196 
WILD NORWAY. 
As an example of shrewd animal-instinct and strategy, 
their dispositions were magnificent, and revealed true 
generalship. But, after all, to man is the dominion; 
and, speering the deer from behind my boulder—really 
revelling in this rare scene far more than in its pro¬ 
spective promise of sport—I at once perceived that 
(regarded merely as game) I had them in hand. For 
the hanging crags above, and to the right, commanded 
^all the deer on the shelf, quite clear of wind, and at 
less than fifty yards. With the glass I worked out 
every detail of the route—it was safe. I could reach 
that crag-edge in twenty to thirty minutes, and knew 
the deer would not move for at least an hour. To man, 
as just said, belongs the dominion ; but civilized man 
does not always push that advantage to the utmost, 
since sportsmen are not butchers, and there the beasts 
score one ! For no inducement on earth would to-day 
have availed to persuade me to take those smaller deer 
on the shelf, while the grand old star-bock lay full in 
view before me. He could not be reached from the 
crag, and him I had resolved at all costs to make my 
first target, come what might afterwards. Nils im¬ 
plored me, almost with tears, to make sure of mad 
(meat) by taking the certainty on the shelf; but 1 
remembered Breiava (see pp. 37, 38), and meant to do 
that again. A coldness arose between us—I felt it and 
grieved for it—as we sat and ate our lunch together 
behind that boulder. 
Punctually to the hour, the first deer began to get 
up. One by one they arose, and ten minutes more were 
spent in stretching, shaking, and little friendly greetings, 
which displayed poses and attitudes of infinite grace. 
