294 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XX. 



all together, and their long ears at full stretch, they 

 at once disappeared from our sight. 



The beaters came closer and closer to us, and in 

 spite of my prognostications no more deer appeared. 

 At last the men issued out of the wood, at the point 

 nearest us ; and one of them came up towards 

 where we were, to call us down. A drizzly shower 

 had commenced, and we had put the gun-covers 

 on our rifles, when suddenly from under a single 

 birch-tree, which was about fifty yards from us, 

 and about the same distance from the beater, rose 

 a magnificent stag, in the finest condition, and with 

 " a head of ten." Before we could get out our 

 rifles he was behind a rise in the ground which 

 concealed him from us until he was too far for 

 a ball to reach him ; and then he again appeared 

 galloping heavily off for the same point at which 

 the hinds had crossed the hill. We were both of 

 us dumb with surprise and vexation ; but not so 

 the Highlander below us, who, in the most frantic 

 state of eagerness and rage, hallooed and vocifer- 

 ated in Gaelic and English, for the stag passed, 

 with broadside on, within forty yards of him. 

 Without moving from our position we watched 

 the animal for some time; then, returning our rifles 

 to their waterproof cases, we, as if by a common 

 impulse, lit the pipe of consolation in the shape of 



