EEMINISCENCES OP THE LEWS. 29 



had sliot over, E. M. had stalked. The roof 

 let in the rain, the floor was earth ; more smoke 

 came into the room than went up the chimney. 

 But we were tired and hungry, and turned 

 soon into those holes in the wall called, Scottice, 

 bed-places. In the morning — it had rained all 

 night — the floor was an epitome of the Lews — 

 land dotted with lakes ; and, I remember well, 

 we had to get turf creels or bits of old planks 

 to lay down like hearthrugs by our beds, to 

 step on as we rose. But what will not deer- 

 stalkers go through ? Then, too, we had the 

 best and gamest stalker I ever knew, and the 

 most honest and plucky of men. Long may 

 you live, Murdoch M'Aulay, and may I be 

 spared, as they say north, to kill another 

 stag with you, and that this year ! 



I must stop here a moment to mention an 

 instance of M'Aulay's pluck. An individual 

 with whom he was stalking knocked a stag 

 over, and M*Aulay went on to cut his throat 

 or bleed him. The animal, to all appearance 

 dead, jumped up and pinned him against a 

 bank by a burnside. He had just time to 

 seize the animal with both hands by his horns, 

 and being very strong in the arm, and with 

 his back to the bank, held it at bay. He 

 called out to the slayer of the deer to come 



