ADVENTURES AT FELAAU. 247 



a hare out of a wire, or shooting a pheasant on his perch 

 by night. 



Your Gael, on the contrary, has a fine rough sort of 

 sense of honour about him peculiar enough, to be sure 

 thus, " the man who refused thirty thousand pounds for 

 betraying his prince, was hanged at last for stealing a 

 cow." It was not long since a poacher was taken in the 

 forest of Braemar : having some good points in his cha- 

 racter, the nobleman who rents the ground very gene- 

 rously told him, that if he would promise never to poach 

 again in that district, his gun, which had been taken from 

 him, should be restored, and he himself should be set at 

 liberty. He very coolly replied that he wished to have an 

 hour to consider of the matter; at the expiration of that 

 time he stepped forward and said, " Ye may tak' my gun 

 and me too, for I will no gie the promise." 



Occasionally some superstitious dread will do more to 

 prevent deer-stealing, than the most rigid legal enactments. 

 An instance having such a tendency occurred some years 

 ago in the forest of Atholl. 



There is a shooting-lodge built at Felaar, which, lying 

 between the Atholl and Braemar country, has often 

 afforded a warm night's rest to travellers overtaken by 

 darkness in that bleak and rugged country; when left 

 unoccupied, it has frequently been taken possession of by 

 poachers. Two such characters arrived there, some few 

 years ago, after a pretty successful foray, and finding the 

 door resist their efforts, they broke open the window ; and 

 thus, having gained admittance, they kindled a fire, and 

 began to consider themselves quite at home. Their first 

 object was to prepare their supper; but having no water 



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