, 30 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CHAP. in. 



Shot, who was licensed to take such liberties, splashed in with 

 great glee, and after being lost to sight for some minutes amongst 

 the high rushes, came back with the mallard in his mouth. " A 

 bad lesson for Carlo that, Master Shot," but he knows better than 

 to follow your example. We now went up the opposite slope 

 leaving Loch A-na-caillach behind us, and killing some grouse, 

 and a mountain hare, with no white about her as yet. We next 

 came to a long stony ridge, with small patches of high heather. 

 A pair of ravens rising from the rocks, soared croaking over us 

 for some time. A pair or two of old grouse were all we killed 

 here. But the view from the summit was splendidly wild as we 

 looked over a long range of grey rocks, beyond which lay a wide 

 and extensive lake, with several small islands in it. The oppo- 

 site shore of the lake was fringed with birch-trees, and in the 

 distance were a line of lofty mountains whose sharp peaks were 

 covered with snow. Human habitation or evidence of the 

 presence of man was there not, and no sound broke the silence 

 of the solitude excepting the croak of the ravens and the 

 occasional whistle of a plover. " Yon is a fine corrie for 

 deer," said Donald, making me start, as he broke my reverie, 

 and pointing out a fine amphitheatre of rocks just below us. 

 Not being on the look-out for deer, however, I did not pay 

 much attention to what he said, but allowed the dogs to range 

 on where they liked. Left to themselves, and not finding 

 much game, they hunted wide, and we had been walking in 

 silence for some time, when on coming round a small rise 

 between us and the dogs, I saw two fine stags standing, who, 

 intent on watching the dogs, did not see us. After standing 

 motionless for a minute, the deer walked deliberately towards us, 

 not observing us until they were within forty yards ; they then 

 suddenly halted, stared at us, snorted, and then went off at a 

 trot, but soon breaking into a gallop, fled rapidly away, but were 

 in sight for a long distance. Shot stood watching the deer for 

 some time, but at last seeing that we took no steps against them, 

 looked at me, and then went on hunting. We killed several 

 more grouse and a brace of teal. Towards the afternoon we 

 struck off to the shepherd's house. In the fringe of a birch that 

 sheltered it, we killed a blackcock and hen, and at last got to the 

 end of our walk with fifteen brace of grouse, five black game, 



