THE CLUE DISCOVERED. 213 



however lasted but for an instant, when the report of 

 Alister's rifle dispelled all doubts as to the nature of 

 their enemy, and the " caber slaht " rolled over. It 

 was now my turn, and though the deer were holding 

 up the pass at a mad pace, I singled out the royal head 

 and fired. Not however with the same successful 

 result. The ball certainly sounded as if it had gone 

 home in the carcase of some one of the herd, but there 

 was no perceptible difference in the pace of any one of 

 them, arid all were speedily out at the top of the pass 

 and away. 



Perplexed and somewhat annoyed at the failure of 

 what I knew to be a deliberate shot, I descended with 

 Alister, first to admire the fallen 'deer, and then, 

 leaving Hector to disembowel it, we proceeded to the 

 spot at which my shot had been directed, to discover, 

 if possible, whether or where the bullet had struck the 

 ground. No mark was to be found, though our search 

 was continued for several minutes; I now therefore 

 began to hope that the shot had taken effect, and in all 

 probability after the effort of mounting the steep brae 

 before us, the deer if severely wounded would have 

 required rest, and we might yet find him again and 

 secure him. 



Hector, therefore, having now completed his opera- 

 tions, and the stag being laid out under a rock, to which 

 he could direct the gillies on the following day, we re- 

 loaded and started in the track of the herd. Before 

 reaching the head of the pass the shepherd's eye had 

 detected a drop of blood lying, still wet, on a small stone 

 in our path ; this raised our surmises into certainty ; 

 and we now moved forward cautiously, so as not to 

 lose an opportunity if the stag should be lying near. 

 We had just mounted the pass, and were pausing to 

 breathe at its summit, when the deer, a magnificent 



