WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



ment would have sent the two hounds full chace after the 

 yelping curs. 



Breakfast done, we started to look for the stag. The 

 shepherd went with us, anxious to see the sport, and we 

 were glad of his assistance in finding the deer, as he was so 

 well acquainted with the animal's haunts. On our way he 

 told us that he had no doubt we should at once find him, but 

 that the dogs would have hard work to kill him, as he was 

 an old cunning fellow, and was supposed to be the same 

 stag who had killed the greyhound of Rory Beg, the fox- 

 hunter, last year, in a corrie at some distance off. The dog 

 having got after the deer (as Rory said, by accident!), and 

 being close alongside of him, was killed dead on the spot 

 by a single blow of his antler; the stag having struck him 

 without stopping, simply turning his head and striking 

 him as he ran alongside. We examined the glen where we 

 had seen the deer, but without success ; no mark of him was 

 to be seen. The shepherd, however, told us to wait till about 

 nine o'clock; itwas nearly that hour now,and he would pro- 

 bably be seen coming in to lie down for the day.on the slope 

 of the hill above the burn. We accordingly lay down quiet- 

 ly, in a concealed place, and, as he had predicted, we pre- 

 sently saw the magnificent fellow appear on the top of the 

 hill, where he halted for full ten minutes, looking carefully 

 over the glen in order to see that it was free from any enemy. 

 The morning sun shining on his bright hide, made him 

 look of even a lighter and brighter colour than he really 

 was. His horns, though not exactly of first-rate size, loom- 

 ed large and wide, as seen in clear relief between us and 

 the sky. After standing some time, looking like the soli- 



444 



