THE STALK RESUMED. 71 



Towards afternoon, however, he reasoned with him- 

 self that there could be no serious wrong in taking a 

 quiet walk among the hills without his gun. Possibly 

 he might see the stag and mark him for the next day, 

 when poaching would again, in his estimation, become 

 legitimate. 



This was no sooner thought of than put into execu- 

 tion. Arming himself with a stout stick and his knife, 

 Rob set out on his Sabbath day's journey. Directing 

 his steps towards the fastnesses which the stag was 

 especially supposed to frequent, he mounted the ridge 

 at its lowest end, and, as he slowly ascended to the 

 higher regions of the mountain, he carefully surveyed 

 the hollows lying below. For some time he employed 

 himself in this way, and his sight had begun to ache 

 from the operation, when his attention was arrested by 

 a dark-brown object, very closely resembling a deer, 

 lying in the heather at some distance. He looked again. 

 Surely it must be so; or was his aching sight deceiving 

 him? Again he looked, and now he no longer had a 

 doubt. 



All scruples were in a moment cast to the wind, and, 

 having noted the ground, he determined to make the 

 best approach, and began his descent of the mountain- 

 side by the course of a burn which wound its way 

 through the glen below, and passed within a few yards 

 of the reposing deer, the position of which, as well as 

 its apparent size, almost convinced him that it must 

 be the special object of his search. Matters were so 

 far in his favour; and now he almost regretted his 

 scruples as to bringing his gun. Armed as he was, he 

 could do little against the antlered monarch of the 

 forest ; but, at all events, he was resolved to get as 

 near as possible, and make out whether it really were 

 the wounded animal or not. On he went along the 



