270 



22nd. — On meeting our men in the morning we found all of them half 

 stupid, and evidently not recovered from an over-night drinking bout. 

 Host very angry with the butler for giving them whisky. It turned out, 

 however, that they had saved up their daily flask " allooance " all through 

 the week, and had determined on a Sunday booze. Took good care this 

 did not happen a second time. Sent for head keeper, and got out at mid- 

 day, and came back with fifty-two brace. 



23rd. — We each went different ways for der-r that had been seen. Host 

 did not get a shot at a stag, but he spied a fox asleep on a rock, and 

 stalked and killed him without ever waking him. I had two stalks, but 

 was not very well taken up on the first occasion, and had a long shot at a 

 running stag half hidden by rocks, and missed. In the second stalk the 

 stag defeated us before there was a chance of a shot. Did not get dinner 

 till the fashionable hour of 10.30. 



24:th, 25th, and 26th. — Three very fine days, and we bagged 168 brace, 

 seven hares, and five teal. 



27th. — A gale by mid-day, and we came in at three o'clock thoroughly 

 wet through. 



28th (Sunday).— Rain and gale. 



29th. — Torrents of rain and gale continues, and we hear that during the 

 night our ponies have bolted for shelter. Keepers sent in pursuit, and the 

 strayed ones were eventually found twelve miles away and safely brought 

 back. 



30th and 31st.— Gale changed from S.W, to North; bitterly cold, with 

 heavy snow showers. Thirty-nine and a half brace and a stag to host's 

 rifle was all we got in these two days. 



September 1. — Host went after deer. I shot fifty-five brace of grouse by 

 myself. Very fine again, and quite hot. During the day we saw an eagle 

 take a grouse, and, having seen it settle, waited for it to take its meal ; 

 then stalked it, but we had marked the place badly, and the bird sailed off 

 a long way out of shot. 



2nd and 3rd, — Both days fine, and we got 118 brace and two teal. 



4th. — The usual Sabbath. We were twenty-four miles from any kirk. 



5th. — A splendid still, clear, hot day. So we attacked the ptarmigan 

 and got twenty-one brace, five and a half of grouse, and forty-six hares — a 

 fine day's sport in splendid weather and magnificent scenery. 



6th. — We spied a large herd of nearly a hundred deer. I was sent in 

 pursuit, and after a very long and wet stalk an old cock grouse rose and put 

 them all into a trot just as I was preparing to shoot. Fortunately they 

 went off bmadside to me and I made a good right and left. Both very fat 

 beasts, one a royal, the other an 8-pointer. Beached home at 10.30, and 

 found host asleep in front of a peat fire. He had bagged forty-seven brace 

 and two teal. 



7th and 8th. — Ninety-five and a half brace. Both days fine. 



9th. — Attacked ptarmigan again ; but had no sooner reached the top of 

 the hill than down came a dense mist, and, after getting five brace of 

 ptarmigan, two brace of grouse, eighteen hares, and three golden plover, v/e 

 were forced to give up. 



*10th. — Sunday. Did a lot of packing up. 



* A slight inaccuracy in the date occurs here, and also in the total of bag, but so it appeare I 

 in D.r.— [Author.] 



