xxn THE DEER 367 



speed. After a run of a quarter of a mile, we had a splendid view 

 of the stag at full speed, and the dog upon its left flank; had 

 Oscar been trained to seize, he should have immediately tackled his 

 game by the throat or ear. Instead of this, he simply kept his 

 position, and presently turned a somersault as the stag kicked him 

 in the chest, and then gained 30 or 40 yards before the dog could 

 recover from the fall. Again both deer and pursuer were lost to 

 view, as they disappeared among steep descents and broken ground. 

 We had run more than three miles from the spot where I had fired 

 the shot, and I could now form a tolerably correct idea of the spot 

 where the stag would come to its final stand. The river Bruar 

 lay before us about a mile distant, and, as we hurried forward, I 

 caught sight of a white speck in the far distance. I felt sure this 

 was Oscar, and the stag was still in front, although from its colour, 

 matching with the brown heather, we could not distinguish any 

 animal beyond the hound. 



We were not long in reaching the steep banks of the Bruar, 

 about a mile and a half above the falls. Nothing was in sight, 

 but as we halted to listen, our hearts beat with delight at hearing 

 the voice of Oscar, with the stag at bay somewhere beneath, in the 

 dark hollow of a sudden bend. Hurrying towards the spot, the 

 voice of the dog ceased ; the stag had broken his bay, and instead 

 of crossing the precipitous rocks, it turned back, and passed us at 

 full speed within 40 yards, with the dog in chase behind it. A 

 shot through the neck rolled it over, and for the first time Oscar 

 seized it by the throat. I did not fire at the neck, as I had in- 

 tended to hit the shoulder ; but I had been running for four or five 

 miles, and I was out of breath. 



My first shot was too high. It was in good line just behind the 

 shoulder, but it had passed through the animal exactly below the 

 spine. The shock had knocked it over, but it had almost instantly 

 recovered, and practically it was as fresh as though it had not 

 received a bullet. 



When aiming at an animal that is standing upon a steep incline 

 below you, the greatest care should be taken to shoot low, as near 

 the brisket as possible, to attain the shoulder. I made a mistake 

 when shooting quickly from an uncomfortable position, and did not 

 make a sufficient allowance for the downhill shot. 



Reminiscences of the Highlands would make a volume, and I 

 cannot afford space for any lengthened descriptions of the red-deer 

 of Scotland, which are well known to so many who have had, 

 perhaps, greater experience than myself; but the great mimbers of 

 deer, and the facilities for acquiring a knowledge of their habits, 



