RED DEER HUNTING IN GALICIAN FORESTS 
tom-cats fighting-j-just a few Z’s with a pleasant sprinkling of Y’s and 
H’s, but quite unpronounceable to anyone but a Ruthenian. When Keranuk 
broke a twig he would say, “ Pomalo ” (Go softly). I do not mean to suggest 
for a moment that Keranuk was anything but an excellent stalker. He 
certainly went through woods more quietly than I, but his little mannerisms 
were of such importance that he amused me immensely. 
On September 23 we left the “ Palace Hotel ” at three and ascended a 
steep slope covered with raspberries and loose stones that grated beneath 
the feet. Just as we approached the higher parts of the forest a big stag com- 
menced to roar splendidly on the edge of the timber, and the wind being 
right it was necessary to get off the stony ground and gain a quieter ap- 
proach. In doing so Keranuk slipped and fell several feet, making a loud 
noise, and almost immediately afterwards a large hind arose out of the 
valley and dashed into the forest towards the calling deer. Of course, 
silence followed and our stalk was over, yet I could hardly accept Kera- 
nuk’s sarcasm as merited when he pointed, more in sorrow than anger, 
to my boots. 
At midday we reached Zazeikit without further incident, and spent 
the evening on the high ground watching a great open slope where the trees 
had been cut. Just at dusk a stag commenced to roar away to the left, 
but as the distance was too great to overcome before darkness would over- 
take us I declined to essay the stalk, and counselled patience till daybreak, 
when I hoped the stag might retain the same position. In the morning, 
however, he had gone. During the night Keranuk reported five stags as 
roaring round our position, but the deer were quite silent all day, so on the 
25th we moved downhill to the place where we had heard the stag two days 
before. On our way thither, at about 5 p.m., we heard him bellowing away 
in the thick forest to our left, so I left Keranuk to “ roar ” on his shell to keep 
the stag excited, and essayed the stalk in company with Henry. The stag 
was on a ridge about a quarter of a mile distant, and to reach him we had 
to descend a perfect forest of windfalls. Enormous fallen trees blocked 
our way at every step and we had to climb in and out of these moving 
giants as noiselessly as possible. It was hard work for some ten minutes, 
and when we reached the little stream at the bottom the stag was still 
calling in splendid voice. The wind was blowing across our front, so I 
now determined to leave Henry and make a slight detour so as to come up 
wind on our quarry. This I started to do, but the gillie came after me and 
by signs intimated that the stag was moving fast up wind. Stupidly, as it 
327 
