THE DEATH. 33 



all were lost in the " shades below." Walter ran 

 forward to get a shot, hut did not succeed, every head 

 of deer being far down and out of reach before we 

 could gain the bar. And now how much we repented 

 having left our first position ! By impatiently coming 

 forward and exposing ourselves, we had got one shot, 

 it is true ; but we had lost all the others, which might, 

 and in all probability would, have offered themselves ; 

 and, what was still worse, we had driven away the whole 

 herd as they were returning to the corrie, and so 

 destroyed all prospect of sport on the morrow. How- 

 ever, we were quite certain that the stag was severely 

 wounded ; and, having reloaded, we set off down the 

 brae, hoping that we might find him somewhere 

 exhausted and stationary, and, if so, decide his fate by 

 another bullet. We saw traces the whole way of the 

 frantic leaps and mad plunges of the affrighted herd ; 

 and when about half a mile down we both suddenly 

 paused, Walter threw up his cap (which, by-the-by, 

 he found some difficulty in recovering, the wind 

 having carried it over a somewhat rapid burn, with 

 glassy slippery banks), and I gave a most vociferous 

 cheer ; for before us lay the noble stag, " magnificent 

 in death ; " weakened by the loss of blood, blinded by 

 pain and approaching death, till he had become unable 

 to check himself or guide his failing steps, he had 

 fallen over a rock, and, gashing his shoulder with a 

 long deep wound, had sunk upon his head and died 

 with his horns buried in the turf. And at last, single- 

 handed, I had killed my deer. Being without our 

 gillies, it was of course out of the question to carry the 

 stag to the cottage ; so, leaving it as we found it, we 

 set off in high spirits, and with a high wind to our 

 backs, and the elation of success to buoy us up, we 



