294 WANDERINGS AND MEMORIES 



stag roaring on the hill opposite and within 200 

 yards. I was in the act of stooping low to com- 

 mence a crawl when suddenly I noticed two men 

 doing exactly the same thing about fifty yards to 

 my right. It was evident that the mist had 

 deceived me, and I was about a mile off my beat, 

 and so, having apologised to the stalkers, I retreated 

 up the hill and re-ascended Gealcharn. 



Whilst going along the slope I suddenly heard a 

 loud bellow in the mist immediately above me, and 

 at once lay down and awaited developments. As 

 nothing appeared I crawled uphill, and then saw 

 six hinds looking anxiously about. Soon they 

 retreated further into the mist, and I followed them. 

 Then for a moment evolved the stag, a fine beast 

 with a good head. He ran forward, evidently 

 slightly alarmed. I just got a glimpse of his form, 

 and so fired and heard the bullet strike, but half 

 an hour's search in the mist revealed nothing, 

 though I had hopes the animal might be found 

 another day. Arrived at the punchbowl at the 

 top of Alt-an Buidh Ghil I saw there one fine stag, 

 which somehow got a puff of my wind and went 

 straight on uphill into Mar without stopping. The 

 main glen revealed nothing but a few hinds, so I 

 crossed and climbed the hill of Stron-a-Boididh, 

 and kept along the Mar march till I reached my 

 favourite spying-point, the edge of the steep cliff 

 above the flats. The mist now began to lift, and 

 I sat for awhile watching the deer on the Mar fiats 

 below, and the usual herd that dotted the slopes 

 above the Geal na Caillich Buidhe and the green 

 slopes beyond. The steep hill where I sat was 

 seamed with numerous paths and the tracks of 



