WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



observing us, as we looked through a crevice in the rocks. 

 After waiting an anxious half hour or more, we saw the 

 deer suddenly spring up, and, after standing at gaze for a 

 moment, trot up the hill, but not exactly in our direction. 

 He came to a flat spot, and then halted again, and looked 

 earnestly down into the glen. The shepherd was now in full 

 view, and the deer having looked at him fixedly for a min- 

 ute, seemed to recognize an old and harmless acquaint- 

 ance; and then turning, trotted deliberately, at no great 

 pace, straight towards us. We heard every step he took as 

 he trotted up the hard hill-side ; now and then he crossed a 

 sloping piece of loose gravel which rattled as his hard hoofs 

 struck the stones, and at one time he had to pick his way 

 through a wet splashy piece of marsh, which he did delib- 

 erately and slowly, occasionaly looking round at the shep- 

 herd below him. At this time we could not move or lift our 

 heads for fear of being seen, but had to wait till the deer 

 had passed the rocks amongst which we were concealed, 

 that we might let slip the hounds at a distance of about 

 thirty or forty yards. The deer was now close to us, not 

 more than ten yards off, but we did not want to let the dogs 

 go for fear of turning him back again into the valley from 

 which he had come, where the ground was not nearly so 

 favourable for the dogs as the slope on the other side of us. 

 We heard him tramp past us as he trotted slowly along on 

 the other side of the rocks behind which we were conceal- 

 ed. The next moment he had cleared the rocky ground, 

 and was in full view about thirty yards from us, on a wide 

 expanse of good heather-ground. The dogs saw him too, 

 and getting to our feet, we slipped them. 



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