188 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



conferred by years. The young stags put forth a pair 

 of small horns at the age of two years, at first but a 

 few inches long. The brow antlers are the first branch, 

 an extra point appearing generally every year up to 

 six, and occasionally seven, though some never acquire 

 more than four or five. After a certain age the horns 

 begin to dwindle, and grow shorter every year. But 

 no rules can be of universal application. A full- 

 grown stag is sometimes seen with no branches but 

 the brow-antlers. A head of this kind is called a 

 " cabar slaht," or rod-like antler, and, though not so 

 handsome as a royal head, is still curious and rather 

 rare. 



I have now given you the substance of our High- 

 lander's remarks, so far as I have thought they would 

 prove interesting. The rest of this chapter must be 

 devoted to an account of our own proceedings in the 

 forest. 



Wednesday. A fair, but cloudy and uncertain-look- 

 ing morning. Setting out soon after daybreak, we 

 made straight for the corrie, hoping to find the deer 

 still within its shelter ; but they had risen earlier than 

 ourselves, and as we came up the glen, were just dis- 

 appearing through the Bealloch Mohr. We watched 

 them as they passed the horizon by ones and twos, and 

 then knowing that it was useless to follow, as they were 

 already so far in advance, and would shortly be, beyond 

 the march, we turned our steps in the opposite dir- 

 ection. 



The clouds were resting on the hill-tops, and though 

 we were not yet in a snow-storm, still all around began 

 to assume a threatening aspect. For an hour or more 

 we roamed on without seeing any game, though we 

 came across traces of some which had passed in the 

 night ; and at length, on reaching the crest of a short 



