FOLLOWING THE WOUNDED. 135 



From the sound of the shot, Gillespie was of 

 opinion that one of the stags was wounded ; but 

 neither of them evinced any signs of distress ; Walter 

 therefore again stepped forward, and delivered his 

 second barrel. The deer, though at first puzzled, now 

 seemed to have discovered in which quarter lay the 

 danger, and without further delay made off; when it was 

 very soon clear that the shots had told, for one of 

 them, dropping behind, was speedily left in the lurch , 

 by his uncommiserating friends. 



It was at this juncture in affairs that I arrived. 

 Walter's two barrels were reloaded ; and, at the 

 imminent peril of our necks, we both scrambled 

 recklessly down the face of the cliff, trusting to the 

 frail support of decaying roots or dry tufts of heather 

 and grass ; until, rather by luck than management, we 

 once more stood on terra firma. Gillespie remained 

 behind, stationed on a high crag, whence he might 

 watch the movements of the deer and signalize to us 

 below. 



At the very instant we sprang forward from the foot 

 of the cliff, the wounded stag disappeared in the burn ; 

 and we hastened forward, hoping to surprise him 

 while still cooling his burning tongue ; but he soon 

 emerged; and, refreshed by his bath, pursued his 

 course up the brae at so brisk a pace as quickly to 

 leave us far behind, and shortly afterwards turning the 

 angle of a plateau of rock, was lost to view. Still 

 however we hastened on, hoping that he would again 

 grow faint from loss of blood, the traces of which we 

 discovered here and there as we followed in his track. 



On looking round for Gillespie, we saw him 

 descending the face of the cliff, with the speed and 

 agility of a cat ; and presently he overtook us, with 



