A HEAVY STAG ON THE WEST HILL 63 



on to the scene and administered the coup de 

 grace, and a somewhat inglorious victory was ours. 

 He was a 9-pointer with a poor head and only 

 weighed 13 stone 4 pounds, but I am glad we got 

 him, as the stalk was difficult, ditto the shot, and 

 the country was new and very handy for a kill, 

 only about ten minutes from Fraser's house. 



On the 4th of October Susan and I were out 

 on Farley, and stumbled on to two stags on our 

 way to the West Hill, both of which I missed. 

 One was a hurried shot at a stag lying in a 

 sheltered corrie just west of the Black Loch; 

 we came on him suddenly round a corner, and 

 before I could get comfortably into position he 

 got us and jumped up and was off, and I got a 

 running shot, which I missed. The other was a 

 little farther west, and was a one-horned stag 

 that was lying down at the foot of a steep rock 

 overlooking the greens at the foot of the West 

 Hill. He would not get up, and did not offer a 

 very good shot lying, but still I think I ought to 

 have got him, as he stood and gave me time for an 

 easy second shot; but I was over him, I think, as 

 he took very little notice of either shot and disap- 

 peared quite leisurely round the rock at the foot 

 of which he was lying, and when next we sighted 

 him he was half a mile away, making for the North 

 Hill. After lunch we made for the North Hill, 

 but all the deer that were on it went over the march 

 on to Erchless, so at a quarter to 4 I advised 



10 



