32 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING. 



of seventeen stone ; and, in the forest of Ben Hope, of a 

 somewhat larger size. Now, Dutch weight reckons sixteen 

 pounds to the stone, and seventeen ounces and a half to the 

 pound : so that adding the offal, and reducing the whole to 

 imperial weight, a stag of fifteen stone Dutch would be 

 about twenty-five stone imperial as he stands. 



In corroboration of what has been advanced above, as 

 to the starving condition of the Highland deer in severe 

 weather, I shall mention a fact that happened about the 

 end of the last century. 



One Donald M'Kay, a farmer, who lived in a remote glen 

 on the estate of Reay, in Sutherland, received so much injury 

 from the depredations of the forest deer, which made con- 

 tinual inroads upon his crops, invading him from the west 

 and from the north, that he at length marched off to Tongue, 

 the residence of his landlord and chief, to endeavour to 

 procure some redress. Having obtained an audience, Lord 

 Reay, who probably gave little credit to his tale, told him 

 to go back and pound the deer whenever they trespassed 

 in future. Donald did not presume to say aught against 

 his reception, though he was bitterly vexed at having 

 walked forty mortal miles for nothing. 



On his arrival at his little farm, he set his wits to work 

 to devise some plan for making use of the permission which 

 had been conceded to him. Donald was a shrewd fellow ; 

 "but it was not particularly easy to pound the denizens of 

 the mountains. He was pretty secure for the present, as 

 he had built a large barn, and kept his crop on rafters, out 

 of the reach of all depredators ; when the winter came on, 

 he put part of this crop very carefully into one end of his 

 barn, and barred it in with sticks and fir roots, in such a 

 manner that no beast or person could get at it. 



About the end of November a very heavy fall of snow 

 came on, and the ground was wholly covered with it. The 

 second or third night after the storm fell the wind was 

 from the west ; and Donald spread the sheaves on the 

 rafters, the barn door giving eastward : he then threw the 

 door wide open, and tied a long rope of hair to it, the end 

 of which he took in at the only window that w r as behind 

 the dwelling-house. Well did he know that the storm 



