MY FIRST ROYAL." 83 



for stalking, went off to his grouse beat. By ten o'clock 

 I also was away with Donald McCallum ; we started as 

 if we were going to walk right from the herd, but 

 after about three miles in that direction we began to 

 turn their flank, and by twelve o'clock found ourselves 

 about a mile from them; the greater part were lying 

 down in a large half circle, the hinds at either end, and 

 all the stags in the centre. Even at that distance our 

 glasses easily showed us there were many very fine 

 heads amongst them ; one especially in every way 

 seemed to tower above all his fellows. From the position 

 they were then in it was impossible to approach nearer 

 till they moved, for there was a large flat between us 

 and them, and the hill they were resting on commanded 

 every inch of it. We pushed on, however, to the edge 

 of this flat, which brought us to within about half a 

 mile ; here we had to halt, and creeping to a heathery 

 knoll, we pulled out the glasses and examined them 

 one by one at our leisure. Soon we made out that the 

 stag we had already noticed as being bigger than all 

 the rest was a most undoubted " royal." I at once 

 impressed on Donald that that was the deer I must 

 shoot at. Never yet had I had a chance at such a one, 

 and have him I must, so would shoot at no other, and 

 intended chancing a shot at him at three hundred 

 yards in preference to firing* at another one at- eighty, 

 however good he might be. We counted more than 

 forty stags, and judged there were double as many 

 hinds truly a splendid sight. In about an hour the 

 hinds began to rise and feed, and in a short time all 

 but two small "staggies" followed their example, and 



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