170 GLENFALLOCH ROES. 



ing a roe, but they soon feathered and opened, 

 bringing round the quarry full before my hiding- 

 bush. It was, as I fancied, an enormous doe ; 

 and making sure that she must be in as prime 

 order as the bucks last killed, I had great plea- 

 sure in rolling her over. What was my disgust 

 on walking up to find it was a buck, and to be 

 convinced from his size and weight that he could 

 be no other than the patriarch, whose antlers had 

 been so often coveted, and which were now lying 

 where he had cast them, as useless lumber, away. 

 When this roe-deer was " gralloched," and an in- 

 side disclosed like that of a summer wedder, we 

 began to console ourselves that, though hornless, 

 such " a buck in the hand " might be worth both 

 him and his horns " in the bush " of next year. 

 These were the three bucks before alluded to ; 

 but during the last two seasons of my lease we 

 killed not only some more bucks, but also four 

 does, not a whit behind them in condition. 



Although we had such good roe-shooting, there 

 were only four right-and-left shots fired the whole 

 time of our lease. Two of these doublets were 

 distant chances, and fell to my share. Both times 



