A HERD FOUND. 33 



border of green turf, and from this border the sides of 

 the corrie rose, in some parts gradually, in others pre- 

 cipitously. To the right was a gradually - sloping 

 ascent leading to a pass, between two rocky summits, 

 called " Bealloch Mohr," or the large pass; to the left, 

 a pass, or deer-track, winding up through places 

 apparently inaccessible, led to " Bealloch Beg," or the 

 little pass. The wind was blowing straight from Beal- 

 loch Mohr into the corrie, so that the deer would be 

 certain to wind us if we waited for them in that pass ; 

 whereas if we waited for them in Bealloch Beg, they 

 would not wind us till they had passed our hiding-place. 

 Rorie, however, was quite certain that the herd were 

 in the constant habit both of entering the corrie at 

 evening and leaving it in the morning by the unfavour- 

 able route Bealloch Mohr, and that if we waited the 

 whole day we should see nothing of them in Bealloch 

 Beg. We were thus thrown into a dilemma, whether 

 on the one hand to risk our being winded by the deer, 

 and to await their retiring by their accustomed route, 

 or to have the wind in our favour, and run, as Rorie 

 assured us, a very great chance of seeing no deer at 

 all. The only other possible course was to stalk them 

 while in the corrie. This, however, we shortly saw to 

 be impracticable; for, as it became lighter, and we 

 gradually began to distinguish moving objects, we 

 discovered several deer feeding about the shores of the 

 loch, but in so exposed a position that we were sure 

 we could never near them unperceived ; and after a 

 time we saw that they were slowly making towards 

 Bealloch Mohr. Donald declared we could do nothing 

 with them to-day. Rorie, the shepherd, was for going 

 at once to the Big pass, in spite of the wind, and there 

 running our chance, in which view Walter and I coin- 

 cided. Numbers, therefore, carried the day, and it 



