138 A HUNDRED YEARS 



Cave at Coire Bhacidh behind Wyvis. And so it turned 

 out. His spy-glass showed them making for the cave, 

 into which they carefully emptied the creels, and off 

 they went with pony and creels up a long glen and began 

 business. As soon as they were out of sight Hope made 

 for the cave, and was at least as busy as they were. 

 Every pot and blanket, every bag of meal, all the cold 

 provisions, ammunition, etc., he took to a deep peat-hole 

 he knew of, where the articles are safe and sound to this 

 day, for he kept his secret to himself, for fear of the 

 poachers' revenge, till just when he was leaving my service 

 for the south years afterwards. Then, retiring to a 

 hillock far off, but in sight of the cave, he lay there till 

 the sportsmen's return to the cave in the evening. His 

 glass revealed one of the men entering the cave and 

 rushing out as if chased by wasps. He seemed to be 

 explaining affairs to his comrades, who also ran to the 

 cave and ran out again, all three proceeding to search 

 the hill in the hope of finding the cave robbers. Then 

 Hope retired home ; I am sure he was very sorry that he 

 dared not tell his comrades of the fun he had in his 

 burglary. 



" Wyvis has been sold since then, and has long been 

 clear of sheep and under deer. It makes a real deer- 

 stalker sick to observe how stalking is generally managed 

 now in the Highlands. I used always to be on the 

 look-out ground if possible before 6 a.m. to observe 

 any deer which had been down feeding on the low 

 grounds, and were stepping away in the morning to their 

 spying posts up above for the day. Now the sleepy, 

 soft-potato fellows must have a grand breakfast ere 



