228 DEER-STALKING. 



of the death of my other stag was interrupted by a most 

 desperate battle between the dogs, who had fallen out over 

 the dead body ; and being pretty well matched in size and 

 courage, we had great difficulty in reducing them to order, 

 and compelling them to keep the peace. 



I had a pleasant though not very bloody afternoon's shoot- 

 ing going home, killing seven brace of wild-flying grouse, a 

 mallard, and two blackcocks. The night had set in before 

 we were half way through the woods in which the last two 

 or three miles of our road lay ; we could hear numberless 

 owls hooting and calling on the tops of old larch-trees. 

 Everything else was as still as death. 



" 'Deed, Sir, that's no canny ! " exclaimed my companion, 

 as an owl with peculiar vigour of lungs uttered his wild cry 

 close to us, and then flitting past our faces, alighted on the 

 opposite side of the avenue we were walking along, and re- 

 commenced his song of bad omen. " If it wasn't so dark, I'd 

 empty the gun into his ugly craig." However, as it was so 

 dark, the owl escaped being sacrificed to Donald's dislike 

 this time ; and we soon reached the house, where the com- 

 forts of my own dressing-room were by no means unaccept- 

 able after so long an absence from razor, brushes, &c. 



