A STORMY WEEK IN THE FOREST 101 
as this one did, he is often only stunned, and 
it is well to be on the alert and get up to him 
at once, ready if necessary to shoot again. This 
was no new experience to either of us. The old 
stalker had been over fifty years in the forest and 
had seen the same thing happen many a time ; 
nor was it new to me. We watched the stag as he 
galloped away apparently none the worse for his 
narrow escape, and I certainly felt very foolish. 
The old stalker kindly began to make excuses 
for me. " The line was right, but you were 
just a little high," he said. " Your pozeesyon 
was not good. You had been lying long, cold 
and shivering, in the wet. Yon cartridges are 
lighter than yer regular ones, and that is why 
you shot over him." " No, no," I replied, " I 
missed because I could not shoot straight ; it is 
a bad business ; anyhow, it is better than having 
wounded him badly and then lost him ; it is a 
comfort to think he is really very little the worse — 
now we have got to get back as quickly as ever 
we can." And then in the gloom and mist, 
running and walking and tumbling, away we 
went. The last mile was down a hill path filled 
with loose stones. At last we reached the end of 
the road, and saw the car coming up from a pomt 
