EEMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 241 



lived, and lie fond of venison, sometimes helped 

 himself to some. One day lie had set his heart 

 upon a particularly fine stag, which he was 

 getting up to well. It happened, though rather 

 unluckily for him, that Murdoch M'Aulay was 

 stalking the identical same beast, and, during 

 the operation, he descried our friend Donald 

 and his similar pursuit. A thought struck 

 Murdoch — to drop stalking the stag, and stalk 

 Donald instead. He instantly put his thought 

 in practice, and very successfully. Donald had 

 just got to his stone, or lump, or knoll, handy 

 for a shot at his prey, and was taking his last 

 anxious peer over its top to ascertain his stag's 

 exact position, and, for that purpose, had done 

 what all stalkers do — laid his rifle cannily by 

 his side, convenient to his right hand. Along- 

 side this spot ran a sort of burn or watercourse, 

 at this time all but dry, into which M'Aulay 

 had wormed himself, and while Donald was 

 making his last observations, quietly lifting his 

 hand he abstracted the rifle, and retreated 

 down the burn again. Satisfied with his posi- 

 tion and that of the stag, our stalker felt for 

 his weapon, when, to his horror, it responded 

 not to his touch, and, lo 1 it was gone ; and, 

 after a few seconds of great suspense, a deep, 

 sepulchral voice sounded from the depths of 



