144 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



had lain down. Cautiously lifting his head, he peered 

 through the heather; but nothing was visible. 

 Concluding, therefore, that the deer was lying in a 

 hollow, we cocked our guns, and rose simultaneously 

 above the bank ; but what was our disappointment, on 

 finding that the game had decamped. There remained 

 indeed in the peat soil before us the impression of his 

 body, but that was all ; nor could we discover further 

 traces. A few steps in one direction brought us to 

 the hard rock, in another to deep heather, neither of 

 which afforded us any clue to his movements. As a 

 last resource, we separated, in the hopes that by 

 wandering in different directions, one or other of us 

 might be so fortunate as to cross his path. But no 

 such luck ; the mystery remained unsolved. 



After roaming for some minutes, anxiously searching 

 each hollow and scanning every brae, we were suddenly 

 summoned by a shrill whistle from our guide. On 

 joining him, we received the agreeable tidings that he 

 had discovered four deer, feeding in very favourable 

 ground ; and though reluctant to abandon the pursuit 

 of the wounded deer, to die of its wounds, as it probably 

 would before morning, we gladly agreed to follow 

 Gillespie's suggestion, and again try our fortune. It 

 was now so dusk, that none but the most experienced 

 eye could detect the game, which could not be much 

 less than hah a mile distant. No time was therefore 

 to be lost ; and putting ourselves completely into the 

 hands of the fox-hunter, we commenced what we knew 

 must be the final stalk of the day. 



Gillespie seemed very confident of success, provided 

 only we would implicitly obey his directions, a stipu- 

 lation to which we were only too willing to accede. 

 Promising therefore to imitate his movements, and not 



