172 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING. 



knees, sunk the hill again, and posted themselves on safe 

 ground. They had seen the deer, which were scattered up 

 and down the hill sides, some grazing, others basking in 

 the morning sunbeam, fat and lazy, whilst the jealous hinds 

 were so disposed as to prevent any sudden inroad upon 

 their position. Some of them kept to the wind, and others 

 were continually looking towards those points from which 

 they could not profit by it. 



Jamieson now went back to take a minute inspection of 

 the whole herd. He soon returned with an expression of 

 eager excitement, " There are several good harts," he said, 

 " in the herd on the eastern face of the hill ; but," added 

 he, " there is a small parcel below us, and, as sure as deid, 

 the great Braemar hart is among them there is him and a 

 small hart and five hinds a' thegither, and I'm thinking 

 that he is so high up on the face o' the hill, that he may be 

 pit over, and ye may hae a chance at him at last." 



" Capital news, Thomas, and a glorious thing it will be 

 if it should turn out so, for he is a hart of a thousand ; but 

 are you sure it is the muckle deer after all ? The Braemar 

 hart, who has foiled us twice, has a very sleek body, with 

 high horns, not widely spread, and only eight points. You 

 should know him well are you sure it is him ?" 



" I could pick him out from a' the harts in the forest, 

 and gie evidence against him, for he is a wary beast, and 

 we have had sair work wi' him, he has led us mony a mile !" 

 Dispositions were now made for getting the herd forward 

 into Glen Croinie ; this was easily done, though it took up 

 some time, for it was necessary to place a man towards the 

 east, and another to the north, the sportsmen remaining on 

 the western hill. These men soon arrived at their stations, 

 and came forward at the concerted moment, working well 

 together. So distant were they, that they could scarcely 

 be discerned through the telescope. The herd soon took 

 the alarm, and began to put themselves in motion. They 

 drew closer together, the hinds gazed around them, and the 

 harts, rising up from their lair, tossed up their antlers, and 

 stood erect in their full proportion. As the hill-men ad- 

 vanced slowly and cautiously, the deer closed, and went 

 forward leisurely; they then made a halt on. the face of the 



