ROCKY GROUND. 223 



reached the very summit of one of the heights that inclosed 

 the valley, and then they all halted in a group for two or 

 three minutes, standing in clear and strong relief between me 

 and the sky. After looking back for a short time towards 

 the point of alarm, they disappeared over the top of the hill, 

 and I reloaded my rifle, and then went to examine the exact 

 spot where my ball had struck. Judging from the height it 

 was from the ground, I saw the hind had had a very narrow 

 escape, and muttered to myself, " Not a bad shot after all, 

 though unlucky; well, I'm glad it was not a fine stag 

 never mind the hinds." It's pleasant to find consolation 

 " rebus in adversis ; " my dog in the meantime scented about 

 a good deal, and seemed to wonder that I had missed. 



I now turned off out of my stony path, and walked across 

 a long tract of easy ground. There were several likely spots 

 in my way, but no deer were to be found; and an hour 

 before my time I arrived at the trysting-place, which was a 

 peculiarly-shaped large rock, standing in the midst of a great 

 extent of ground covered with grey stones, and rocks of a 

 similar description, but all much smaller. The rock itself 

 rejoiced in a Gaelic name signifying the " Devil's Stone." It 

 was a curious spot a wide and gentle slope of a hill perfectly 

 covered with these grey stones, looking as if they had 

 dropped in a shower from the clouds. They ended abruptly 

 near the foot of the hill, and formed almost a straight line, as 

 if some giant workman had done his best to clear the 

 remainder of the slope, and had picked all the stones off that 

 part, as children do off a grass field. Upwards, towards the 

 top of the hill, they increased, if possible, in number, and the 

 summit appeared like one mass of rock. Through all this 

 desolation of stone there were several strips of heather, or 

 withered-looking grass, not much wider, however, than 

 footpaths. They served as passes for any sheep and deer 

 which might fancy journeying through them. 



I reached my point of rendezvous, and sat down to wait 

 patiently for Donald, with my face turned in the direction 

 whence he was to arrive. I knew that, unless detained by 

 any quite unforeseen accident, he would arrive rather before 

 than after his time, as he was to bring me something in the 

 shape of luncheon ; the liquid part of which I was confident 

 he would not forget. 



I waited some time in this solitude, without hearing or 

 .seeing any living creature to enliven the dreary landscape 



