A MONTH AT STRATH MAACOE 203 



After some time we saw Angus returning, and when he 

 joined us we heard that he only thought he knew where his 

 stag was resting, for it was a long way off; then we told him 

 our story, which sent him off with the rifle to see if he could 

 discover the one that had shammed dead. 



Dyke threw himself on the heather, remarking dejectedly, 

 " Confound my stupidity, Gee ; I quite hate myself for having 

 spoilt your whole day's sport." 



I comforted him, however, so successfully that at length we 

 both broke into uncontrollable laughter over the whole thing. 

 Then the gillie with the dog returned with one bit of good 

 news, for " Torrum " had run his deer down, and it was lying 

 gralloched some distance away. We tobaccoed and whiskied 

 the gillie, who then went off to look what Angus was doing, 

 and as he reached the sky line we heard a shot echo through 

 the hills, while as but one barrel sounded we felt pretty sure 

 that stag number two was also accounted for. In due course 

 Angus rejoined us to confirm this supposition, when we further 

 heard that the first bullet had but grazed the skin on the top of 

 the head, and, though letting blood freely, it had produced but 

 temporary insensibility ; then, looking hard at the unabashed 

 Dyke, Angus slyly said — 



" Hech, sir, you will aye find it better to shoot at the heart 

 of a stag than at the held," which was his own way of com- 

 bining politeness with sarcasm. 



It was now past two o'clock, so as Dyke was looking 

 dead tired, although he was all for our going in pursuit of 

 the third stag, I insisted on his hobbling back to the pony. 



Having started our friend on his way home, as Angus 

 then opined it was too late for us to go further into the 

 forest, we turned back on our tracks in search of the third 

 stag, which after a long tramp we eventually spied, when 

 another bullet ended his troubles. Thus, after all, Dyke 

 secured his three stags at one stalk, which seemed almost 

 impossible when each of them had turned out to be "runners," 



