DEER-STALKING IN THE HIGHLANDS. 167 



small ridge, that barely covers him and his followers, who with 

 great precision execute the same manoeuvre. Again they are 

 stopped ; the burn crosses their route, and a deep-looking 

 stream of water glides along its channel. There is no help 

 for it ; they descend silently into the pool (not daring the while 

 to lift their heads above the ground), the guns are carefully 

 handed from one to another as they stand immersed breast- 

 high, and thus they again reach the sward, and, to the 

 stalker's delight, behold one of the marks previously noted in 

 the neighborhood of the deer. Is he still there? The 

 stalker raises his head slowly, inch by inch ; the horns are 

 just visible over the line of the ground. Subduing his delight, 

 he feels his rifle, makes a slight noise, the deer is seen to 

 spring, and the crack of the gun is heard at the same moment 

 the hart is gone ! but not unhurt ; the ball is in him, and 

 the dogs are after him. Away they go over moss and rock, 

 steep and level, in and out of the black mire, unto the foot of 

 a hill, which they ascend with a slackened pace. Up the 

 nearest eminence runs one of the hunters, and with levelled 

 glass endeavors to watch their course. The deer-stalker at 

 his topmost speed follows the chase, listening anxiously as he 

 runs for the bark of the dogs, significant of their having 

 brought the stag to bay. The wished-for voices soon break 

 upon him, he redoubles his speed, and a sudden opening being 

 entered, there is the magnificent creature, standing on a nar- 

 row projecting ledge of rock within the cleft, in the middle 

 course of the mountain cataract, the rocks closed in upon his 

 flanks, bidding defiance in his own mountain-hold ! On the 

 very edge of the precipice the dogs are baying at him furious- 

 ly ; one rash of the stag will send them down the chasm into 

 eternity, yet in their fury they seem wholly unconscious of the 

 danger. Delay would now be fatal : the stalker creeps cau- 

 tiously round to the nearest commanding spot ; every moment 

 is precious, yet the least carelessness on his part that should 

 reveal his presence to the deer, would cause the latter to break 

 bay, and in all probability precipitate the fate of the dogs. 

 Meantime the stag, maddened by their vexatious attacks, 



