32 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



Btood at the end of our hut, that he should call us at 

 the first appearance of dawn ; for the corrie, and 

 indeed every "neuk" and corner in the neighbourhood, 

 having been very much disturbed of late, by the 

 shepherds collecting their sheep, Donald was afraid 

 that the deer would take an early departure from the 

 sheltered ground, and make for the highest fastnesses 

 in the hills. 



Rorie, the shepherd, was true to his word, and 

 roused us from our lowly beds (which, by the bye, we 

 had found as comfortable as the best goose-down) just 

 as the first faint streak of light appeared in the east. 

 It was a chill morning ; and, though we wrapped our 

 plaids closely round us, the wind seemed to pierce us 

 through and through. We loaded our two guns and a 

 rifle with ball five barrels in all and set off, Rorie 

 taking the lead, as being the best acquainted with the 

 ground, direct for the corrie. The pace was fearful ; 

 for to the Highland shepherd, inured as he is from his 

 very infancy to fatigue and hardship, accustomed to 

 climb the steepest hills as you or I, reader, might 

 walk the Strand come too of a hardy race, and him- 

 self naturally strong (for, as a Cumberland man once 

 observed, " t' weak uns all die ") a walk across the 

 hills, at a rate truly inconceivable by those who have 

 not witnessed it, is an almost daily occurrence. 



A most fatiguing march of three-quarters of an hour 

 brought us to the edge of a cliff, from whence we looked 

 down into the corrie (Gaelice, Cohr an Dhu, Anglicd, 

 the black corrie). It was not yet light enough to 

 enable us to distinguish anything beyond the general 

 features of the ground ; so we sat down, wrapped in 

 our plaids, and held a council of war. Beneath us lay 

 Cohr an Dhu, with Loch an Dhu sleeping in its centre. 

 Running round three sides of the loch was a broad 



