112 BE1STULA AND FARLEY, 1920 



for those few seconds' fatal indecision. However, 

 I had the consolation of knowing I had got the 

 one with the best head, though Thow thought 

 the leader was rather the heavier stag. Anyway 

 our prize was a beauty, I think perhaps the best 

 head I have ever got on Farley a beautiful 

 7-pointer with very stout, rough, long horns, and a 

 perfect shape though the spread was not equal 

 to the length; their stoutness and their darkness 

 were their great features. He did not turn out 

 to be as heavy as we thought, as we guessed him 

 over 15 stone and he only turned the beam at 

 14 stone 2 pounds ; still he was the one bright spot 

 of a tragic year, and our hearts were very blithe 

 and gay as we made for the wood, after the 

 gralloch and the customary libations, to see if by 

 chance we could pick up our two friends who had 

 escaped us. However, it was not to be, as though 

 we came on their tracks we failed to find them 

 after a diligent search of two hours, and we never 

 saw them again that day or subsequently; and I 

 should think that probably after a night's rest 

 they returned whence they came, which might 

 have been Erchless, as Thow maintained, or even 

 Struy or Strathconon they had evidently galloped 

 a long way. That was our only joy-day in this sad 

 year of wistful longings and wild regrets. Often 

 during the last few weeks did Finlaj^son's words 

 that day on Benula come back to me. He was 

 pointing me out a corrie which he said was a 



