in all directions kept me in such a perpetual state of excitement 
that I could not be cooL As soon as the sun had got well 
up the deer entered the high reeds, and we coukl hear them 
bellowing like a lot of bulls. I never heard anything like 
it- In the course of the day some five or six deer were 
wounded, but owing to the denseness of the reeds it was 
impossible to follow them for any distance. While en- 
deavouring to track a stag I had hit I heard some big 
animal rush away and struggling forward as rapidly as I 
could, 1 came u[>on the still warm couch of a rhinoceros ; 
perhaps it was as well 1 had not encountered him in such a 
place. We came home pretty well knocked up, and I was 
