XXXIV WATCHING THE DEER 307 



looking like the solitary spirit of the mountain, he Seemed to 

 have made up his mind that all was right and safe, and he 

 walked slowly and deliberately half-way down the hill, and 

 after stopping again to reconnoitre for a short time, he dropped 

 at once down into the heather. I watched him for a few 

 minutes through the glass, as he lay motionless, excepting that 

 now and then he turned his horn down to scratch a fly off his 

 side, or shook his ears when the gnats were particularly trpuble- 

 some about his head. 



We saw that he had taken up too wary and commanding a 

 position to admit of our approaching him with the dogs ; so 

 after some consultation, and, as usual, much opposition from 

 Donald, we adopted my plan of driving him, taking the chance 

 of his leaving the glen at his usual pass, where Malcolm and I 

 were to hold the dogs. The shepherd was to move him ; and 

 Donald was to be placed with his gun in a burn over the hill, to 

 which we judged he would probably run, and go to bay, when 

 pressed by the hounds. Donald, having loaded his gun with an 

 immense charge of slugs in one barrel and a ball in the other, 

 started off. The shepherd took a long circuit to get below the 

 deer, while Malcolm and I took up our post in a capital hiding- 

 place near the line by which the game had enteied the glen. 

 There was not a breath of wind blowing from any direction, 

 everything was as calm as it could possibly be, so that although 

 we had no fear of being scented by the stag, we had to take the 

 extremest care not to make the least noise in going to our place 

 of ambuscade. We held the dogs in our handkerchiefs as the 

 quickest way of slipping them. The stag was easily seen with- 

 out much risk of his observing us, as we looked ..through a crevice 

 in the rocks. 



After waiting an anxious half-hour or more, we saw the deer 

 suddenly spring up, and, after standing at gaze for a moment, 

 trot up the hill, but not exactly in our direction. He came to a 

 flat spot, and then halted again, and looked earnestly down into 

 the glen. The shepherd was now in full view, and the defer 

 having looked at him fixedly for a minute, seemed to recognisfe 

 an old and harmless acquaintance; and then turning, trotted 

 deliberately, at no great pace, straight towards us. We heard 

 every step he took as he trotted up the hard hiU-sidej ; now and 

 then he crossed a sloping piece of loose gravel . whij:h i^ttled.as 



