44 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



wounded ; and, having reloaded, we set off down the 

 brae, hoping that we might find him somewhere 

 exhausted and stationary, and, if so, decide his fate by 

 another bullet. We saw traces the whole way of the 

 frantic leaps and mad plunges of the affrighted herd ; 

 and when about half a mile down we both suddenly 

 paused, Walter threw up his cap (which, by-the-by, 

 he found some difficulty in recovering, the wind having 

 carried it over a somewhat rapid burn, with glassy 

 slippery banks), and I gave a most vociferous cheer, for 

 before us lay the noble stag, " magnificent in death ; " 

 weakened by the loss of blood, blinded by pain and 

 approaching death, till he had become unable to 

 check himself or guide his failing steps, he had fallen 

 over a rock, and, gashing his shoulder with a long 

 deep wound, had sunk upon his head and died with 

 his horns buried in the turf. And at last, single- 

 handed, I had killed my deer. Being without our 

 gillies, it was of course out of the question to carry the 

 stag to the cottage ; so, leaving it as we found it, we 

 set off in high spirits, and with a high wind to our 

 backs, and the elation of success to buoy us up, we 

 soon climbed the brae, and the rest of the way lying 

 chiefly downhill, an hour and a halfs brisk walking 

 brought us to our quarters for the night. Donald 

 during our absence had caught a dish of beautiful 

 trout from the stream running from Loch an Dhu, 

 which passed near the cottage; and these, with a small 

 steak taken from the deer slain in the morning, proved 

 a most pleasing variety to our repast. After informing 

 them of our success, we arranged that the gillies and 

 the shepherd should set off early the next morning to 

 bring in the slaughtered deer which we had left, and 

 that we should then leave the forest for the present, 

 and shoot our way home to the Laird's, only making a 



