142 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



covering nothing, he then returned to Walter ; and both 

 of them creeping forward, looked cautiously over the 

 very brink of the cliff. Gillespie was taking his ob- 

 servations with all the care of a " canny Scot," slowly 

 advancing his head, inch by inch, over the edge of the 

 rock, when he became aware of a fine pair of antlers, 

 rising from the base of the cliff immediately beneath 

 his position. Without exposing himself any further, 

 he slowly withdrew, and Walter took his place. 

 Scarcely, however, had the latter caught sight of the 

 tips of the horns below, when an old hind stepped for- 

 ward and snuffed the air suspiciously. She was 

 immediately joined by a second hind and two stags ; 

 and now all four stood together, evidently on the alert 

 and uneasy. 



Walter remained perfectly motionless, lest by the 

 least movement he should discover himself to the wary 

 animals. Presently the hinds began to move off ; and 

 as Gillespie said the stags would speedily follow, there 

 seemed to be nothing for it but to fire ; though there- 

 fore the shot would be a long one, and it is always un- 

 certain work to fire down from higher ground, Walter 

 reluctantly took aim and pulled trigger. 



From the sound of the shot, Gillespie was of opinion 

 that one of the stags was wounded ; but neither of 

 them evinced any signs of distress ; Walter therefore 

 again stepped forward, and delivered his second barrel. 

 The deer, though at first puzzled, now seemed to have 

 discovered in which quarter lay the danger, and 

 without further delay made off ; when it was very soon 

 clear that the shots had told, for one of them, dropping 

 behind, was speedily left in the lurch by his uncom- 

 miserating friends. 



It was at this juncture in affairs that I arrived. 

 Walter's two barrels were reloaded ; and, at the 



