88 AUTUMNS ON THE SPEY. 



vain last season two or three times. On the 

 present occasion the position of the hinds was 

 the cause of his anxiety. Most of them were 

 grazing on the other side of this stag, from which 

 direction alone we could venture to approach them, 

 as the wind was blowing right up the corrie. 

 They might perhaps move lower down in the 

 direction of the river a little later in the day, and 

 as such a chance as this was not likely to occur 

 often, we decided on continuing our course up 

 the main glen for a considerable distance, and 

 after crossing the Fiddich, that we should ascend 

 the opposite hill, climb the ridge overlooking 

 Blackwater forest, and then, turning back, keep 

 the heights a little above us on our left, until by 

 this circuitous route we had arrived opposite the 

 head of the corrie in which the deer were grazing. 

 This would ultimately bring us to leeward of 

 them, and at the same time afford the best chance 

 of getting within shot of the big stag in the event 

 of the hinds and the rest of the herd moving 

 lower down, and that we could succeed in crawling 

 over the bare ridge of the hill and reach the com- 

 mencement of the burn unobserved by them. 



"We had already carried out almost half of this 

 programme ; had crossed the stream a couple of 

 miles higher up, and were toiling through a small 



