1 88 HIGHLAND SPORT 



" ' What did it do, General ? ' I cried ; and he answered, 

 ' Oh, the loathsome thing came round the bed till it got to 

 my side, when, begad ! it began to bend over me, so, my 

 dear fellow, you may laugh at me if you like, but I popped 

 my head under the bed-clothes, where I waited the issue of 

 events till the sun shone. Devil another night will I spend in 

 this house, I can assure you.' " 



" Well, that beats everything," I remarked ; " for it really 

 must be a genuine ghost, Surrey, as in this old tower you are 

 so isolated and so high above ground that no trickery could 

 possibly be practised. Confound the restless old lady ; she 

 will clear the house if she goes on like this." 



"Bother her," answered my friend; "but ghost or no 

 ghost, I'm precious hungry after all this palaver, so as it is my 

 day in the forest come along and have breakfast." 



It was an extra early meal, at which none of the ladies were 

 present, and thus once more we were sworn to secrecy con- 

 cerning our spectre visitor, while as all Tom's eloquence failed 

 to persuade the General to stay, he was forthwith made to 

 promise he would declare his sudden departure was caused 

 solely by a wire bringing him news of events requiring his 

 immediate presence elsewhere. Having settled this, we wished 

 him a hearty good-bye, and went off to our sport. 



Tom and I were shooting together this day, while Surrey 

 was to be in the forest with Donald ; thus, on our way to our 

 beat, we naturally discussed this latest and somewhat startling 

 phase of our ghostly visitant, so as we passed a cottage the 

 idea struck Tom of asking the occupant — a very old woman — 

 if she could tell us anything about this walking lady. 



In response to our tap at the door we were at once invited 

 inside, when as soon as Tom had made his greetings by offering 

 the old lady a taste of whiskey, he lost no time in explaining 

 the object of our visit. The old woman listened in silence till 

 he had done, and then, with a laugh, she said — 



"I've been thinking this while that some o' ye wad be 



