202 MULE DEER

the other side. Once more I turned back towards the
trail. By this manceuvre the wind would not only be
just right, but if the stag had lain down as I hoped, I
should not be following behind him and so should be far
more likely to approach him without being seen.

The ridge was about fifty yards wide, and by keeping
at a proper level it was possible to get a fair view of the -
greater part of it. My progress was now of the slowest,
Every step was made with care and use made of every
tree, stump, and hollow to keep my body hidden. Suddenly
I spotted his head and horns over a fallen tree, but before
my rifle had reached my shoulder he came to his feet
with a bound and without a second’s pause was off again.
I fired at him as he made his first leap, a second time as
he passed between two trees, and a third time as he flashed
across a short opening about a hundred and twenty-five
yards away. My first shot was at a range of not over
fifty yards and the second but little farther, but they
were snap-shots, and I made clean misses both times.
When he disappeared from view he was going almost as
hard on three legs as he had done on four.

Once more I had failed, and then of course it was plain
to be seen that this was due to my being too low down.
If I had kept a bit higher up on the ridge there would
have been better cover and the body of the stag might
have been in view over the log. However, he was gone
again so it was no good lamenting, though I knew well
that, having failed to kill him at his first resting-place, it
would be four or five times as hard to get near him again.
If he was very wary before he got his second scare he
simply would not rest again until he had found some place
where he would be almost unapproachable.

By that time it was getting well on in the afternoon,
and it was apparent that my hunt was likely to be ended
by darkness coming. One thing that helped was that,
instead of holding to the previous course, the stag had
now turned left-handed and was footing it more in the
direction of my camp, which meant that even if no other
opportunity of a shot should come that evening the