xxj WATCHING A STAG 197 



showed that he was ready for action at a moment's warning. 

 As nearly as possible at three o'clock they did get up to feed : 

 first the hinds rose and cropped a few mouthfuls of the coarse 

 grass near them ; looking at and waiting for their lord and 

 master, who, however, seemed lazily inclined and would not 

 move ; the young stag fed steadily on towards us. 



Frequently the hinds stopped and turned back to their 

 leader, who remained quite motionless, excepting that now 

 and then he scratched a fly off his flank with his horn or turned 

 his head towards the hill-side when a grouse crowed or a plover 

 whistled. The young stag was feeding quietly within a hundred 

 and fifty yards of us, and we had to lie flat on the ground now 

 and then to escape his observation. The evening air already 

 began to feel chill, when suddenly the object of our pursuit 

 jumped up, stretched himself, and began feeding. Not liking 

 the pasture close to him, he trotted at once down into the flat 

 ground right away from us. Donald uttered a Gaelic oath, and 

 I fear I added an English one. The stag that had been feeding 

 so near us stood still for a minute to watch the others, who were 

 all now several hundred yards away, grazing steadily. I aimed 

 at him, but just as I was about to fire he turned away, leaving 

 nothing but his haunch in view, and went after the rest. 

 Donald applauded me for not shooting at him, but told me 

 that our case was hopeless, and that we had better make our 

 way home and attempt no more, as they were feeding in so 

 open a place that it was impossible to get at them : even Bran 

 yawned and rose, as if he too had given up all hope. " I will 

 have one try, Donald ; so hold the dog." " You need na fash 

 yoursel'. Sir ; they are clean out of all hope and reason." I 

 determined to make an effort before it became dusk ; so leaving 

 Donald, I set off down the burn, looking for some hollow place 

 that might favour my getting up to them, but I could find 

 none : at last it struck me that I might by chance get up 

 within a long shot by keeping a small hillock, which was in 

 the middle of the plain, between me and the deer. The hillock 

 was not two feet high, and all depended on the animals keeping 

 together and not outflanking me. 



On I went, not on my hands and knees, but crawling like a 

 snake, and never rising even to my knee. I could see their 

 hind -quarters as they walked away, feeding, however, most 



