STAG DISCOVERED. 273 



prudent to scrutinise narrowly with our telescopes the 

 ground before us, particularly those beds of fern, so frequent 

 in these moors, in which the stags, having pastured all night, 

 generally secrete themselves on the approach of day, leaving 

 nothing visible but their light grey heads and horns, which, 

 without the aid of a glass, it is impossible to distinguish. 



Having satisfied ourselves that there were none within 

 our view, the next point to be considered was the direction 

 of the wind, and the nature of the ground through which 

 we were to pass. 



The direction in which we should proceed being agreed 

 upon, Finlay (than whom a better deer-stalker never trod 

 the heath) set out about fifty yards in advance, provided 

 with a telescope ; while the rest of the party followed 

 slowly and silently with the dogs in slips. We had thus 

 proceeded up a rocky glen for some miles, gradually ascend- 

 ing from the sea, when the stalker descried (without the 

 aid of his glass) a stag about a mile off. He immediately 

 prostrated himself on the ground, and in a second the whole 

 party lay flat on the heath ; for even at that great distance 

 we might have been discovered by the deer. Finlay then 

 returned, crawling along the ground, to the spot where we 

 were lying, and directed us to creep back for a short 

 distance until we were out of sight. As yet, the rest of 

 the party had seen nothing of the stag, and although the 

 stalker pointed steadily in the direction in which he was, 

 not one of the party could discover him with the naked 

 eye ; but Buskar, who had hitherto followed quietly, now 

 commenced a low whining noise, and with ears erect, gazed 

 steadily at the spot where the deer was lying. On taking 

 the glass, we were soon satisfied of the correctness of the 

 stalker's vision, for we could distinctly perceive a fine stag 

 lying on the side of the valley to our left, quietly chewing 

 the cud, and looking round in all directions. We immedi- 

 ately retreated, and following our guide, got into the 

 channel of a mountain stream, which (though the stag was 

 in a situation that commanded the greater part of the 

 valley) enabled us, from its depth and windings, to approach 

 towards him until we should be screened by some inter- 

 vening rocks. 



