264 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CHAP, xxxiv. 



a few yards, and then, with a great effort joining them again, 

 his greater weight and fat beginning to tell on his wind. Mal- 

 colm danced and shouted with eagerness : for my own part I 

 went along at a quiet trot, in order not to lose sight of the run 

 in case they turned up the hill and got over the height 



Presently the dogs seemed to be in the midst of the deer ; and 

 the next moment we saw the stag coming straight down the hill 

 with tremendous strides, and the dogs ten yards behind him 

 Bran rather the first ; his thinner coat telling in his favour. As 

 for the hinds, they dispersed for a moment, then collected again, 

 and went off up the hill ; being intent on the stag, I saw nothing 

 more of them ; they probably did not halt till they had crossed the 

 the hill and the river too. 



Down came the stag at a pace and with bounds that seemed 

 likely to smash his legs every moment. Luckily for the dogs the 

 ground was (as it had been all along) most favourable. I lost 

 view of all three as they got into the course of a burn, which 

 joined the one we had come up. The dogs were then at his 

 haunches, but unable to get hold. Bran's point of attack was 

 always at the shoulder, or fore-leg, while Oscar had a habit of 

 biting at the hind-leg above the hock, frequently cutting through 

 the flesh and tendons in a most extraordinary manner, and tum- 

 bling the deer over very quickly. He had, however, not yet got 

 a fair chance at his present chace. Once in the burn, I knew 

 that neither dog could do much, excepting to bring the stag to 

 bay. I ran as hard I could towards them, and soon saw the 

 deer rattling down the stream, with stones and water flying about 

 him in all directions. The dogs were still keeping up as well as 

 they could in the narrow and rough path the stag had chosen, 

 and sometimes springing at him, but unable to get a hold. 

 Malcolm and myself were in great dread that they would be in- 

 jured or killed. When within fifty yards of us, both dogs were 

 thrown down, after making an ineffectual attempt at holding the 

 deer, who broke away, and, getting a little a-head of his pursuers, 

 came to bay under a rock in a pool of the burn which reached to 

 his knees. The dogs had recovered themselves almost imme- 

 diately, and, crouching in the water, bayed furiously at the stag, 

 who, with his back to the rock, presented only his armed front to 

 them. Knowing their business well, from having gained expe- 



