THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
of at once bolting he dropped to the ground and lay perfectly still with 
outstretched neck. It was evidently a ruse he had inherited from his 
forest ancestry. Sudden fear and instinct acting together caused him to 
do a thing he would not have done had he had warning of our approach. 
There he lay in the open whilst we walked without concealment right 
past him at one hundred yards, even giving him our direct wind. But 
he did not bolt, but kept moving his neck round in a line with us so that 
we might mistake him for some old stump of withered heath. As soon as 
we were out of sight I have no doubt he rushed away as hard as his legs 
could carry him. Altogether that v/as a strange day’s stalking, full of 
unusual incidents. Just as we were coming in on the nine -point stag 
already mentioned we suddenly saw a ten -pointer coming over the march 
from Strathconan and driving about seventy hinds in front of him. At 
this irritating spectacle the Glennig nine -pointer — a very heavy stag — 
suddenly sprang to his feet and rushed down the hill to give battle to the 
newcomer. The latter, deeming discretion the better part of valour, aban- 
doned his hinds and made off at full speed. The larger stag gradually 
overhauled the ten -pointer and they both dashed into the river at the 
bottom of the glen, making the water fly on all sides. Once on the far 
bank the lighter stag had the best of it when they breasted the hill, for, 
having less weight to carry, he moved more easily; yet the rage and jeal- 
ousy of the heavier beast was so great that he would not give in, but pursued 
his rival on to the crest of the range two miles away, and so out of sight 
into Strathconan. We waited for two hours, but neither of the stags returned 
to their respective harems, which remained in the same place the whole 
afternoon, apparently blissfully unconscious, or at any rate caring little 
for the struggle on their account. 
In the evening we found a stag with three horns — a curious beast indeed 
— and I did not get a shot at him until the light had almost disappeared, 
but somehow the bullet went straight and I killed him. 
Except in the rutting season the sexes generally keep apart in small 
or large companies, the largest herds of adult stags usually being found 
together in the beginning or middle of September just before they begin 
to break up, and again just after the new horns have commenced to grow 
in spring. In all forests, however, there are large stags which seem to live 
more or less isolated lives, and either never associate with others or 
pair with some young stag, whom they treat as a fag or watch dog. These 
cunning old fellows know from experience that the safest place is some 
22 
