34 AUTUMNS IN ARGYLESHIRE 



his horns just before he passes out of sight below 

 the brae. My companion has seen him, and fired 

 a fruitless and melancholy shot at him at a long 

 range ; but never mind, he will have to come 

 back again, and, once I make out his intentions, 

 I know the island sufficiently well to cut him off 

 whatever point he makes for. Vain hope ! to my 

 great surprise I see him in the water again on the 

 west side of the island. I join my companion 

 and we watch him with our glasses. Surely an 

 unwounded beast would not have taken the water 

 at a wholly unknown point without a notion 

 where to make for. It does not, however, take 

 long to convince us, from the pace he is swim- 

 ming, that he is quite unhurt. It is too late to 

 get the boat, although he must be in the water 

 a long time. As the biggest fish are those that 

 get off the hook, so the length of those brow 

 antlers and the span of those horns gradually in- 

 crease as we watch him ploughing his way across 

 the bay. Once or twice we think, or try to think, 

 that he means to turn, in which case he is ours ; 

 but the hope is vain, and at last we see him land 

 and trot up the island in the distance, unscathed 

 and safe ; for, even if there were time, we have no 

 right to pursue him there. Slowly we collect our 

 forces, and join in lamentations over the deer 

 departed not alas ! the " dear deceased," to 

 quote Hood's wonderful pun from the " Epping 

 Hunt." Next we land, and liberate our captive, 



