346 MV FIRST STALK 



derful how the hill-ponies in the Highlands do their 

 work. Even in the softest and most dangerous places 

 I hardly ever knew one of them put a foot wrong, 

 unless some greenhorn had meddled with their mouths ; 

 they cannot possibly pick their way in a mossy pass 

 unless their heads are left alone and they are able to 

 smell the ground in order to avoid a mishap by being 

 bogged, etc. The intelligence of these ponies has ever 

 excited my admiration. 



But to return to our day's sport. We each had a 

 stalker assigned us, mine being: Donald Eraser, one of 

 the finest young fellows I ever saw, and who is still 

 to the fore and able to walk most men uphill, and 

 give them a dressing into the bargain. Our cavalcade 

 consisted of four of us with rifles, nine ponies, keepers, 

 and about a dozen billies. The head stalkers then 

 were John Ross, Donald Eraser, Colin Campbell, and 

 John Mackenzie, men well known, I fancy, to many a 

 man whom they have modestly and good-naturedly 

 initiated into the mysteries of deer-stalking. We rode 

 along the road for about three miles, when a council of 

 war was held, and we were each told off to our beats. 

 1 was told to take the Dany pass ; and so we rode on 

 about five miles further, when we dismounted and left 

 our ponies tethered out of sight. Donald Eraser and 

 I mounted our first hill together ; I went off with a 

 grand flourish, which soon, however, died away, and I 

 was frequently forced to look round and admire the 

 scenery ; and had not Donald considerately waited for 

 me now and again, I am certain I should never have 

 seen him again, or died in the attempt. Moral : ' Never 

 attempt to keep up with these hill-walkers ; their long 

 stride is as deceptive as that of a thoroughbred horse 



