KOE-HUOTING. 59 



" They'll no' stop noo till they get as far as the aigle's nest 

 forenent Corrynge," quoth the keeper, while we doggedly de- 

 termined not to let them off while there was daylight. 



This wood, a straggling patch of alder and hazel in the 

 gorge of a rocky corrie where the eagle and raven built, was at 

 the extremity of our shooting beat. There was still another 

 stiff climb to it, so, despatching the keeper and retrievers to 

 follow the course of the burn on the low side of the scrub- 

 wood, my son and I leisurely scaled the mountain for the high 

 passes. We calculated that the keeper would require half an 

 hour before getting to the far end of the wood, and fully an 

 hour must elapse ere he could drive the roes forward to our 

 passes on the near side. These passes were some hundred 

 yards apart, and I was dreamily sauntering to mine when I 

 stumbled on the tracks of our game. In a moment I saw 

 they were shirking the wood, and evidently bent on topping 

 the mountain, most likely with the intention of regaining their 

 former ground. A more cunning manoeuvre could not have 

 been planned, and had it not been for the tell-tale snow, it 

 would have been completely successful. 



Briskly following up the " spoor " to the first fair look-out, 

 I soon detected the three resting at the high corner of the 

 wood, but without having entered it. They were as yet dis- 

 tant, but their still watchfulness, and the equality of the 

 ground, made it impossible to stalk them. To my surprise 

 and pleasure, a low whistle from the adjacent height revealed 

 my son's head peering also at the roes. He had noted my 

 change of course, and at once suspecting the cause, had 

 actually seen our game before I did. There now seemed a 

 fair prospect of success ; for by placing him above on the 

 outer shoulder of the hill, and creeping on them myself from 

 below, the deer would be very likely to cross within reach of 

 the high gun. 



During the whole time these hunting tactics were going on, 

 the roes, with the exception of turning their heads now and 



