THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
stag he rose to his feet and roared. It was the object of our desires, 
without doubt. Although it was most unlikely that we should meet with a 
second disaster amongst the rocks by finding unseen deer. It behoved us 
to be more than usually careful when we reached the little precipice if he 
ever should come there, for this was our most dangerous obstacle, in more 
ways than one. The wind, which had been excellent on the previous occa- 
sion, now failed completely when we came to the shaley open ridge which 
we had to cross before entering the hollow. Moreover, the herd of hinds 
split into two lots of about fifty each, were further out into the glen, and 
consequently in perfect view of our advance to the rocks beneath which 
they lay. After its first easy preliminaries I look upon this stalk as one 
of the most “ kittle ” I have ever undertaken. With so many eyes on the 
watch and so many keen noses ready to accept the slightest taint of man, 
the chances of our getting to the rocks was anything but rosy. “ No wind ” 
in Highland carries always means danger to the stalker, because there 
is seldom such a thing in reality. Small invisible vapours are always 
drifting hither and thither in such places, as they are in very large woods. 
You may think there is no wind, but in the final approach the hinds nearly 
always prove to you that you are mistaken. During our long crawl across 
the open we twice saw the lower body of hinds make a short rush as if they 
wished to go and then return and settle again. It was only the presence 
of the upper lot, many of whom were lying peacefully, that kept them 
in their present position. The stalking air was full of that electrical unrest 
we sometimes feel when both man and beast are at high tension. Any- 
thing might happen at any moment, and as things had a habit of going 
wrong when “ the big stag ” was the quarry, the success of the stalk 
still seemed afar off. 
Somehow we got across that long shaley ridge and then down and over 
the hollow and on to the first climb over the high boulders. Having struck 
the rocks a little higher up than on the previous occasion we now found 
ourselves confronted by a new obstacle in the shape of a little gorge, too 
wide to jump over and somewhat difficult to get down and up. By slow 
degrees, and by helping each other, the stalker and I surmounted this 
obstacle, and after crawling round every rock in our final descent to the 
place from which we hoped to view the deer and be within shot. At last 
it was done just as a snowstorm, coming swooping up the glen, struck 
us on the right flank. I peered cautiously round a beetling rock and 
looked down below. 
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