354 THE HILL POACHER, 



reload his rifle 5 so, without a moment's hesitation, he 

 shouldered it, and paced slowly up the glen. As soon 

 as he got a knoll between him and the unceremonious 

 stranger, he loaded as quickly as possible took a long 

 circuit, and came down behind the identical treacherous 

 dike. Quickly showing the same startling apparition of 

 a face and rifle, he commanded his rival instantly to 

 take himself off, but to leave his gun. The man was 

 in the act of " gralloching " * the deer, and at once 



saw there was nothing for it but to obey. kept 



his gun for some time, and often said, had he asked for 

 a bit of the deer as a favour, he would have been wel- 

 come to a side of the venison, as the other was all he 

 needed ; and, indeed, the stranger's assistance in conveying 

 it was of far more consequence at that time than half of 

 the deer. 



The next adventure of this worthy licentiate is a 

 melancholy one. He and a friend, equally partial to a 

 bit of fat venison, had agreed upon a night expedition, 

 for the purpose of stealing a deer. They were rather 

 at a loss for a driver ; so, partly by threats and partly 

 by persuasion, they almost forced a young shepherd to 

 accompany them. Their guns were loaded with " swan 

 post," to make sure work ; and they were each placed 

 under the ridge of the hill, to command the sky line, 

 and thus have the deer between them and the light. 

 The shepherd appeared on the ridge, and, extending both 

 his arms above his head, as a signal that the deer were 



* Cleaning. 



