THE LAMENT. 257 



The events of this day may be summed up in the words 

 of Peter Fraser, which I extract from a letter written by 

 him, now lying before me, and which he sent to Dunkeld, 

 for the purpose of communicating this remarkable day's 

 sport. 



" The deer went on to Beinn-a-Weadhounedh,* and before 



we was done with the aforesaid hill, Mr. S had his 



day's sport finished eight fine harts. This was done early 

 in the afternoon ; and he wished to carry on further, but I 

 got him advised to go home to Forest Lodge." [ 



This was my last day in the forest of Atholl. The scene, 

 alas, soon changed, and mourning followed on its rear. In 

 the midst of joy comes sorrow the dark, the inevitable 

 cloud, which had been almost imperceptibly gathering, at 

 length burst over us. The solemn bell of the old Cathedral 

 struck duly, and the sound bore the lament through the 

 hollow woods and glens, and fell heavily upon our hearts ; 

 the waters rolled on, and the pines waved their green heads, 

 but all was void and desolate. That intellectual light, 

 which shone on the vast domain, which, acting on a Roman 

 scale, gave employment and a maintenance to thousands, 

 which spanned the broad waters of the Tay with a magni- 

 ficent bridge, and spread immense forests over wastes 

 heretofore unproductive which was evermore successfully 

 exerted for the happiness of family, friends, and dependants, 

 and the prosperity of the country at large that light 

 that master-mind, was suddenly withdrawn from us, and 

 the kindest heart that ever w^armed human bosom ceased to 

 beat. Sorrow sat brooding in the halls of the great ; and 

 the rough Highlander, as he walked silently in the gloom of 



* The Gaelic appellation for Ben-y-venie. 



t The Duke of Atholl was so liberal in his presents of venison, and his 

 hospitality so great, that no supply I was ever able to afford him could 

 exceed his desires, so that he rejoiced in a day of this description, and 

 would listen to the details with great interest. Some apology would 

 otherwise be necessary for my slaughter on this and other days nearly 

 similar to it. The chief point consists in selecting the best harts, and 

 passingly the inferior ones. This was held to be the test of a good sports- 

 man. In grouse-shooting, except I was enjoined to do otherwise, I always 

 limited my sport to twenty brace a day, though in a good season I think 

 I could have killed four or five times that number; but IJ never had any 

 pleasure in destroying game for which there was no immediate demand. 

 Peter Fraser still acts as deer driver in the forest of Atholl. 



