EAGLES KILLED BY A BOY. 233 



coming up that the boy (who was only thirteen years old) 

 had got two magnificent eagles, which he held by the necks 

 over his shoulders, and seemed ready to drop from fatigue. 

 " It appeared that young Donald's indignation had been 

 roused by having failed a few days before in his attempts 

 to defend a lamb which was carried off in spite of him ; 

 and many others of his flock had shared the same fate. 

 Meditating mortal revenge, he got possession of his father's 

 gun by stealth ; and marking the eagles to their eyry, in 

 Lachnagan, he hid himself on a rock near the nest, and 

 remained there all night. 



" At break of day the male eagle kept hovering about the 

 nest, and the boy took a deliberate aim, and brought him 

 to the ground. The female soared aloft, and stooped after 

 her mate for some time^ but out of distance from the boy, 

 who, from fear, dared not venture from his hiding-place, as 

 his prey still struggled amongst the stones at some little 

 distance from him ; at length the female eagle flew off, but 

 soon returned with a lamb in her talons for the supply of 

 her young brood. In the meanwhile the determined little 

 rogue had reloaded, and watching his time warily, took 

 another shot, and with such skill and effect that the female 

 fell prostrate and quivering beside her mate ; but the poor 

 lamb was killed. Mr. Skene added that he measured the 

 birds at the time, but has mislaid the note of the measure ; 

 he well remembers, however, Abergeldie's observation, that 

 they were the largest birds he had ever seen ; and most 

 noble animals they certainly were." 



The whole herd of deer were now belling, and going 

 lazily up Cairn-dairg-mor ; and there they stopped, crown- 

 ing the hill, and looming large on the sky line. In such 

 vast numbers had they collected, that you might have 

 fancied yourself with Vaillant in the great hunting-grounds 

 of Africa. 



The hill-man to the west had shifted his position much 

 farther to that quarter ; and the men were so disposed that 

 the deer were kept on the middle hill in a straight line 

 with Blair, with the stalkers in their rear. Thus all pro- 

 mised well hitherto. Tedious it would be to recount the 

 shiftings of the men, which kept the deer in the right 

 16 



