160 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



visible above the heather about three hundred yards 

 off, discussed her Majesty's Ministers, individually 

 and collectively, we soon disposed of that lot, and 

 then took to the old familiar theme " stag talk," 

 which we stuck to for the remainder of the day. 

 "D'ye mind the ten-pointer in '79, Duncan?" I 

 asked. Duncan laughed. (That gentleman we came 

 on about 9 A.M. on the last day of the season, the 

 10th of October. He had seventeen hinds with him ; 

 and after trying twice, without success, to get near 

 him at ten o'clock and about two I shot him at 

 5 P.M. After missing him right and left, I rammed 

 in another cartridge, and rolled him over stone-dead, 

 just as he was disappearing from view. A very 

 close shave indeed.) About five o'clock things 

 began to look better. Up got the hinds and 

 stretched themselves. "We'll get a chance soon 

 now," said Duncan, as we rose with difficulty, chilled 

 and stiff from our long lie ; but our troubles Averen't 

 over yet. Led by a frolicsome old virgin, they began 

 to move away at a great pace, cantering up the steep 

 ledges of rock, stopping, then cantering on again (I 

 never saw deer undisturbed go so fast), followed re- 

 luctantly by the stags a hundred yards behind, Dun- 

 can and I, dodging in and out among the rocks, 

 and bringing up the rear. They all halted on the 

 sky-line in front of us. Magnificent the big stag 

 looked in such a position ! " We'll find them in the 

 corrie, sir," said Duncan, as they disappeared from 



