IN A DEER-FOREST 225 



LXXI 



Blessed for ever blessed, even to the third and 

 fourth generation of quill-drivers be the In a Deer 

 wight who invented the fountain pen ! Forest 

 I suppose every scribe uses one now, just as natur- 

 ally as every sportsman his breechloader. Yet am 

 I assuredly the first to wield one in this particular 

 spot, for I am lying (September 28, 1895) among 

 acres of boulders on the top of Beinn Eibhinn ' the 

 beautiful hill' 3700 feet above the sea-level, in 

 Corrour forest. In spite, however, of the facilities 

 of the fountain pen, I shall have to make a fair copy 

 of this before it goes to the printer, for it is blowing 

 three-quarters of a gale, and is very dark. 



It is passing cold withal, and it may be asked why 

 I choose to write within a wet cloud, seeing that a 

 couple of hundred feet below all is sunshine and 

 soft air. From time to time I get glimpses through 

 the gloom of Strath Ossian, bathed in golden light, 

 with Loch Gulbhainn like a clasp of frosted silver, 

 and Gulbhainn Water winding like a chain to join 

 the distant Spean. Well, I am compelled to lie 

 shivering here for an indefinite time to come, for on 

 either hand are deer; one lot easily to be ap- 

 proached, but containing nothing worth a bullet; 



