XXII 
THE DEER 
227 
any kind should be made, no wild gesticulations, 
but the men should march slowly but steadily 
forward, halting occasionally according to the 
movements of the deer. 
I have frequently been with the keepers, with 
instructions to prevent the deer from breaking back. 
The greatest possible care is required to keep them 
straight, and to drive them forward without flurry or 
excitement. As herd after herd joins the general 
movement, as miles of heather have been traversed, 
the difficulty increases, as the deer become suspicious 
of danger, and evince a strong desire to charge 
back through the wide intervals between the 
advancing line. 
When a herd turns round and faces the keepers, 
the simple action of exposing a white handkerchief, 
without waving it, is generally sufficient to stop the 
deer, and to prevent them from making a rush 
towards the rear. Should one lot of deer rush back 
and succeed in escaping from the drive, it is highly 
probable that every deer, even should there be a 
thousand, would follow suit, and a general stampede 
would produce a complete failure. 
The hinds are always the leaders of a movement, 
and the harts, or stags, are dependent upon these 
wary females for advice. 
When the drive is advancing, and perhaps five 
hundred deer may be moving slowly and hesitatingly 
forward, some clever old hind, a regular “ old 
parliamentary hand,” will turn round and confront 
the men at about 400 yards’ distance. Several other 
