34 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



was decided that we should do so ; adopting, however, 

 a suggestion of Donald's, that Rorie should go down 

 into the corrie and show himself, so as to drive the 

 herd, if possible, through our pass. Rorie therefore 

 hurried off in one direction and we in another. A few 

 minutes' climbing brought us to our position, behind a 

 mass of rocks which had fallen from some cliffs above, 

 and lying in the very centre of the pass, from whence 

 we had a view straight down into the corrie. Here, 

 carefully ensconced, we quietly awaited the event. We 

 had not, however, watched long, when we saw Rorie 

 coming towards the corrie, but on the further side of 

 it, directly in the track leading to the other pass, so 

 that the deer must take our pass or face him. In a 

 few moments, Donald said, he would have reached a 

 very narrow rent in the rocks, where he could show 

 himself to the whole herd, and effectually stop their 

 retreating in that direction, except over his body. 

 While, however, Donald was telling this, we suddenly 

 caught sight of the deer collecting together, evidently 

 in alarm, about half a mile below us. " Am thenking 

 they've e'en winded us," said Donald, and a moment's 

 watching assured us that he was not mistaken ; for, 

 quickly forming into a compact mass, they trotted 

 downhill back to the loch, which they speedily skirted, 

 and then made for the narrow rent in the rocks, which 

 they gained shortly before Rorie. We saw them 

 emerge on the other side on an open moor, and then, 

 making a slight detour as they met the shepherd, when 

 not more than fifty yards from the chasm, they rushed 

 pell-mell across the moor, and were soon lost to us, as 

 they made for Bealloch Beg. Such was the provoking 

 conclusion of our first attempt, owing entirely to our 

 yielding to the advice of the shepherd and our own 

 inexperienced ideas. 



