UNEXPECTED SUCCESS. 141 



stone : these they sprang upon, or twisted their ankles 

 between, as it happened ; for such a swinging pace down 

 hill precluded their arresting their steps for a moment. 

 Soon they come to the great declivity, and look anxiously 

 to the opposite steeps of the Banavie. The deer were not 

 going up: they had them below them; but the descent was 

 long, and they might still be baulked. Down down they 

 rush behind a ridge of ground, stooping and peeping just 

 to the north of the spot where the deer had passed. "And 

 now they cannot escape us ; we must have them, for good 

 or for evil." 



The tops of their antlers were just in sight ; and down 

 dropped the men at once, motionless, in the heather. 



The deer now advanced through the burn : Tortoise 

 singled out the best harts, keeping his eye steadily upon 

 them, and marking their precise course; but, as yet, moved 

 not his rifle. They dashed, and splashed, and shifted places 

 in such a manner, that he judged it most prudent to wait 

 till they were ascending the steep. He then had nearly 

 their whole backs presented to his aim. When they were 

 in this position, up at once he sprung, and discharged his 

 three rifles in succession. 



At the first shot, a magnificent hart sunk down upon his 

 hind quarters, staggered, and rolled back lifeless into the 

 burn : the ball of the second rifle passed down through the 

 shoulders of another splendid fellow ; he fell forward, and 

 was instantly dead. The last shot was fired too high, and 

 only cracked against a stag's horn, which stunned him for 

 a moment, but he soon recovered, and went off with the 

 rest as well as ever. 



Nothing could surpass the joy of the party at this almost 

 unhoped-for success : they canvassed the thing over and 

 over again. It was a wonderful distance to come in from ; 

 they never ran so well in all their lives ; in short, they 

 were prodigiously fond of themselves, especially as they 

 had anticipated a blank day. They never chose to consider 

 that the deer (who had not seen them till the last) were 

 going very leisurely. 



" Out now with the whiskey bottle, man, and we will 



