258 BEAUTIFUL DEER-FOREST. 



ground. Prom the plain up to the rocky hill 

 whereon I stood, was a steep slope or talus, 

 beautifully carpeted with mosses ; before me 

 stretched a level plateau, or table-land, and 

 above that a number of grand sheltered 

 corries, with high rugged mountains towering 

 over all. The frost was intense, but the sun 

 shining brightly, the plains and the rocky 

 slopes looked as if covered with a brilliant 

 Turkey carpet, being red, brown, green, yel 

 low, orange, and purple with mosses. The 

 whole scene made up such a picture, or beau- 

 ideal of a deer-forest, as I never saw before. 



I did not care about shooting any more deer 

 now, and there seemed to be no chance of that 

 much more exciting quarry, the sea-horse, so 

 we prepared to start. Before leaving the 

 yacht the day before, I had told Mr. Wood to 

 get up his anchor as soon as Lord David should 

 return on board, and drop down to a well-known 

 anchorage at the south-east corner of the straits, 

 and I would meet him there; but now, as 

 there was nothing to be clone in the straits 

 with the walruses, and we had tons of venison 

 on board, I determined to intercept the yacht, 

 and prevent her from coming to an anchor. 

 When we saw from the heights, therefore, 



