V POACHERS AND KEEPERS cj 



seeing them approach, leaving his wife to provide for the guests. 

 He then, if accused of harbouring and assisting poachers, can 

 say in excuse, " 'Deed, your honour, what could a puir woman 

 do against four or live wild Hieland lads with guns in their 

 hands ? " In fact, the shepherds have a natural fellow-feeling 

 with the poachers, and, both from policy and inclination, give 

 them any assistance they want, or leave their wives and children 

 to do so ; and many a side of red deer or bag of grouse they 

 get for this breach of promise to their masters. In the winter 

 season a poacher calls on the shepherd, and says, " Sandy, lad, 

 if you look up the glen there, you'll see a small cairn of stones 

 newly put up ; just travel twenty paces east from that, and 

 you'll find a bit venison to yoursel' " — some unlucky deer having 

 fallen to the gun of one of the poaching fraternity. This sort 

 of argument, as well as the fear of " getting a bad name," is too 

 strong for the honesty of most of the shepherds, who are errone- 

 ously supposed to watch the game, and to keep off trespassers. 

 The keepers themselves in the Highlands, as long as the 

 poachers do not interfere too much with their master's sport, so 

 as to make it imperative on them to interfere, are rather anxious 

 to avoid a collision with these " Hieland lads." For, although 

 they never ill-use the keepers in the savage manner that English 

 poachers so frequently do, I have known instances of keepers, 

 who (although they were too smart gentlemen to carry their 

 master's game) have been taken prisoners by poachers on the 

 hill, and obliged to accompany them over their master's ground, 

 and carry the game killed on it all day. They have then either 

 been sent home, or, if troublesome, the poachers have tied them 

 hand and foot, and left them on some marked spot of the muir, 

 sending a boy or shepherd to release them some hours afterwards*. 

 Going in large bodies on well-preserved ground, these rrien defy 

 the keepers, and shoot in spite of them. If pursued by a party 

 stronger than themselves, they halt occasionally, and fire bullets 

 either over the heads of their pursuers or into the ground near 

 them, of course taking care not to hurt them. The keepers go 

 home, protesting that they have been fired upon and nearly 

 killed, while the Highlanders pursue their sport. The grand 

 object of the poachers being to keep out of the fangs of the 

 law, they never uselessly run the risk of being identified, 

 and although they frequently have licences, they always avoid 



