DEER-DRIVING IN MULL. 31 



and yet this big weasel had been caught napping, but for 

 breaking the proverb had nearly paid the forfeit of his life. 



A former tenant of Glenforsa had an eight-barrelled rifle 

 with which he used to astonish the Mull natives by breaking 

 bottles at fabulous distances ; and no doubt he was a crack 

 rifleman at the target. One calm summer day, soon after his 

 taking possession, a woodcutter, in passing through Garrochree 

 wood, spied a pair of antlers peering out above the low whins. 

 Shrewdly suspecting the owner of the horns could not be far 

 off, the man of the axe went to Glenforsa House and apprised 



Mr of his discovery. The eight barrels were soon 



shotted, and the rifleman, guided by the woodman and accom- 

 panied by the farm-grieve (who told me the above particulars), 

 was soon close to the stag's lair. The rifleman was perfectly 

 concealed ; and to increase his chances of success the deer had 

 risen, and, all unconscious of peril, was cropping the rich grass 

 within point-blank range. The eight barrels were levelled : 

 barrel 1, the stag started ; barrel 2, looked about to see where 

 the noise came from ; barrel 3, walked a few paces, and then 

 listened; barrel 4, shook his head and looked towards the 

 enemy; barrel 5, the stag, like a determined duellist, having 

 accepted five shots, thought he had done enough to prove his 

 courage, and resolved never to stand fire again. 



Our men and dogs having been quite done up by severe 

 work, we gave them a day's rest to enable them to do jus- 

 tice to our last deer-hunt of the season. But the wind was 

 " wrong " for our final day. No deer consequently in Knock 

 wood not a track in Torlochan the evening fast closing 

 in, and our only hope the rugged jungle of Garrochree. To 

 humour the wind and command a view of the hunt, we oc- 

 cupied the high passes ; but, after the morning failures, had 

 about as much hope of moving a rhinoceros as a red-deer. 

 I was listlessly looking at the men taking ground ere they 

 threw the dogs into the thicket, when my eye picked up a 

 deer slowly threading a devious course, but evidently making 



