68 STALKING A POACHER. CHAP. vi. 



rise, the watcher saw the figure of a man on the horizon, 

 some hundred yards distant. He shrank down, and crept 

 forward, watching the man's movements in the grey 

 dawn of morn. He was seen close by the river's side, 

 prowling up and down the banks. Surely this must be 

 a poacher. The man moved on. When he appeared 

 on some liigh bank, the watcher hid himself so that he 

 might not be seen between him and the horizon. He 

 crawled forward on all fours, stalking the poacher as 

 he would a deer. 



At last, after nearly two hours' stalking and dodging, 

 the man suddenly disappeared in some low crevices in 

 the rocks, just below Dirlot Bridge. The sun was just 

 rising ; the watcher saw him crouching down, as if 

 hiding something amongst the ferns. Of course it must 

 be a salmon ! -With beating heart, he suddenly rushed 

 up to the man," and shouted, "Now I have caught you 

 poaching!" 



The man's back was towards him. He was intently 

 gazing on some object before him. He turned round in 

 a composed manner, and said, " No, sir, I am not poach- 

 ing ; I am only gathering some specimens of plants !" 

 He then opened his handkerchief, which contained some 

 herbs, plants, and flowers. The watcher was disap- 

 pointed and disgusted. He had been crawling for two 

 hours on his hands and knees, coming up with his 

 man, and finding in his possession, not a salmon, but a 

 lot of things which, in his estimation, were worse than 

 useless ! 



Dick was then sixteen miles from Thurso, He had 



