The Sportsman by Xenophon
page 63 of 95 (66%)
page 63 of 95 (66%)
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When his eye has lit upon the object of his search, he will approach quite close. The fawn will keep perfectly still, glued[13] as it were to earth, and with loud bleats suffer itself to be picked up; unless it happen to be drenched with rain; in which case, it will not stay quiet in one place. No doubt, the internal moisture of the animal congeals quickly with the cold[14] and causes it to shift its ground. Caught in that case it must needs be; but the hounds will have work enough to run the creature down.[15] The huntsman having seized the fawn, will hand it to the keeper. The bleating will continue; and the hind, partly seeing and partly hearing, will bear down full tilt upon the man who has got her young, in her desire to rescue it. Now is the moment to urge on the hounds and ply the javelins. And so having mastered this one, he will proceed against the rest, and employ the same method of the chase in dealing with them. [13] {piesas}, "noosling, nestling, buried." [14] "The blood runs cold." [15] Or, "but it will give them a good chase; the dogs will have their work cut out." Young fawns may be captured in the way described. Those that are already big will give more trouble, since they graze with their mothers and the other deer, and when pursued retire in the middle of the herd or occasionally in front, but very seldom in the rear. The deer, moreover, in order to protect their young will do battle with the hounds and trample them under foot; so that capture is not easy, unless you come at once to close quarters and scatter the herd, with |
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