278 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [CHAP, xxxvi. 



Passing over a long tract of furze and broom, I killed a couple 

 of hares, and drove some partridges off down to windward; but 

 as they flew quite out of the direction in which I meant toslioot, 

 I did not follow them. My pointer stood immediately on getting 

 into an extensive piece of grazing-ground ; his head high up 

 showed me that the birds were at some distance. He drew on 

 for some two or three hundred yards, when two large covies of 

 partridges rose, and, unable to face the wind, drifted back over 

 my head like leaves. Bang, bang and a brace of them fell dead 

 sixty yards behind me, though shot when nearly over my 

 head, and killed at once, I marked down the rest, and got a brace 

 more, when they went straight away, as if determined to make 

 their next resting-place somewhere about Norway. But my line 

 was to windward still, in order to hunt some ground where there 

 was a chance (though a bad one) of a brace or so of grouse. 



Picking up a snipe or two, and a hare, I worked up hill against 

 the wind along a tract of wild heather and pasture-ground. In 

 the midst of this was a small peat-bog, and, when passing it, I 

 flushed a brace of mallards, who, after drifting about and trying 

 to make their way to the sea, turned and alighted in a swampy 

 piece of ground, where there were some small pools. By their 

 manner I was sure that they had some companions where they 

 alighted, so desiring the man who accompanied me to hold the 

 pointer, I tried to stalk unperceived to the spot where they were, 

 allowing my old retriever (who was well accustomed to duck- 

 shooting) to accompany me. I had got to within a hundred 

 yards, when an old mallard, whom I had not seen, rose at my 

 feet out of a pool, and quacked an alarm that made six more rise 

 out of shot of me. I avenged myself, however, on him, bring- 

 ing him down quite dead at a considerable distance. Several 

 pairs of ducks rose at the report, and all went off to the sea. 



I had scarcely commenced hunting again with the pointer, 

 when he stood at something close to his nose, stopping dead short 

 in the midst of his gallop. I walked up, expecting a jacksnipe ; 

 when, out of a small hollow, or rather hole in the heather, rose 

 eight grouse. They flew wild, but I killed one with my first 

 barrel,- and two with the second the wind blowing them up 

 into a heap just as I pulled the trigger : the rest flew over a 

 height not far up, right in the eye of the wind. I knew the 



