cmap. xxvi.} THE MUCKLE HART OF BENMORE. 207 
to me, when presently I heard her wings brush close over my 
head ; and then she went wheeling round and round above the 
dead bird, and turning her head downwards to make out what 
had happened. At times she stooped so low that I could see the 
sparkle of her eye and hear her low complaining ery. I watched 
the time when she turned up her wing towards me, and fired, 
and dropped her actually on the body of the other. I now 
rushed out. The last bird immediately rose to her feet, and 
stood gazing at me with a reproachful, half-threatening look. 
She would have done battle, but death was busy with her; and, 
as I was loading in haste, she reeled and fell perfectly dead. 
Eager as I had been to do the deed, I could not look on the 
royal birds without a pang. But such regrets were now too late. 
Passing over the shepherd’s rejoicing, and my incredible break- 
fast, I must return to our great adventure. Our line of march 
to-day was over ground so high that we came repeatedly into the 
midst of ptarmigan. On the very summit, Bran had a rencontre 
with an old mountain fox, toothless, yet very fat, whom he made 
to bite the dust. We struck at one place the tracks of the three 
deer, but of the animals themselves we saw nothing. We kept 
exploring corrie after corrie till night fell; and as it was in vain 
to think of returning to the shealing, which yet was the nearest. 
roof, we were content to find a sort of niche in the rock, tolerably 
screened from all winds; and having almost filled it with long 
heather, flower upwards, we wrapped our plaids round us, and 
slept pretty comfortably. 
Thursday.—A dip in the burn below our bivouac renovated 
me. I did not observe that Donald followed my example in 
that; but he joined me in a hearty attack on the viands which 
still remained in our bag; and we started with renewed courage. 
About mid-day we came on a shealing beside a long narrow 
loch, fringed with beautiful weeping-birches, and there we 
found means to cook some grouse which I had shot to supply 
our exhausted larder. The shepherd, who had “no Sassenach,” 
cheered us by his report of “the deer” being lately seen, and 
describing his usual haunts. Donald was plainly getting dis- 
gusted and home-sick. For myself, I looked upon it as my fate 
that I must have that hart; so on we trudged. Repeatedly, 
that afternoon, we came on the fresh tracks of our chace, but 
i 
