154 HIGHLAND SPORT 



Then I came across people who knew both Spiller and 

 Auldjoe. The report on the latter was that he was a queer 

 old chap, with a hatred of the sound of a big big D., and a 

 general detestation of modern methods, but withal quite a 

 gentleman. The report as to Spiller was not quite so 

 satisfactory — a Militia Captain, rather bumptious, a little too 

 fond of lifting his elbow, and a cheaply earned reputation 

 as a sportsman, seemed to be the verdict. With this little 

 knowledge of the party I was about to join, Monnielack Lodge 

 duly received me on the tenth of August. My hopes were 

 more than realised : the house was large and comfortable, the 

 dogs looked workmanlike, the head keeper, Donal Macdonal, 

 was a pleasant, civil-spoken man, while his daughter Bessie 

 was just one of the very prettiest Highland lassies I ever 

 saw, and I noticed that the Colonel was fully of the same 

 opinion, for leaving me to talk grouse with Donal, he went 

 with the lassie to inspect the poultry yard. 



The next day I elected to make a trouting expedition, 

 and on returning was duly presented to Mr. Auldjoe, a tall, 

 spare man of about sixty, with a very long clean-shaven red 

 face covered with red pimples, while his looks and movements 

 much resembled those of a fishing heron, but perhaps his 

 tight-fitting suit of black pepper-and-salt clothes, with the 

 stiff, old-fashioned white stock, contributed to this effect. 



Captain Spiller was to arrive in time for dinner, but as 

 he was late, after giving him fair law, we sat down without 

 him, but had hardly done so before the wheels of his con- 

 veyance were heard outside, while a few minutes later the 

 Captain entered, when with a bow to us and a shake of the 

 Colonel's hand he rattled out a torrent of speech more rapidly 

 and jerkily spoken than anything I had ever heard before. 



" Here we are. Colonel," exclaimed he ; " make you stare, 

 I know, to hear me say we, but I've brought my wife ! Only 

 married five days, you know ; couldn't leave her behind me, 

 could I ? Didn't even think of getting spliced when I settled 



