170 SHOOTING. 



its heart. 'Hurrali! capital! grand! by Jove, lie lias got it!* 

 sliouted Tresham, starting up ; but the arm of GlenvallicK pniled 

 him down agaim. ' Hush ! be quiet! ' whispered he ; / never do so 

 — there may be twenty more deer near to us of which we know 

 nothing — such a halloo would send them off. Load your piece — ^load 

 quickly.' 



" While they were performing this necessary operation, Mac- 

 combich, who had joined them, and was keeping watch around 

 them, touched his arm, and pointing_ vaih. one, showed him tlu-ee 

 fine stags moving off to the further hUl, alanned no donbt by the 

 reports of the rifles, and probably by the exclamation of Treshara. 

 *God bless me ! ' said the mortified young man, 'this is a lesson 

 I shall not forget ; but who could have imagined it ? ' A httle 

 further scrutiny by the practised eye of Maccombich, was sufiicient 

 to convince the party that there was no more game in view ; so the 

 hunters advanced to break the deer, as it is called, by cutting the 

 throat and disembovfelling it ; and wliile Maccombich was per- 

 forming this sportsman-like duty, it was amusing to ^ watch the 

 rapture to which, when unrestrained by habitual caution, he.now 

 gave full way on the glad occasion of a successful shot. Apostro- 

 phising it in GaeHc, he addressed to it every reproachful epithet he 

 could think of, as a villain which had so often baffled their murder- 

 ous efforts ; it was a scoundrel, and a rascal, and a devil, to whom 

 he wished a bad end, and whose soul, heart, and Hver, he gave to the 

 devil • then changing his tone, he lavished upon itevery expression 

 of endearment in w^hich his language is so fruitful • but wliich, 

 when translated, often sounds strangely enough to Enghsh ears. 

 It was his dear, his darling, his bonny beast, his cattle, his love. 

 He seemed to abandon hunself to the very intoxication of dehght ; 

 and it was singular to see a man, habitually^ grave and resented, 

 acting as if for the tune he had actually been deprived of reason." 



As we have already noticed, it requires the utmost caution to 

 get within range of the deer in these Highland gi'ounds. Every 

 movement should be studiously guarded, and the silence of death 

 should reign among the party. To gain the wind of the deer is a 

 great pomt ; and it sometimes happens that a herd of the annuals 

 seem to be affected with a strange emotion of surprise, for they will 

 stand and gaze, even within range of the gun, until several of them 

 are killed. This is so strikingly the case in some instances, that 

 one cannot help conceiving that it is the pui'e result of something 

 lilce infatuation, and is certainly completely at variance with their 

 habitual timidity and shjniess. 



The marksmen always, if possible, take thek aim behind the 

 shoulder of the animal; 'if effective in this direction, death follows 

 instantly. When, however, the deer is only wounded, it is then 

 left to itself by the herd, and the deer dogs are set to work to follow 

 and capture it. These animals display singular sagacity and earnest- 

 ness in huntmg the fallen captive ; they will confine their hunting 

 solely to tli3 wounded deer, and when they have overtaken him. 



