98 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



ptarmigan." I now walked first, and, ducking down into a 

 ravine, came out about sixty yards from our object. Imme- 

 diately it took wing, and my gun was at the same moment 

 discharged, with, I must confess, scarcely an attempt at aim. 

 To my inexpressible delight, the bird dropped. Heedless of 

 spoiling my dogs, I rushed up, and seized my prize. After 

 carefully wrapping its broken wing in tow, to prevent the 

 blood from soiling the feathers, and giving it in charge to my 

 sharp-sighted friend, I proceeded for a fresh search. 



My utmost hope now was to make out the brace, but we 

 toiled to the top of the mountain without seeing another bird. 

 I had sufficient opportunity to admire the care and skill with 

 which my guide scrutinised every likely spot : passing over 

 the hanging cliffs by which we were surrounded with a very 

 superficial glance, he directed his chief attention to the cairns, 

 or heaps of rock and stone scattered jaggedly about. All at 

 once I felt his vice-like grasp upon my shoulder, the other 

 hand pointing to one of these cairns not twenty yards off. I 

 strained my eyes to the utmost, but could see nothing save 

 the dull grey rock. His impatience grew extreme, and vented 

 itself in loud whispers " Shoot him sitting ! " At last I 

 caught sight of the bird, its head and tail carried low, and 

 colour so like the jutting rock that it might well have been 

 taken for one of the points none but a practised eye could 

 possibly have discovered it. With eagerness and trepidation 

 my gun was raised off went the shot, up went the ptar- 

 migan with a hoarse croak a fine cock ! My second barrel 

 followed the example of the first. The bird flew rapidly round 

 the precipice, and with it my last lingering hope ! I saw the 

 difficulty of finding them, and despaired of hitting even when 

 found. So we retraced our steps with my solitary bird, which 

 happily served to stop minute inquiries about the day's sport. 



Some years elapsed before I again visited Ben Voirla, but 

 in that time I had taken a leaf out of my instructor's book, 

 and could also trust myself not to throw a chance away when 



