A MONTH AT STRATHMAACOE 191 



also failed to end the matter, and then turning the glass on to 

 him, it was easy, in the bright light, to see the two bullet 

 marks — the first was some inches to one side of the heart and 

 a good bit below, while the second had struck in a line with 

 the heart but just behind it. After this short spy Donald 

 urged me to load again at once, saying, ' He's yours, sir, if we 

 can but head him before he gets to the march,' and then off we 

 started at his best pace. 



"We soon sighted the wounded monarch, and it was clear 

 that, as he could not make much upward progress, he was^ 

 putting on all steam he could down hill, with the view of 

 reaching a pass at the end of the corrie, through which he 

 could escape into the next forest. Now, I am a bad runner, 

 Gee, as you know, so I saw at once that unless we could get 

 along faster than we had done the stag would make good his 

 retreat, therefore calling to Donald, I said, ' Here, take you 

 the rifle, but be careful, for the stops are not on, and get away 

 by yourself and cut him off; I'll follow as fast as I can.' 

 Donald required no urging, and seizing the rifle out of my 

 hand he bounded off like a roe-deer, while I watched him out 

 of sight round the shoulder of the hill, with the pleasant 

 conviction that the monarch would now be mine. Then I 

 trotted on after him till I reached the place where he had 

 disappeared, and finding that from this point I could command 

 the whole of the corrie, I sat down, pulled out the glass, and 

 soon spied Donald some four hundred yards off, running up to 

 the stag, who was lying in a small basin-shaped hole of moss 

 apparently quite dead, for his head was hanging down with one 

 of the anders resting on the soft edge of the shallow. In this 

 position the stag lay when Donald reached him, and while he 

 was pulling out his knife the monarch just raised his head from 

 the ground but a little way as if in a last expiring effort. 



" Then Donald quickly, and, alas ! all too rashly, placed the 

 butt of the rifle on the antler lying at his feet, when to my 

 surprise the dying beast instantly half raised himself upright 



