3o6 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS chap. 



legged, was coming over from the cow-byre with a tin pail of 

 fresh and frothing milk. " I hope your honour slept weel ; I'll 

 be taking your breakfast ben the house directly," said pretty 

 Mrs. Young. The two hounds were yawning and stretching 

 themselves in front of the door, and received me with a joyful 

 though rough welcome. Bran putting his front paws on my 

 shoulders, and Oscar almost knocking me down by running 

 and rubbing against my legs. The shepherd's two colley-dogs 

 were standing down at the burn side with their tails between 

 their legs, barking and howling at their unusual four -legged 

 visitors, who occasionally lodked, first at the colleys and then 

 at me, as much as to say, " Shall we punish their impertinence, 

 or not ? " One word of encouragement would have sent the 

 two hounds full chase after the yelping curs. 



Breakfast done, we started to look for the stag. The shep- 

 herd went with us, anxious to see the sport, and we were glad 

 of his assistance in finding the deer, as he was so well acquainted 

 with the animal's haunts. On our way he told us that he had 

 no doubt we should at once find him, but that the dogs would 

 have hard work to kill him, as he was an old cunning fellow, 

 and was supposed to be the same stag who had killed the grey- 

 hound of Rory Beg, the fox-hunter, last year, in a corrie at 

 some distance off. The dog having got after the deer (as Rory 

 said, by accident .'), and being close alongside of him, was killed 

 dead on the spot by a single blow of his antler ; the stag having 

 struck him without stopping, simply turning his head and 

 striking him as he ran alongside. We examined the glen 

 where we had seen the deer, but without success ; no mark of 

 him was to be seen. The shepherd, however, told us to wait 

 till about nine o'clock ; it was nearly that hour now, and he 

 would probably be seen coming in to lie down for the day, on 

 the slope of the hill above the burn. We accordingly lay down 

 quietly in a concealed place, and, as he had predicted, we presently 

 saw the magnificent fellow appear on the top of the hill, where 

 he halted for full ten minutes, looking carefully over the glen 

 in order to see that it was free from any enemy. The morning 

 sun shining on his bright hide made him look of even a lighter 

 and brighter colour than he really was. His horns, though not 

 exactly of first-rate size, loomed large and wide, as seen in clear 

 relief between us and the sky. After standing some time. 



