WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



as comfortable as we could, and retired to rest. 



In the morning we started in different directions. I, ac- 

 companied by a shepherd, went westward towards the 

 sources of the river. I cannot say that I had much hope of 

 finding deer, as the whole line of my march was full of sheep; 

 and red-deer will very seldom remain quietwhen this is the 

 case, either from a dislike to the sheep themselves, or from 

 knowing that where there are sheep there are also shep- 

 herds and shepherds' dogs. With black cattle, on the con- 

 trary, deer live in tolerable amity; and I have frequently 

 seen cattle and deer feeding together in the same glen. 



I went some miles westward, keeping up the course of 

 the river, or rather parallel to it, sometimes along its very 

 edge, and at other times at some distance from the water. 

 The highest building on the river, if building it can be 

 termed, is a small shealing, or summer residence of the 

 shepherds, called, I believe, Dahlvaik. Seeing some smoke 

 coming from this hut, we went to it. When at some few 

 hundred yards off, we were greeted with a most noisy 

 salute from some half-dozen sheep-dogs, who seemed bent 

 on eating up my bloodhound. But having tried her patience 

 to the uttermost, till she rolled over two or three of them 

 rather roughly (not condescending, however, to use her 

 teeth), the colleys retreated to the door of the shealing, 

 where they redoubled, if possible, their noise, keeping up a 

 concert of howling and barking enough to startle every deer 

 in the country. My companion, whose knowledge of the 

 English tongue was not very deep, told me that the own- 

 ers of the dogs would be some " lads from Strath Errick," 

 who were to hold a conference with him about some sheep. 



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