A HUNDKED YEARS IN THE HIGHLANDS 143 



way of rent, there was no saying but that I might get 

 permission to stalk on the famous Srath na Sealg ground, 

 which had never been regularly stalked, and where the 

 deer had only occasionally been killed by poaching 

 shepherds. Wonderful to say, my trip succeeded. I 

 told the old gentleman that I had no money of my own 

 except a little pocket-money. He asked what I could 

 give him, and I told him I could afiord only five pounds. 

 Marvellous to say, though almost a millionaire himself, 

 he agreed to take that ; so I wrote him out a cheque for 

 the amount and came back in triumph ; for had I not got 

 carte blanche to stalk over a huge bit of country of 

 some fifty thousand acres for a whole season ? Perhaps 

 that was among the happiest days, if not the very 

 happiest day, of my long life. 



But how was the stalking to be managed 1 There 

 was a broken-down, thatched shepherd's bothy at 

 Carn Mor, some eight or nine miles away from Poolewe, 

 with no road to it ; this bothy had not been lived in for 

 many years, but it seemed to be the only chance for me 

 in the way of shelter at night, so I was determined 

 to try it. 



We had a favourite sailor and fisherman in our employ 

 at that time and for many years after, William Grant, 

 who was one of those who went with us to St. Kilda. 

 Three or four of these Grants have served me faithfully 

 and devotedly all through my long life, and one of them 

 (Donald) is still serving me, aged seventy -nine. 



In 1640 one of my ancestors, Kenneth the sixth of 

 Gairloch, married as his second wife Ann, daughter 

 of Sir John Grant of Grant by Ann Ogilvie, daughter of 



