HO DAYS OF DEES-STALKING. 



the forest of Gawick; one at least I will give you as a 

 specimen of their character. 



" Murdoch, a noted deer-stalker, went at sunrise into the 

 forest, and, discovering some deer at a distance, he stalked 

 till he came pretty near them, but not quite within shot. 

 On looking over a knoll, he was astonished at seeing a 

 number of little neat women, dressed in green, in the act of 

 milking the hinds. These he knew at once to be fairies ; 

 one of them had a hank of green yarn thrown over her 

 shoulder, and the hind she was milking made a grab at the 

 yarn with her mouth and swallowed it. The irritable little 

 fairy struck the hind with the band with which she had 

 tied its hind legs, saying at the same time, ' May a dart from 

 Murdoch's quiver pierce your side before night;' for the 

 fairies, it seems were well apprised of Murdoch's skill in 

 deer-killing. In the course of the day he killed a hind, 

 and in taking out the entrails he found the identical green 

 hank that he saw the deer swallow in the morning. This 

 hank, it is said, was preserved for a long period as a testi- 

 mony of the occurrence. 



" This was not our deer-stalker's only adventure ; for 

 upon another occasion, in traversing the forest, he got 

 within shot of a hind on the hill called the Doune, and took 

 aim ; but when about to fire, it was transformed into a 

 young woman. He immediately took down his gun, and 

 again it became a deer ; he took aim again, and anon it was 

 a woman ; but on lowering his rifle, it became a deer a 

 second time. At length he fired, and the animal fell in 

 the actual shape of a deer. No sooner had he killed it 

 than he felt overpowered with slee"p ; and having rolled him- 

 self in his plaid, he lay down on the heather : his repose 

 was of short duration, for in a few minutes a loud cry was 

 thundered in his ear, saying, ' Murdoch, Murdoch ! you have 

 this day slain the only maid in Doune/ Upon which Mur- 

 doch started and relinquished his spoil, saying, ' If I have 

 killed her, you may eat her ; ' he then immediately quitted 

 the forest as fast as his legs could carry him. 



" This man was commonly called Munack Mach-Jan, or 

 Murdoch, the son of John ; his real name, however, was 

 Macpherson ; he had a son who took orders, and obtained a 



