Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-10-04
TIE nrCH.rEvER.



Sir John Rose. who fell dead last week
with appalling suddcnness while aiming
AZ stag IN the Duke of Portland 5
forest IN Caitnness, IS said by the CORE
spoudeut of q contemporary to have
died of buck-leyer, " which, he obliging-
lv adds, els an American word, though
Of German origin" Whether the we'll
known maledy-it malady 1t can be
called-which unuerves aud demoraliZes
the sportsman who, rifle IN hand. is
suddenly brought face 10 face with
royal hart or @ "muckle stag Of
Kenmore" be originally German or
not We cannot say; but it IS GER
tain. at any rate, that buck-feyer was 4
familiar phrase IN Scotland long before
the nitcd States came into existence as
an independent nation. Sir Walter
Scott puts substantially the same phrase
into the mouth Of Donald Bean Lean
when that Highland robber receives Wa
yerley on his way to Glennaquoich, the
home OF Feargus M'Iyor; and 1t may
safely be predicted that when the Hon.
George Dun, uncle TO the present Earl
of Fife and one Of the best deer stalkers
in Scotland, killed his first stag in Mar
Forest more than half century since
he suffered from the same com
plant, accompanied, doubtless, by
palpitation Of the heart and tremu-
lousness Of the hand. which his grand
father may have experienced when
George III. was still a young man.
Buck-fever or buck ague is by no means
confined to sportsmen who, like Sir John
Rose. have long been in the habit Of
spending ten OF eleven months Of each
successive year in. their city Offices and
deyoting the rest Of their twelyemonth
10 sport or what they call sport 1t has
often been asserted that OF those who
habitually 20 out fox-hunting. mounted
on peerless horses and atLred IN faultlees
boots and breeches. at least two in every
three rejoice unfeignedly in their secret
heart over the occurrence of blank day.
Fox-hunhng, grouse-shooting, and deer
stalking are enthusiastically the fashion, and
many "cit' takes part in all three
without deriving an atom Of real enjoy
ment from any of them. AS rule, no
one can be proficient at welding the
breech-loader, be it gun or rifle, unless,
in DR.. JOhnson's phrase. he has bean
"caught young" and trained to the delft
use Of the weapon while he WAS still a
plastic boy. Among EnglishmAn who
still repair to the Highlands IN August
and September, and are old enough to
remember the time when Lord John
Russell was Prime Minister, few can
have failed TO hear the story which re-
lAtes how the great Wing statesman
was sent home year after year by
his hospitable entertainer, Mr.. Fox
Maule. afterwards Lord Psnmure,
under the impression that 4 dozen or
more stays had fallen before his unerr-
ing rifle. AS q matter OF fact Lord John
Russell WAS about as bad shot as ever
put gun or ride to shoulder, and, after Q
short experience Of his poor markham
ship. Mr. Fox Maule determined 10 have
recourse to strategem in order to make
his distinguished guest regard himself as
a deer-stalker of whom Scrope or Sc.
John or HoEsto Ross need not have been
ashamed. Lord John was accordingly
placed in a mountain pass through which
the stays were driven. aud when he fired
an experienced gamekeeper, posted
close by, discharged his piece simnltans-
ously al the same deer. ThQsLord John
got credit for killing what had really
fallen to smother mans riile-
Ballela mambeks d EAriiaNenk and