THE STALK RESUMED. 61 



of his countrymen, had his scruples, almost amounting 

 to superstition, regarding the observance of this day. 

 On six days in the week he could, and constantly did, 

 shoot his deer or other game, in spite of law ; but that 

 same law he could not prevail on himself to break by 

 the open desecration of the Sabbath. Though he 

 would drink whiskey to any extent withindoors, he 

 would not violate the law without. 



The morrow came. The whole morning passed and 

 Rob had not crossed his threshold, though his whole 

 thoughts were engrossed by the unsatisfactory events 

 of yesterday. 



Towards afternoon, however, he reasoned with him- 

 self that there could be no serious wrong in taking a 

 quiet walk among the hills without his gun. Possibly 

 he might see the stag and mark him for the next day, 

 when poaching would again, in his estimation, become 

 legitimate. 



This was no sooner thought of than put into execu- 

 tion. Arming himself with a stout stick and his knife, 

 Rob set oat on his Sabbath day's journey. Directing 

 his steps towards the fastnesses which the stag was 

 especially supposed to frequent, he mounted the ridge 

 at its lowest end, and, as he slowly ascended to the 

 higher regions of the mountain, he carefully surveyed 

 the hollows lying below. For some time he employed 

 himself in this way, and his sight had begun to ache 

 from the operation, when his attention was arrested by 

 a dark-brown object, very closely resembling a deer, 

 lying in the heather at some distance. He looked 

 again. Surely it must be so ; or was his aching sight 

 deceiving him? Again he Jooked, and now he no 

 longer had a doubt. 



All scruples were in a moment cast to the wind, and, 



