126 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



occasionally to be seen, as it crossed the path of the 

 huntsman ; but the silver charm about its neck pur- 

 chased for it a comparative immunity from danger ; 

 the rifle was never directed, nor the deerhound slipt 

 against the former favourite of the castle. But these 

 chance meetings became less and less frequent, until at 

 length they ceased altogether ; and the deer was either 

 not seen or not recognised any longer. 



Some years ago, a stag was killed in the forest of 

 Brahan ; and the flesher in cutting open the skin of the 

 throat, felt his knife strike against some hard substance 

 which would not yield to his blade. An investigation 

 laid bare a silver collar, deeply imbedded in the flesh, 

 and bearing an inscription to the effect that the deer 

 had been reared by the Mackenzies of Brahan upwards 

 of a hundred years before. 



Of the merits of this story I leave others to judge. 

 Naturalists have, I believe, assigned forty years as the 

 ordinary term of a deer's life. This animal, therefore, 

 if the tradition be true, out-nestored Nestor. 



Our next is the narrative of an event in which, 

 judging by the zest with which he related it, I should 

 suspect the narrator himself to have had a share, 

 though to have insinuated my suspicions would have 

 been to beard the lion, and bring the " skene dhu " 

 from its sheath. 



The scene is a natural cavern in the wild side of Ben 

 Fionan, to which has been assigned the title of " the 

 King's Cave," or Uaigh nam Riogh, from a tradi- 

 tionary belief, still prevalent in the neighbourhood, 

 that it served as a place of rest for some Scandinavian 

 prince on his hunting excursions, in an age long since 

 passed away ; a purpose which it has doubtless served 

 on many an occasion of later date, to the benighted 



