MAN V. STAG 331 



they were getting out of sight we saw the stag jump 

 up out of the burn and gallop after them ; but I let drive 

 at him as he was going straight away from me at 200 

 yards, ' Oh !' exclaimed William, ' what did you fire 

 for ?' ' But, man, she's hit !' And sure enough the 

 biggest liuke ever made was made that day, and the 

 mighty one of the forest bit the dust. 



1 have rarely witnessed a m.ore amusing sight than 

 William Sutherland and that stag. The latter was hit 

 just above the hock, or extremity of the haunch, and 

 consequently required another shot to finish it ; but I 

 declined to fire again, as when the first deer galloped 

 off we saw a three-horned stag going away with 

 another Idt of hinds, and I feared lest another shot 

 might spoil what chance there might be of their 

 remaining in the next corrie or the one beyond, and so 

 was anxious to avoid the noise. The beast fought 

 William like a bull, and, stones being scarce, it was a 

 long fight between the two, but at last it was killed by 

 a blow on the forehead with a stick. When it was 

 despatched, William jumped for joy and shook his fist 

 at the stag, saying, ' You brute ! we've got you at last, 

 after ten stalks.' After gralloching it, and having 

 partaken of a ' nip,' we started after the three-horned 

 stag, which proved to be quite a small animal and not 

 worth shooting, and with only a broken horn, which 

 gave it the appearance of being three-horned. The 

 first stag weighed 15 stone 2 lb., with a very pretty 

 little head, which, however, looked a great deal better 

 on the sky-line than elsewhere. The head is in the 

 room with me as I write, and is certainly a well- 

 balanced head, of eight points only, but gone off with 

 asre. 



