DEER-STALKING. 37 



other instance happened one rainy evening when looking 

 over his kennel. He saw a man with a grape cleaning 

 out the gutter, and called to know who had desired him to 

 do so. The gutter-cleaner walked slowly towards him, 

 but something having arrested his attention in the mean 

 time, he lost sight of him, and could not make out how he 

 had disappeared ; upon inquiring of the overseer, he said 

 this man was unwell and confined to bed. He shortly 

 afterwards recovered, which was sufficient confirmation to 

 the old forester of the truth of his vision, for in all cases of 

 second-sight, where the object approaches, it is a sure sign 

 of recovery, and when it recedes, of death. Another of 

 his prejudices is the lucky or unlucky ''first foot." Half 

 the people of the country were one or the other with him. 

 There was a canty old carle of a herd whose happy cheer- 

 ful face was enough to banish care from every other brow ; 

 but the old forester had unfortunately met him on the 

 morning of some unlucky day. Now as it happened that 

 this conscientious old herd, whose boast it was " I never 

 did ahint ma maister's back what I wad na do afore his 

 face, " was generally one of the earliest astir, he was 

 oftener the "first foot" than any other body; and as he 

 came crooning some old Gaelic song, with his staff over 

 his shoulder, and gave his blithe salutation, " Goot mornin, 

 goot mornin ; goot sport, goot sport ! " a stranger would 

 wonder at the look of gloom which overshadowed the 

 forester's face, and the scarcely articulate grunt which was 

 his only reply, sometimes followed by the half-muttered 

 exclamation, " Chock that body ! " To shoot a wild-swan 



