REMINISCENCES OF A ROSS-SHIRE FOREST. 161 



view. But no ; when we got there they were nowhere 

 to be seen. We made several short casts to no effect. 



' All is lost but honour," I said to myself. " And 

 the question is, whether that hasn't gone too." 



This story will improve in the telling, I thought, 

 and I began to fear I had immortalised myself in a 

 very undesirable fashion. 



Duncan was fairly puzzled. " They can't have 

 turned and gone down the hill," he said, bringing 

 his glass to bear as a last resource on a little gully 

 half a mile below, to our left rear. 



Closing it almost as soon as it reached his eye, he 

 seized the rifle. " Come on, sir," he said, ' we'll 

 have him yet ! " 



This time, as before, the big stag was the only one 

 of them in sight ; had he gone twenty yards further 

 we could not have seen him. It was a wonderful 

 piece of luck, more especially as it was now nearly 

 six o'clock. 



The sides of this little gully were very steep, 

 almost perpendicular, but I knew we could get close 

 up to him ; and as we went along I made up my 

 mind how I should shoot him. It would be im- 

 possible to get a rest for the rifle, I saw no oppor- 

 tunity for a talk over him this time nothing but a 

 quick shot from the shoulder will serve. Taking the 

 rifle from Duncan when we got near, I saw to the 

 stops, then motioning him to creep forward and 

 ascertain exactly where the stag was, I stood ready 



VOL. v. L 



