38 ALT-NA-AIRGST. 



ourselves at the head of the waterfall, just where the 

 burn issues from Loch-an-reodhadh, we carefully 

 examined every glade where a deer was likely to 

 be, but nothing was visible. The copses themselves, 

 though thoroughly adapted for roe, seemed too dense 

 for the red- deer ; and Donald assured us that, though 

 he had seen many a fine buck in the open glades, he 

 had never found one within the coverts. We thought 

 it best, therefore, to be content with the achievements 

 we had already performed ; and accordingly, having 

 sauntered through the prettiest part of the glen, and 

 moistened our lips with a draught of pure " mountain 

 dew," we proceeded homewards, following, as far as it 

 lay in our road, the course of the burn; for Scotch 

 streams are dainty creatures, generally picking out the 

 prettiest bits of scenery, and Alt-na-airgst (the silver 

 burn) is no exception to the rule. At first our course 

 wound about among birch-trees, meeting over the 

 stream, and spreading some little way up the brae on 

 either side ; interspersed with juniper bushes (the 

 berry of which, by-the-by, I was surprised to find not 

 at all unpalatable) and a thick layer of ferns below, 

 capable of covering any amount of black game, which, 

 by Donald's account, are numerous there ; but, having 

 no dog with us, we only saw one cock, which Walter 

 brought down at full eighty yards. While he was 

 reloading, we were provoked at seeing a roe-buck steal 

 away in alarm at the shot, but at a distance sufficiently 

 great to secure him from our guns. We watched him 

 springing lightly from rock to rock as he mounted the 

 hillside, until he disappeared in a gully; and then, 

 resuming our route, we presently passed beneath the 

 finest craig I ever beheld, a huge mountain mass of 

 rock rising perpendicularly to the height of 1100 feet, 



