132 AMID THE HIGH HILLS 
shallow peat hags, and guarded on three sides 
with slightly rising ridges. The distance between 
where the stag was wounded and where we lost 
him was about seven miles. By this time 
the light was failing, so we had to make tracks 
for home. One evening, a few days later, when 
it w^as beginning to get dark, the head stalker 
was out about the larder, and noticing a stag with 
some hinds above the lodge, and putting his 
glass on him, at once knew the stag he had the 
run after a few days before. I was just after 
getting home from the hill, and he ordered me 
to go and shoot him. The rifle I never fired 
before, and the sight although marked for 100 
yards I afterwards found to be a 70 yards 
sight. I got to about 100 yards from the stag, 
but having the evening light, and being among 
juniper bushes, I had to shoot off my hand, 
and missed him. There was no other chance 
that evening, as the light was getting bad. Two 
or three days after, about 10 o'clock in the morn- 
ing, I was going along to the E Bothy, about 
a mile from the lodge, when I saw about twenty 
hinds and a stag amongst them, and after putting 
the glass on him, I knew it was the same stag. I 
at once went back to tell the head stalker, but 
