WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



Indeed it is very seldom that chances combine to enable 

 a deer-stalker to look quietly on at such a strange meeting 

 of deer as we had witnessed that evening. But night was 

 coming on, and though the moon was clear and full, we did 

 not like to start off" for the shepherd's house, through the 

 swamps and swollen burns among which we should have 

 had to pass, nor did we forget that our road would be 

 through the valley where all this congregation of deer were. 

 So after consulting, we turned off to leeward to bivouac 

 amongst the rocks at the back of the hill, at a sufficient 

 distance from the deernot to disturb them byour necessary 

 occupation of cooking the trout, which our evening meal 

 was to consist of Having hunted out some of the driest 

 of the fir-roots which were in abundance near us, we soon 

 made a bright fire out of view of the deer, and after eating 

 some fish and drying our clothes pretty well, we found a 

 snug corner in the rocks, where, wrapped up in our plaids 

 and covered with heather, we arranged ourselves to sleep. 



Several times during the night I got up and listened to 

 the wild bellowing of the deer: sometimes it sounded close 

 to us, and at other times far away. To an unaccustomed ear 

 it might easily have passed for the roaring of a host of 

 much more dangerous wild beasts, so loud and hollow did 

 it sound. I awoke in the morning cold and stiff, but soon 

 put myblood into circulation byrunning two or three times 

 up and down a steep bit of the hill. As for Donald, he shook 

 himself, took a pinch of snuff, and was all right. The sun was 

 not yet above the horizon, though the tops of the mount- 

 ains to the west were already brightly gilt by its rays, and the 

 grouse cockswere answering each other in everydirection. 



410 



