A DAY WITH THE CHIEF. 41 



is extremely dangerous ground. I don't want you to feel any em- 

 barrassment in declining to go with us, because it is a hard enough 

 place for a man with two hands." 



I said; "Can I get a look at what it is like?" 



"Yes," he replied. "Come to the edge here." 



It did look rather nasty. There were rock faces which could only 

 be passed by crevice clinging and working along around shoulders 

 which lay up above falls sufficient in magnitude to guarantee them quite 

 a drop too much. 



I had come to the Highlands without enthusiasm, more to please 

 my friend than for any other reason, but already they had cast a 

 spell upon me. I loved them. They seemed to me familiar, tried 

 and trusty friends. Anything they had to offer, either a successful 

 climb or a slip and a fall that would put a period to further physical 

 activities was theirs to offer and mine to accept. 



I whispered to the Chief, "You can make it, can't you?" He 

 answered "Yes." "All right then," said I : "if you can do it, I can. 

 Go ahead." 



It was a goodish piece of rock and grass work; sometimes feet 

 first, sometimes head on, always with the greatest care to avoid rolling 

 loose stones down which would disturb the deer, but without mishap 

 or accident of any kind we came at the very last to the place from 

 where we were to shoot. 



There was a little cup-like depression in which we lay and rested 

 for a few moments before crawling up to the edge. As we did so 

 the Chief said to the head stalker: "Danny, will the General find 

 many worse places than that in Scotland?" and Danny, shaking his 

 head, said: "Na, I dinna think so." And then the Chief "How many 

 gentlemen, Danny, do you think, of those you know, would attempt 

 a stalk down a face like that?" 



"Weel, I'm thinkin' aboot ha' of 'em wad decline it, Chief," answered 

 the lanky Scotchman. 



When we were all steadied, we crept to the edge and amongst 

 twenty-five or thirty deer, distant about 200 yards, about half of these 

 yards being straight down, my intended victim was pointed out. I 

 was as steady as a rock. I took plenty of time. I picked the lower 

 line of the body of my stag just behind the foreleg. I never had 



