206 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Hector, our new Guide. Sighting the Deer. The Approach. Stalk 

 interrupted. Fresh Game afoot. Council of War. Driving the 

 Deer. Ambush and Shot, A Clue. Fresh Deer wounded. 

 Double Chase. Disappointment. Pursuit continued. Death. 

 Stag at Bay. Fallen Nobility. 



SOON after the expedition recorded in the last chapter, 

 information was brought us by a shepherd, whose 

 cottage was situated in a distant part of the ground, 

 but who paid periodical visits to the Laird's house for 

 supplies of oatmeal and sundry other commodities, 

 that a herd of deer containing some very good heads, 

 was daily to be found in some of the higher valleys 

 in his neighbourhood, and accordingly we started at 

 day-break in search of them. We were not attended, 

 as on almost every other occasion, by Gillespie. Every 

 Highlander seems by instinct to know how to stalk a 

 deer, though some may be much more skilful than 

 others, and on the present occasion we had arranged to 

 put ourselves under the guidance of the above-men- 

 tioned shepherd. Hector, of course 'well acquainted 

 with the ground in his own neighbourhood, was withal 

 a very smartly-built and agile-looking individual, and 

 though without the experience of the veteran fox- 

 hunter, he had an eye keen enough to pick up a deer 

 at any ordinary distance. He had recently disposed of 

 his gun by a raffle, open to the whole country round, 

 on the plea that he had no use for it, but it was vaguely 

 hinted that the old weapon was only parted with that 

 a better one might be purchased in its place. At an 

 early hour Alister and myself mounted each of us our 



