68 REMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 



the Falkirk fair, the Harris Hills not being then, 

 as they are now, clear of sheep ; and conse- 

 quently the Aline Hills, Lewis, and Carneval, 

 were full of deer, huddled together like driven 

 sheep. To stalk them was out of the question, 

 and therefore R. M. was placed in a pass while 

 the forester and the gillies went round to 

 manoeuvre the deer to him. This they were 

 doing well, while R. M. was amusing himself 

 with surveying the prospect, and now and then 

 sighting an innocent white lamb that was 

 watching its mamma feeding. On came the 

 deer, and they were all but within shot when 

 our friend took a last sight at his pet lamb, 

 forgetting that he had not uncocked his rifle ; 

 bang vv^ent both his barrels, bah-ali went the 

 poor little innocent, pierced with both bullets, 

 and back went the deer. 



So amusing, and at the same time so 

 thoroughly annoying, was the incident, that 

 the Aline farming tenant, old Mr. Stewart, who 

 had been a keen stalker in his day, never would 

 hear of any payment for the lamb, saying that 

 it was bad enough to lose such chances at the 

 deer without having to pay for the lamb. The 

 occurrence, however, had its annoyances. It 

 got w4nd, and was, some years afterwards, the 

 cause of considerable legal and uselessly lu- 



