DONALD TAKES ME FOR THE LAST STALK. 87 



"There's a wee bit chance, sir. Aboot one in a hunner," my cautious 

 stalker answered. "If we go by the loch we may do it, but the time is 

 verra short." 



"Yes," I replied; "I know that. We've only a few minutes to make 

 this stalk, and it's the last stalk I shall have in the Highlands. If 

 there's one chance in a hundred or one in a thousand we'll take it. 

 Let's get on as fast as we can." 



Nothing loath, Donald slipped back off the hill, and then together 

 we ran down the far side of it to the loch-side where, turning to the 

 left, we made on as fast as we could go, sometimes in the water, 

 sometimes out of it, but always hurrying, hurrying, hurrying, one foot 

 after the other as fast as we could put them down, racing with dark- 

 ness ; moving to beat the chariots of the night. 



The loch end gained, we took to the peat hags and the shelters of 

 bracken-clad low hills, and we came at just dark, or perhaps an instant 

 before, to a heather hidden mound where we lay panting while Donald 

 said, "Can you see the two hinds?" I could, because they were upon 

 the sky line and I looked toward the West. There was a little light 

 left but it was very little. Still I could see the two female deer. 



"Do you see the stag, Donald?" I gasped, for I had used about all 

 the breath I had in reaching this point. "Yes, sir," was my man's 

 reply. "Two other hinds and the staug are just this way from the two 

 hinds you see." 



"How far is it, Donald, to the two hinds?" 



"A good three hunner yards, sir." 



"Can we get closer?" 



"There's na chance sir, an' the light'll be gone in a meenit." 



I could not see the stag. He was entirely out of my sight in the 

 semi-darkness of the hillside, but Donald with sharper eyes and the 

 advantage of his telescope could see. Now he asked : "Could ye shoot 

 the staug if he came out on the sky line, sir?" "I could try," I answered. 

 "Weel, ye'll be wantin' to get ready then, because he's like to be coining 

 up any meenit." 



I had sunk my elbows deep into the thick heather of the hill and 

 had not bothered to bring forward my field glass case because the 

 thickly placed shrubs seemed to give support enought for my rifle. 



