246 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [cuap. xxxiL 
“but, the Lord guide us! look at yon,” he continued, fixing his 
eye on a distant slope, at the same time slowly winding up his 
line and pouching his trout, of which he had caught a goodly 
number. ‘Tak your perspective, Sir, and look there,” he 
added, pointing with his chin. I accordingly took my perspec- 
tive, as he always called my pocket-telescope, and saw a long 
line of deer winding from amongst the broken granite in single 
file down towards us. ‘They kept advancing one after the other, 
and hada most singular appearance as their line followed the 
undulations of the ground. They came slowly on, to the num- 
ber of more than sixty (all hinds, not a horn amongst them), 
till they arrived at a piece of table-land four or five hundred 
yards from us, when they spread about to feed, occasionally 
shaking off the rain-drops from their hides, much in the same 
manner as a dog does on coming out of the water. 
“They are no that canny,” said Donald. ‘“‘ Nous verrons,” 
said J. ‘“ What’s your wull?” was his answer; “I’m no un- 
derstanding Latin, though my wife has a cousin who is a placed 
minister.”” “* Why, Donald, I meant to say that we shall soon 
see whether they are canny or not: a rifle-ball is a sure remedy 
for all witchcraft.” Certainly there was something rather 
startling in the way they all suddenly appeared as it were from 
the bowels of the mountain, and the deliberate, unconcerned 
manner in which they set to work feeding like so many tame 
cattle. 
We had but a short distance to stalk. I kept the course 
of a small stream which led through the middle of the herd; 
Donald followed me with my gun. We crept up till we reckoned 
that we must be within an easy shot, and then, looking most 
cautiously through the crevices and cuts in the bank, I saw that 
we were in the very centre of the herd: many of the deer were 
within twenty or thirty yards, and all feeding quickly and un- 
conscious of any danger. Amongst the nearest to me was a 
remarkably large hind, which we had before observed as being 
the leader and biggest of the herd. I made a sign to Donald 
that I would shoot her, and left him to take what he liked of 
the flock after I fired. 
Taking a deliberate and cool aim at her shoulder, I pulled the 
trigger; but, alas! the wet had got between the cap and nipple 
