160 SPOKT IN NOKTH AMERICA. 



young fawn, whose mother had been killed m the 

 chase, took refuge at the feet of my friend, as if to 

 supplicate for aid and protection. Porter took the 

 fawn in his arms, carried it to the house where he 

 was staying, and afterwards to New York. The very 

 evening of his arrival he sent the little creature to 

 the Highlanders' mess, with his compliments ; and 

 the corps, determining to adopt the foundling, com- 

 mitted it to the charge of the band. At first the 

 poor little creature was terribly frightened at the 

 music, but it gradually became accustomed to the 

 harmonious noise, and at six months' end was as 

 tame as a King Charles' spaniel. Every morning 

 it would mount the barrack stairs, and knock at the 

 door of the ward where the band slept, expecting a 

 piece of biscuit. By a strange caprice, however, 

 the creature would never touch anything that had 

 been previously bitten by man. Many attempts were 

 made to deceive its instinct in this respect, but it 

 never could be induced to touch food which had 

 been polluted hj human lips. When I first beheld 

 the Highlanders' stag, he had been in the regiment 

 three years, to the great delight of the New York 

 cockneys. He was then full grown, and was a 

 splendid brute. His horns had fourteen branches, 

 and his only fault was that it was difficult to restrain 

 him in his military pride from coming dotvn upon 

 the audacious civilian who dared to pass between 

 himself and the band. 



