362 DRIVING THE SANCTUARY 



getting over the twenty-three miles in no time. The 

 following guests were awaiting our arrival at John 

 Ross's, the head-stalker's house, viz., Lord Lovat, 

 Colonel Alastair and Colonel Henry Eraser of Lovat; 

 Mr. Basil Fitzherbert, of Swinnerton Park ; Major 

 Bashford, 9th Lancers ; and Captain Wade Brown, 

 -Scots Guards, who, with Mr. Winans, his two sons, 

 and myself, made up the ten guns. 



We were soon on our ponies, and away up the hill 

 to our different bothies. Before we separated, and 

 after we had left our ponies, Mr. Winans proposed 

 that we should all draw lots for our passes, except as 

 regards himself, as he wished, foolishly as I thought, 

 to reserve a pass called the Lovat Pass for himself. 

 I knew the wind was wrong for it ; but fearing lest I 

 might give offence, I said nothing. He might have 

 taken the advice of his stalker, I thought ; for he 

 never saw a single beast all day. The rest of us drew 

 lots ; and as luck would have it, Colonel Henry Fraser 

 and I drew about the best two passes on the whole 

 drive. I shall never forget the number of deer we 

 saw that day. What with hinds and calves, some four 

 or five thousand deer must have moved out of the 

 Sanctuary on that, the first time it had been driven for 

 forty years. I can hardly describe what my feelings 

 were, when the first lot of stags came to me, and 

 stopped blown, within twenty yards. One fine stag 

 was so fat and so blown that he stopped in front of my 

 bothy for five minutes, recovering his wind. He was 

 so close, and remained so still, that I could have shot 

 him with a gun ; but I had to consider what harm I 

 might do if I chanced to prevent the deer going, as 

 they were going, straight towards the gun on my right. 



