246 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CHAP. xxxn. 



" but, the Lord guide us ! look at yon," he continued, fixing his 

 eye on a distant slope, at the same time slowly winding up his 

 line and pouching his trout, of which he had caught a goodly 

 number. " Tak your perspective, Sir, and look there," he 

 added, pointing with jiis chin. I accordingly took my perspec- 

 tive, as he always called my pocket-telescope, and saw a long 

 line of deer winding from amongst the broken granite in single 

 file down towards us. They kept advancing one after the other, 

 and had a most singular appearance as their line followed the 

 undulations of the ground. They came slowly on, to the num- 

 ber of more than sixty (all hinds, not a horn amongst them), 

 till they arrived at a piece of table-land four or five hundred 

 yards from us, when they spread about to feed, occasionally 

 shaking off the rain-drops from their hides, much in the same 

 manner as a dog does on coming out of the water. 



" They are no that canny," said Donald. " Nous verrons" 

 said I. " What 's your wull ?" was his answer ; " I 'm no un- 

 derstanding Latin, though my wife has a cousin who is a placed 

 minister." " Why, Donald, I meant to say that we shall soon 

 see whether they are canny or not : a rifle-ball is a sure remedy 

 for all witchcraft." Certainly there was something rather 

 startling in the way they all suddenly appeared as it were from 

 the bowels of the mountain, and the deliberate, unconcerned 

 manner in which they set to work feeding like so many tame 

 cattle. 



We had but a short distance to stalk. I kept the course 

 of a small stream which led through the middle of the herd ; 

 Donald followed me with my gun. We crept up till we reckoned 

 that we must be within an easy shot, and then, looking most 

 cautiously through the crevices and cuts in the bank, I saw that 

 we were in the very centre of the herd : many of the deer were 

 within twenty or thirty yards, and all feeding quickly and un- 

 conscious of any danger. Amongst the nearest to me was a 

 remarkably large hind, which we had before observed as being 

 the leader and biggest of the herd. I made a sign to Donald 

 that I would shoot her, and left him to take what he liked of 

 the flock after I fired. 



Taking a deliberate and cool aim at her shoulder, I pulled the 

 trigger; but, alas! the wet had got between the cap and nipple- 



