THE Ere ANTLER STAG. 
spot as the slope of the Hill hid the stag's body, but when I 
did I beheld a pair of antlers the sight of which gave me quite 
a thrill and made my heart beat quicker ; we both agreed 
that we had never seen such a splendid head. There was no 
time to lose, a hasty glance over the ground showed that we 
could get to the top of the open spur of the hill below us 
without being seen, the stag would then be not more than 
ninety yiirds from us. After an exciting scramble down the 
rocky crags immediately below us, Francis at one time almost 
giving up in despair, we got under cover of the spur, when 
two hinds on a distant hill began belling loudly (probably at a 
tiger), and fearing they would disturb the stag I hastened up 
the slope, just in time to behold a hind disappearing hi to the 
wood from near where I had last seen the stag; a sickening 
feeling of "too late!" came over me, but only for a moment, 
for at the next glance I saw the grand old fellow still lying 
in his couch, unconscious of danger. Aiming at the junction 
of his neck and shoulders, I turned him over down the slope, 
but after a few struggles, he rose and dashed away ; the ball 
from the other barrel struck htm a slanting shot in the 
shoulder ; still on he dashed towards the great forest, when a 
ball from my other rifle caught him behind the ear, sending 
him a clean somersault, and causing us no little anxiety about 
the fate of his splendid antlers. It was only on going up to 
him that we fully realised their beauty and size, and I felt that 
every hair of my beard was tingling with delight. Francis 
says he never saw such a big headed stag, and I believe it 
was really the largest that has ever been killed on these hills ; 
I thought he would never leave off saying Kaisa-burra- hurra 
sing/' *' what great antlers." He was in (irst rate condition, 
and as near as I could make him, he stood fourteen hands at 
17 
