240 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS chap. 



seen. It was a commencement of good luck. Sitting down, 

 I speedily skinned my birds, and took them down to the burn 

 to wash them before cooking. In crossing a sandy spot beside 

 the burn, I came upon — could I believe my eyes? — "the 

 Track." Like Robinson Crusoe in the same circumstances, I 

 started back ; but was speedily at work taking my information. 

 There were prints enough to show the hart had crossed at a 

 walk leisurely. It must have been lately, for it was since the 

 burn had returned to its natural size, after the last night's flood. 

 But nothing could be done till morning, so I set about my 

 cooking ; and having after »some time succeeded in lighting a 

 fire, while my grouse were slowly broiling, I pulled a quantity 

 of heather, which I spread in a corner a little protected by an 

 overhanging rock : I spread my plaid upon it, and over the 

 plaid built another layer of heather. My supper ended, which 

 was not epicurean, I crawled into my nest under my plaid, and 

 was soon sound asleep. I cannot say that my slumbers were 

 unbroken. I dreamt of the great stag thundering up the hills 

 with preternatural speed, and of noises like cannon (which I 

 have since learnt to attribute to their true cause — the splitting 

 of fragments of rock under a sudden change from wet to sharp 

 frost), and above all, the constant recurrence of visions of weary 

 struggles through fields of snow and ice kept me restless ; and 

 at length awoke me to the consciousness of a brilliant skylight 

 and keen frost — a change that rejoiced me in spite of the cold. 

 Saturday. — Need I say my first object was to go down and 

 examine the track anew. There was no mistake. It was 

 impossible to doubt that " the muckle hart of Benmore " had 

 actually walked through that burn a few hours before me, and 

 in the same direction. I followed the track, and breasted the 

 opposite hill. Looking round from its summit, it appeared to 

 me a familiar scene, and on considering a moment, I found I 

 Overlooked from a different quarter the very same rocky plain 

 and the two black lochs where I had seen my chase three days 

 before. I had not gazed many minutes when I saw a deer 

 lying on a black hillock which was quite open. I lay down 

 immediately, and with my glass made out at once the object 

 of all my wanderings. My joy was somewhat abated by his 

 position, which was not easily approachable. My first object, 

 however, was to withdraw myself out of his sight, which I did 



