I! KM ARK ABLE PROWESS. 291 



got sight of one of the deer standing at bay in some long 

 heather, in a deep hollow : he appeared to be quite ex- 

 hausted ; and the dog Oscar, one of the most powerful and 

 intrepid of the breed, was lying within a few yards of him 

 apparently done out. As soon, however, as his master 

 shouted his name, the gallant brute sprung at the stag's 

 throat, and a desperate battle ensued, in which the dog 

 was tossed three times in the air before his owner could get 

 quite up ; and was thus severely wounded. 



" When the sportsman, who had only a little herd-boy 

 with him, reached the arena, the stag, without attempting 

 to make off, thrust at them right and left, whirling round 

 and round to defeat every attempt to grapple with him ; 

 the boy had his leg severely lacerated, when the deer- 

 stalker, who is a most muscular and powerful man, dashed 

 in, and seized the animal by the horns. The contest was 

 desperate and doubtful : at length they both came to the 

 ground, when the hunting-knife finished the contest. 



" This same gentleman, whilst shooting sea-fowl, 

 amongst the rocks of Colonsay, perceived a large seal 

 basking on the shore : he drew cautiously towards the 

 spot, and gave him the contents of his fowling-piece, when 

 the seal scuffled over the rocks, in his way to his element. 

 Our enthusiastic sportsman sprung from the boat, and, 

 grappling with the slippery brute just as he had reached 

 the water, plunged headlong with him into the sea, where 

 a singular conflict ensued, sometimes under water and 

 sometimes in view, before the people in the boat could 

 manage to get hold of either of the combatants : at length, 

 however, they succeeded in dragging both the young laird 

 and his fat friend into the boat, to the great merriment and 



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