34 NIGHT QUARTERS. 



soon climbed the brae, and the rest of the wa^y lying 

 chiefly downhill, an hour and a half's brisk walking 

 brought us to our quarters for the night. Donald 

 during our absence had caught a dish of beautiful 

 trout from the stream running from Loch an Dhu, 

 which passed near the cottage ; and these, with a small 

 steak taken from the deer slain in the morning, proved 

 a most pleasing variety to our repast. After informing 

 them of our success, we arranged that the gillies and 

 the shepherd should set off early the next morning, to 

 bring in the slaughtered deer which we had left, and 

 that we should then leave the forest for the present, 

 and shoot our way home to the Laird's, only making a 

 slight detour, to give Walter one more chance of finding 

 a deer in a lone glen which we had not yet disturbed, 

 and to which they occasionally resorted when driven 

 from their more frequented haunts. Having thus 

 settled the proceedings of the morrow, and disposed of 

 our parting tumblers of usquebaugh, we severally sought 

 our pillows. When we again awoke to consciousness, 

 the "rosy-fingered morn" had long ushered in the day ; 

 and a lovely day it was. The sun was rising high in 

 the heavens, not a speck or cloud visible in the whole 

 sky, the swollen burns of the previous day had nearly 

 returned to their ordinary dimensions, presenting a 

 lace-like appearance as they spread their diminished 

 waters over the cliffs, where but yesterday were broad 

 sheets of foam stretching down the mountain- sides 

 wherever a channel could be found. We left the 

 cottage shortly before noon, and, giving the rifle to 

 Donald, betook ourselves across the moors, gun in 

 hand, for Glen-nam-haidh (the heavenly valley), where 

 Donald thought there was a possibility of finding a 

 deer for Walter. On the way we brought down 4^ 



