A MISMANAGED STALK. 363 



think the little boat was running away with all of 

 us, and gave me, as I kept her well before the wind, 

 a very good idea of what might even have hap- 

 pened to us then, had I permitted her to turn her 

 broadside to the weather. Having reached Stuart's 

 house, we proceeded to wait for a stag who usually 

 in a morning fed out of the wood in that vicinity. 

 However, the stag declined to show himself, and, 

 it having become broad daylight, I returned to 

 the cottage and discussed the viands brought for my 

 breakfast. The wind steadily blowing due east, we 

 then set out to reach the furthest end of the ground 

 allotted for my stalk, and, having reached a place 

 where Stuart usually glassed the ground, we made out 

 a large stag, in company with some hinds, close under 

 Corrie Glass. The size of the stag was scarce de- 

 termined, when, to our dismay, the wind jumped (for 

 it took no time to shift), and blew determinately due 

 west, with an occasional southing in it, which added 

 to our difficulties, and made the entire travel and 

 previous arrangement for the day useless. We con- 

 sulted what we were to do, and, at last, Stuart ruled 

 that the only chance of approaching the stag was to 

 ascend the precipice of the quarry and to get above 

 him, and then try to find out some draft or local 

 current of air that Avould not reveal our presence. 

 We set about this, and here I must blame Stuart's 

 want of caution. In proceeding towards the corrie, 

 he neglected with his glass to clear the ground before 

 us, and, consequently, we ran into several stags and 

 put them off more than one place in which, bad as 

 the wind was, they were accessible. Having ascended 

 the corrie, this happened again, and we again put off 

 a stag that, seen in time, we might have got at. I 



