344 NATURAL II J, STORY READER. 



and-twenty hours in the forest." I looked with an eager 

 and longing eye at his gigantic stature, but there was no 

 apparent possibility of approaching even the outward circle 

 of stags. 



2. The herd was scattered over all the ground between 

 the hills, and every little knoll and eminence had its rest- 

 less pickets, and plumps of discomfited stags, which had 

 been beaten by the great hart, and were chafing about, driv- 

 ing oil and prodding the buttocks of all the inferior stags 

 that came in their way, then returning and staring with 

 jealous disgust at the mighty stranger, who gave them no 

 notice, except when one or two more audacious, or less 

 severely beaten, made a few stops before his companions, 

 upon which he immediately charged, drove them before 

 him, and scattered the nearest in every direction. Upon 

 these occasions some hind of greater levity than the rest 

 took the opportunity of extending her pasture, or paying 

 her compliments to her companions, for which she imme- 

 diately received a good prod in the haunch, and was turned 

 back again into the center. 



3. " There is no doing anything there," said I. " 'Deed 

 no," replied MacLellan, shutting up his glass, "we be to 

 go down to the foot of the burn." This was a stream 

 which runs through the middle of the narrow plain and 

 empties itself into the Fidich, about four miles below, at 

 the east end of the forest. Before resolving upon this, how- 

 ever, we made an attempt to cross the little glen to the 

 northwest ; but, after passing round one hill, and nearly 

 to the top of another, we fell in with a small herd of insig- 

 nificant stags, but none among them being worth the dis- 

 turbance of the great herd ; and, being unable to pass them 

 unobserved, we were obliged to adopt the last alternative 

 and descend to the Fidich. In about an hour and a half 

 we performed this retrogration, and, having crossed at the 

 forester's house, ascended the burn till we again approached 



