l had cut off within an inch of his skull. This was a narrow
escape.

I did not reload my rifle, as I was not far from the tent, and I
was tired of shooting. Giving my rifle to the gun-bearer, I took the
double-barrelled gun which he carried, and walked quickly towards
breakfast. Suddenly I heard a crash in a small nook of thick bushes,
like the rush of an elephant, and the next instant a buck came rushing
by in full speed; his long antlers lay upon his back as he flew through
the tangled saplings with a force that seemed to defy resistance. He
was the largest spotted buck that I ever saw, and, being within thirty
paces, I took a flying shot with the right-hand barrel. He faltered
for a moment, and I immediately fired the remaining barrel. Still he
continued his course, but at a reduced speed and dead lame. Loading the
rifle, I soon got upon the blood-track, and I determined to hunt him
down.

There were many saplings in this part of the forest, and I noticed that
many of them in the deer's track were besmeared with blood about two
feet and a half from the ground. The tracks in the sandy soil were
uneven--one of the fore-feet showed a deep impression, while the other
was very faint, showing that he was wounded in the leg, as his whole
weight was thrown upon one foot. Slowly and cautiously I stalked along
the track, occasionally lying down to look under the bushes. For about
an hour I continued this slow and silent chase; the tracks became
fainter, and the bleeding appeared to have almost ceased; so few and
far between were the red drops upon the ground, that I was constantly
obliged to leave the gun-bearer upon the last trace, while I made a cast
to discover the next track. I was at length in despair of finding him,
and I was attentively scrutinising the ground for a trace of blood,
which would distinguish his track from those of other deer with which
the ground was covered, when I suddenly heard a rush in the underwood,
and away bounded the buck at about fifty yards' distance, apparently
as fresh as ever. The next instant he was gasping on the ground, the
rifle-ball having passed exactly through his heart. I never could have
believed that a spotted buck would have attained so large a size; he was
as large as a doe elk, and his antlers were the finest I have ever seen
of that species. It required eight men with two cross poles to bring him
home.

I reached the tent to breakfast at eight o'clock, having bagged three