XXI STARTING FOR A STALK i95 



This was on a Saturday. On the Monday following, at a 

 very early hour, Donald appeared, and after his morning salute 

 of " It's a fine day, Sir," he added, " There will be some deer 

 about the west shoulder of the hill above Alt-na-cahr. When- 

 ever the wind is in the airt it now is, they feed about the burn 

 there." We agreed to walk across to that part of the ground, 

 and were soon en route. Bran galloped round us, baying 

 joyously, as if he expected we should have good luck. We had 

 not g-^ne half a mile from the house, when we met one of the 

 prettiest girls in the country, tripping along the narrow path, 

 humming a Gaelic air, and looking bright and fresh as the 

 morning, " How are you all at home, Nanny, and how is your 

 father getting on ? does he see any deer on the hill ? " said I ; 

 her father was a shepherd not far from the house, and she was 

 then going down on some errand to my servants. " We are all 

 no' that bad, thank you, Sir, except mother, who still has the 

 trouble on her. Father says that he saw some hinds and a fine 

 stag yesterday as he crossed the hill to the kirk ; they were 

 feeding on the top of Alt-na-cahr, and didna mind him a bit." 



Donald looked at me, with a look full of importance, at this 

 confirmation of his prophecy. " 'Deed, Sir, that's a bonny lass, 

 and as gude as she is bonny. It's just gude luck our meeting 

 her ; if we had met that auld witch, her mother, not a beast 

 would we have seen the day." I have heard of Donald turning 

 home again if he met an old woman when starting on any deer- 

 stalking excursion. The pretty young girl, however, was a 

 good omen in his eyes. We passed through the woods, seeing 

 here and there a roebuck standing gazing at us as we crossed 

 some grassy glade where he was feeding. On the rocks near the 

 top of the woods, Donald took me to look at a trap he had set, 

 and in it we found a beautiful marten cat, which we killed, and 

 hid amongst the stones — another good omen in Donald's eyes. 



On we went, taking a careful survey of the ground here and 

 there. At a loch whose Gaelic name I do not remember, we 

 saw a vast number of wild ducks, and at the farther extremity 

 of it a hind and calf feeding. We waited here for sonie time, 

 and I amused myself with watching the two deer as they fed, 

 unconscious of our neighbourhood, and from time to time drank 

 at the burn which supplied the loch. We then passed over a 

 long dreary tract of brown and broken ground, till we came to 



