THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
which, now thoroughly frightened, sprang out of sight over a rise and 
disappeared up the hill. 
This was disappointing, I scarcely knew whether to blame myself, the 
rifle or the cartridges, but although feeling convinced that the latter were 
at fault I reloaded with the solids and followed the stalker gloomily up the 
hill. 
If our stalk had taken place in the Highlands the probability is that we 
should not have seen that stag again, but after two hours of searching 
we not only found him, but reached the summit of the hills and tried a 
fresh stalk. 
The stag, however, was now “ kittle,” and kept moving below us from 
terrace to terrace, it being two o’clock before I again reached a position 
where a shot was possible. Just, however, as I raised the rifle the stag 
ran, and then stood breast on, looking at me at about 120 yards, when I 
dropped him dead with a shot through the neck. Two men, who had been 
spying our manoeuvres from far below, now appeared and cut the stag in 
halves, and thus laden they walked away to the road. This method of 
butchering on the spot is usually employed in the Hebrides, as the 
ground is too boggy for horses. Since the stags seldom weigh more 
than nine or ten stone clean, a strong man is easily able to perform this 
task. 
In the afternoon a storm which had been threatening all the morning 
burst upon us. The wind and the rain lashed us with such fury that we 
were glad to attain the lee side of the hills and take occasional peeps round 
the crest in the hopes of surprising a shootable stag, for spying was out 
of the question. It niust have been about four in the afternoon when, 
drenched to the skin, we turned homewards in the direction of the stalker’s 
house and suddenly came on five full-grown stags lying on a spur not 
300 yards away. They seemed quite indifferent to the conflict of the ele- 
ments and lay chewing the cud of sweet reflection. Not having seen us, it 
was easy to get out of sight and then creep in upon them to within eighty 
yards. At this moment the gale was simply raging, and I had to call loudly 
to McLeay to make him understand which stag I intended to take. The 
crack of the Mannlicher seems to have been quite inaudible to the stags, 
for the one at which I fired simply dropped his head and went to sleep for 
good; the others never moved. I then fired at the second best, and he 
rolled over and gave a kick or two in dying, causing the other three to 
rise to their feet and stare at him. One of the three then stepped gingerly 
98 
