XXXIV SHOOTING THE DEER 309 



out and blowing like a porpoise. He soon came to bay, and the 

 dogs were glad to get a rest, and lying down in .the water, oppo- 

 site his head, they alternately bayed at him, and rolled in the 

 stream to cool themselves. We came up, and the deer im- 

 mediately broke his bay, and rushing over the dogs, trampled 

 them under foot, and striking Oscar a sharp blow (which luckily 

 only grazed him) with his antler, took down the stream again. 

 We looked round for Donald, and presently saw him crouched 

 on a rock immediately above the stream, and about two hundred 

 yards below us. The dogs recovered quickly, and were again 

 close on the stag. He stopped two or three times for a few 

 moments, turning fiercely on the hounds, and at last came to bay 

 in a determined style, under the very rock where Donald was 

 concealed. The next moment we saw the deer stagger and fall 

 in the water, and immediately heard the report of Donald's gun. 

 Before the stag could recover, both hounds were on him, worry- 

 ing at his throat like bulldogs, and after one or two efforts to 

 rise, the poor animal's head sank into the pool, which was soon 

 red with the blood that bubbled up from his mouth and nostrils. 

 Donald had shot him just behind the heart with his single ball, 

 which had cut the large blood-vessels. 



" Puir brute, puir brute, it's just a sorrow to see him," said 

 Malcolm : and, now that the excitement of the chase was over, 

 I also would have given much to have been able to bring the 

 gallant animal to life again. We got him out of the water, and 

 were soon joined by Willie Young, who sighed more than once, 

 and took a vast pinch of snuff out of Donald's box, half sorry to 

 see his old acquaintance, the white stag, as he called him, lying 

 dead and bloody on the heather. 



As Oscar had got a rather awkward, though not, very deep 

 cut, and Bran seemed rather the worse for his bruises, I left 

 Donald and the shepherd to attend to the removal of the deer, 

 and walked straight for home with Malcolm and the two dogs, 

 which had both of them done their duty so well. 



Of the different runs which I have seen with deer, these two 

 were certainly the best, both as regards our having the game 

 almost constantly in view, and as to our being well up at the 

 conclusion of each chase. 



I certainly have not had much experience in running with 

 greyhounds ; but those who have, speak with raptures of this 



