THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
One with a broken foreleg generally keeps going uphill, just as one 
with a broken hind leg goes downhill, in which case it is best to get below 
him. 
One of the first considerations in stalking of any kind is to make the 
first shot as easy as possible, and long shots should never be taken unless 
absolutely necessary. There are, in fact, very few occasions when one 
need fire at a deer at over a hundred yards, for, with a little patience, 
this range can nearly always be obtained. With regard to all other kinds 
of shots which will present themselves to the young stalker, and when 
and how he ought to take them, no treatise on earth is of any use. Only 
practice, experience, and a thorough knowledge of his weapon is of any 
avail. 
The practice of stalking deer in Scotland will teach a man how to get 
near almost any animal, whilst even the bombardment of antelopes on 
the plains of East and South Africa will teach him something about the 
rifle and its ranges; but a combination of the two ought in time to turn a 
young man into a hunter; when he has got over all the mistakes of im- 
petuous youth. 
Flat crawling and accustoming the body to fall naturally into all the 
depressions of the ground, is also a thing that can only be acquired by 
experience and observation. Beginners nearly always elevate some portion 
of their person they wish to keep dry and comfortable. If it is their knees, 
they are apt to raise the part on which they usually sit, and this fact is 
the basis of many amusing stories. For instance, there is a charming 
simplicity about Donald who called a sudden halt in a stalk which he was 
conducting for a lady, who was a great sinner in this respect. Gently 
patting the offending part he remarked, “ For guid’s sake, mem, keep it 
doon; keep it doon! ” 
Some years ago an Indian Maharajah took a northern forest. Unlike 
most Oriental princes he was rather a poor shot and an awful crawler; 
in fact, it was difficult to make him understand that the deer would not 
wait for him to walk up to them. Whenever he and his stalker approached 
deer, something always happened. At last the stalker completely lost 
his temper on looking round and finding his master surveying the scene 
from the top of the rock instead of the back of it. “ Put doon yer heid, ye 
dirrty black deevil! ” he hissed in no uncertain manner. Such a remark, 
though no doubt rude to the ruler of millions, must have had some effect, 
and it is nicely illustrative of the fact that all men are equal on the hill. 
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