ADVENTURES. 183 



being of a somewhat questionable character, Gillespie, 

 either from modesty or policy, attributed to another 

 person, whom he professed himself to have " kenned 

 weel " in former days, though I have little doubt that 

 I might have applied to him the language of Horace, 

 " mutato nomine de te narratur," without being guilty 

 of any very serious departure from the truth. One of 

 these shows a pious fraud commonly resorted to by 

 poachers, in order that, in case they should be caught, 

 and tried before a justice for deer-killing, each may be 

 able to swear conscientiously that, though in the 

 company of his friend, he did not see him perpetrate 

 the offence. A couple go out together, and share be- 

 tween them the sport and the danger in the following 

 manner. When a deer is discovered, one of them, ac- 

 cording to previous agreement, creeps in to have the 

 first shot, while the other averts his head or keeps out 

 of sight, that should the shot prove fatal, he may not 

 be a witness. Should the deer be only wounded, they 

 then change places, and the second takes the task in 

 hand, his friend now in' turn holding aloof and avoiding 

 the sight. 



My authority said he "minded" a pair who once 

 went to commit their foray together. They came upon 

 a herd of deer, and one of them shot at a fine stag, 

 which he wounded [somewhere in the spine, in such a 

 manner, that though, while stationary, the beast was 

 apparently as well and vigorous as ever, yet as soon as 

 it attempted to move off, it proved to be so disabled 

 that it could scarcely drag its limbs over the ground. 

 Having accomplished thus much, the poacher then lay 

 down in the heather, taking care to be out of sight, 

 while his ally approached the wounded animal with 

 the intention of terminating its life. Finding that it 

 was unable to escape, he would not fire at it, but pre- 



