254 DAYS OF DEEB- STALKING. 



them, that was certain ; but it was necessary to ascertain 

 their precise situation before they were started, and not to 

 lose sight of the points of their horns whilst they were 

 running, otherwise a complete failure might be anticipated. 

 For in such a case they might come out behind the sports- 

 man whilst he was running forward, get his wind, bolt out 

 of the cast, and thus be lost to him for the day ; or they 

 might cross the ground out of distance, or go straight for- 

 ward out of sight. Success, in short, in such case, would 

 depend upon mere accident ; so the proper tact was ob- 

 served ; they kept well behind them, and peeped and 

 crawled for some time, till they discovered a hind. She 

 was lying down in the moss, shaking her head and flapping 

 her ears, as if to keep off the flies. Every now and then 

 she looked up and gazed about her with expanded nostrils, 

 as if to search for some taint in the air. She was evidently 

 the leader of the parcel, and the harts were sure to wait 

 upon her movements. 



Tortoise, Peter Eraser, and Thomas Jamieson now crept 

 back, and went on a little till they got to some ground, 

 under cover of which they were able to proceed in a more 

 comfortable attitude. They then got on cautiously to the 

 south-west, and after some curious windings, and certain 

 dabblings in bogs and water-courses, they laid themselves 

 down prostrate in the heather, through bunches of which 

 they had a glimpse of the cautious sentinel. Jamieson, 

 who prudently lagged behind, was then motioned to give 

 the signal, which was the exhibition of his shirt by the 

 unbuttoning of his waistcoat an object discoverable by 

 the glass at a very considerable distance. 



No sooner had the signal been observed by Maclaren, 

 who it will be recollected was on the opposite mountain, 

 than he rose up and came forward in the direction of the 

 herd ; as he advanced slowly, the hind stood up, and the 

 horns of the stags below her began to appear to the sports- 

 men one after the other, and presented a most tantalising 

 spectacle. These fine fellows were at a very considerable dis- 

 tance, but the rifleman completely commanded their position. 



After a little shifting and advancing on the part of 

 Maclaren, and continued gazing and observation on the 



