THE FOX-HUNTER'S LIFE. 123 



" rest to the weary, to the hungry food," his pipe ; 

 until, eventually overcome by the pangs of hunger, one 

 by one the animals are forced to capitulate, and 

 emerging from their retreat, far down in the cleft of 

 some rock, fall victims to his unerring aim. On such 

 occasions he is frequently accompanied by another man, 

 and then the two relieve each other, watching and 

 resting by turns, by which plan the fatigue is very 

 much lessened. Gillespie however assured us that he 

 far preferred having all the fatigue to himself; for that 

 if he took his turn of repose, he could never rest, from 

 his anxiety lest the other party, less interested than 

 himself, should slumber at his post, and so suffer the 

 game to escape. Indeed, he remembered on one 

 occasion having a wild Irishman to assist him, who 

 having slept the greater part of the first two days, then 

 agreed to take his turn at watching ; but scarcely had 

 Gillespie rolled himself in his plaid, when he was 

 aroused by the report of a gun close by, and springing 

 to his feet, saw to his dismay the whole family of foxes 

 scampering across the moor, and his companion gazing 

 after them in mute amazement. The stupid fellow had 

 gone off to quench his thirst at the burn hard by, and 

 the cunning animals seizing the opportunity, had 

 escaped with only a random shot as he returned to his 

 post. " Faith," said Pat, " but they would n't wait for 

 me ; " a remark, however, which brought no consolation 

 to the fox-hunter, who after nearly two days of sleep- 

 less watching found his labour thus provokingly 

 undone, and his reward snatched from his grasp. 



Such is one of the duties of this most necessary 

 appendage to a Highland farm, a duty calculated, as 

 I have said, tb afford him abundance of time for the 

 study of Nature. 



