In this
manner they arrived at last to within eighty yards of the animal, and
then Jacob advanced his gun ready to put it to his shoulder, and, as
he cocked the lock, raised himself to fire. The click occasioned by
the cocking of the lock roused up the stag instantly, and he turned
his head in the direction from whence the noise proceeded; as he did
so Jacob fired, aiming behind the animal's shoulder: the stag made a
bound, came down again, dropped on his knees, attempted to run, and
fell dead, while the does fled away with the rapidity of the wind.
Edward started up on his legs with a shout of exultation. Jacob
commenced reloading his gun, and stopped Edward as he was about to run
up to where the animal lay.
"Edward, you must learn your craft," said Jacob; "never do that again;
never shout in that way--on the contrary, you should have remained
still in the fern."
"Why so?--the stag is dead."
"Yes, my dear boy, that stag is dead; but how do you know but what
there may be another lying down in the fern close to us, or at some
distance from us, which you have alarmed by your shout? Suppose that
we both had guns, and that the report of mine had started another stag
lying in the fern within shot, you would have been able to shoot it;
or if a stag was lying at a distance, the report of the gun might have
started him so as to induce him to move his head without rising.
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