CHAP.THIRTY-FOUR DEERHOUNDS 



his back, and vented his ill-humour in numberless Gaelic 

 imprecations against the dogfor upsetting him, and against 

 Malcolm, "the muckle fule," as he called him, for laughing 

 at his mishap, he got under way again. In the meantime 

 the roe had disappeared down some hollow of the ground, 

 and we proceeded on our way. 



After leaving the woods, we traversed a long range of 

 broken ground, where we had but small chance of seeing 

 the deer, though their tracks were tolerably fresh here and 

 there; our object was to find the animals in certain places 

 more adapted for the running of the dogs than the ground 

 we were then passing. We therefore did not examine two 

 favourite but rugged and steep corries, where deer were 

 generally found. 



Our forbearance was rewarded, for on coming to a point 

 overlooking a long and wide stretch of hill-side, through 

 the centre of which ran a winding but not very rapid burn, 

 we immediately distinguished nine deer still feeding, 

 though the morning was somewhat advanced; they were 

 scattered about a green spot at the head of the burn, and 

 feeding on the coarse grass and rushes which grew about 

 the springs and marsh that fed the main stream. They 

 could not have been better placed, and after a short 

 consultation — which, however, lasted longer than it need 

 have done, owing to Donald's determined and customary 

 opposition to every proposal made by his tall rival — we 

 turned back behind the shoulder of the hill, in order to ^et 

 into a hollow of the ground which would enable us to reach 

 the course of the burn: for, this done, our task was com- 

 paratively easy. 

 433 2E 



