234 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CHAP. xxx. 



his feet follow two or three couple of strong gaunt slow-hounds, 

 a brace of greyhounds, rough, and with a good dash of the 

 lurcher, and a miscellaneous tail of terriers of every degree. 



A short time ago the foxes having made too free with the 

 lambs, the sheep-farmer of the glen summoned the fox-hunter to 

 his assistance, and I joined him witli my rifle. Before daylight, 

 the fox-hunter and myself, with two shepherds, and the usual 

 following of dogs, were on the ground, and drew some small 

 hanging birch-woods near the scene of the latest depredations. 

 "While the whole pack of dogs were amusing themselves with a 

 marten-cat in the wood, we found a fresh fox-track on the river 

 bank below it, and after considering its direction leisurely, the 

 fox-hunter formed his plans. The hounds were coupled up, and 

 left to the charge of the two shepherds, whilst we started with 

 our guns for a steep corrie, where he expected we could com- 

 mand the passes. It was a good hour and half of a jog-trot, 

 which seemed a familiar pace to my companion. We at length 

 turned off the great glen, and proceeded up a small, rapid, rocky 

 burn, tracing it to where it issued through a narrow fissure in 

 the rocks, down which the water ran like a mill-race. Scram- 

 bling up to the head of the ravine, we found ourselves in the 

 corrie, a magnificent amphitheatre of precipitous grey rocks. 

 The fox's favourite earth was known to be far up on the cliff, 

 and as only two passes could easily lead to it, we endeavoured to 

 command them both. My station was high up, on a dizzy enough 

 crag, which commanded one of the passes for a considerable 

 way, and sufficiently screened me from all the lower part of the 

 corrie. Having with some difficulty got to my place, and ar- 

 ranged the best vista I could command whilst keeping myself 

 unseen, I had a few minutes to admire the wild scene below me. 

 It was a narrow corrie, witli a small clear stream twisting and 

 shining through an endless confusion of rugged grey rocks. 



I had not been placed many minutes when a deep bay reached 

 me through the clear morning air. 1 listened with eagerness ; 

 and soon heard the whole pack in full cry, though at a great 

 distance, and apparently not coming quite in our direction. 

 While watching, however, the different entries to the corrie, I 

 saw a fox come leisurely down a steep slope of loose stones, 

 towards where the fox-hunter was concealed. Presently he 



