182 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



could be her motive in seeking such a wild and 

 solitary spot ; but though he kept his eye upon her for 

 two good hours, there she still sat without having once 

 moved from her position. In this way hour after hour 

 passed, and there she still sat. It was now afternoon 

 and still she was there. But at length the mystery 

 was solved. Along the bottom of the glen a man 

 appeared, driving a pony before him ; halting as he 

 came just below the woman, he climbed up to her 

 position, and the two then commenced dragging down 

 the hill a large object, which Gillespie's instinct was 

 not long in recognizing as the carcase of a slaughtered 

 deer. It was soon strapped on the back of the pony, 

 and the worthy couple started down the glen with their 

 prize. 



It is a common practice with poachers to leave their 

 booty concealed in some snug spot among the hills, 

 until they have a convenient opportunity for fetching 

 it. It is sometimes cut up, as more easy for conveyance, 

 and stowed away in different places, the concealment 

 being effected with great skill. I remember an instance 

 of this which came under my own observation. I was 

 out among the hills, attended by the foxhunter. As we 

 were passing through a glen, the sides and bottom of 

 which were thickly lined with heather, he suddenly 

 stopped, and, with a half-uttered malison, pointed to 

 the ground at his feet. I looked, but all I could per- 

 ceive wc,s that the heather seemed slightly withered ; 

 but Gillespie stooped down, and pulling up the heather, 

 which he did without any effort, laid bare the head and 

 hide of a deer, which had been left by some poachers. 

 I 'might have passed the spot again and again without 

 detecting anything peculiar, but his experienced eye at 

 once saw that there had been foul play. 



Two or three adventures were related to us, which, as 



