WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



his want of moderation in feeding. When in Sutherland 

 I twice fell in with instances of eagles being knocked 

 down when unable to rise from over-eating. On one occa- 

 sion a curious kind of character, who acted the partof hang- 

 er-on to me in my deer-shooting excursions, brought home 

 an eagle, which he had killed with his stick before it could 

 rise from the ground. This man, who was dumb, and was 

 supposed (very erroneously) to be half-witted also, had a 

 great penchant for assisting in beating the woods for roe 

 or deer; and from long acquaintance with the country, and 

 froma propensity (very common to people similarlyafiflict- 

 ed) for wandering about, he had a perfect knowledge of 

 every corner of the extensive woods on the property, and 

 also a most shrewd guess as to where the deer would be 

 lying, and in which direction they would break cover. 

 Though generally of a most moroseandevenmalicioustem- 

 per, Muckle Thomas, as they called him, entertained a 

 great affection, in his way, for me; and every morning was 

 to be found seated in front of the windows, smoking a sol- 

 itary pipe, and waiting to see if I wanted him.Though dumb, 

 he was not deaf, and understanding what was said to him, 

 could make himself quite intelligible by signs, assistingmy 

 comprehension by drawing, in a rude way, figures on the 

 groundwith the long staff which he invariably carried. One 

 morning I had sent him to look in a certain partof thewoods 

 to see if any deer's tracks were visible. In an hour or two 

 he returned with something large bundled up in his plaid, 

 which he opened, and cast down his load at my feet with 

 a look and grunt of triumph. After some explanatory signs, 

 dfc, I found out that he hadcome on the eagle, who had so 



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