Days of deer-stalking in the Scottish Highlands; including an account of the nature and habits of the red deer, a description of the Scottish forests, and historical notes on the earlier field-sports of Scotland ..

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THE LIBRARY

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THE UNIVERSITY

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PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND

MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

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DAYS OF DEER-STALKING

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GI.ASGOW . THCMAS L/ M0R7G0M.

Days of Deer- Stalking

IF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Including an Account of the Nature and Habits of the Red Deer

a Description of the Scottish Forests, and Historical

Notes on the Earlier Field-Sports of Scotland.

With Highland Legends, Superstitions, Traditions, Folk-Lore, and
Tales of Poachers and Freebooters.

BY

William Scrope, Esq.

Author of "Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing"

ILL US TEA TED BY
SIR EDWIN AND CHARLES LANDSEER

LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS k CO.
GLASGOW: THOMAS D. MORISON

1883

Among the works published in connection with field-sports in Scot-
land, probably none have been more sought after than those two most
interesting books by Mr. Scrope, namely, "Days of Deer- Stalking"
and " Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing," and yet it may be said
that no works in that departments of Uterature have been more
difficult to get. Indeed, their scarcity has been so great as fre-
quently, when inquired for, to cause the remark, that it is almost in
vain to go in^quest of either. Again, when copies do happen to come
into the market, they command such prices as to startle persons of
moderate ideas, notwithstanding the very high interest and intrinsic
value attaching to them. Such considerations have suggested the
repubhcation of the first named book. Since its original issue some
changes have taken place with regard to minor matters, but the great
scope of the work is as interesting and fascinating as ever. The
points of interest are exceedingly varied in character, and meet the
tastes of a wide circle. Whether one's bent leads in the direction of
field-sports, natural history, topography, antiquities, or historical
lore in connection with the Highlands in general, the reader, more
especially if he be interested in Scottish incident, will find a charm
and a source of interesting information in the volume not surpassed
in such respects by any work of the kind.

m31 5^451

PEE F A C E

" Shall a poaching, hunting, hawking 'squire presume to
trespass on the fields of literature ?" These words, or
others of similar import, I remember to have encountered
in one of our most distinguished reviews. They ring still
in my ears, and fill me with apprehension as it is ; but
they would alarm me much more if I had attempted to
put my foot within the sacred enclosures alluded to. These
are too full of spring traps for my ambition, and I see
" this is to give notice " written in very legible characters,
and take warning accordingly.

Literature ? — Heaven help us ! — far from it ; I have no
such presumption ; I have merely attempted to describe a
very interesting pursuit as nearly as possible in the style
and spirit in which I have always seen it carried on. Ten
years' successful practice in the forest of AthoU have
enabled me to enter into all the details that are connected
with deer-stalking. That it is a chase which throws all
our other field-sports far in the back-ground, and, indeed
makes them appear wholly insignificant, no one who has

PBEFACE.

been initiated in it will attempt to deny. The beautiful
motions of the deer, his picturesque and noble appearance,
his sagacity, and the skilful generalship which can alone
ensure success in the pursuit of him, keep the mind in a
constant state of pleasurable excitement.

Those arts which are the most successful for killing the
stag will apply to almost all other wild quadrupeds of the
nobler sort ; and a correct acquaintance with them might
possibly be the means of saving many an adventurer's life,
whose actual sustenance, and that of his companions,
depended on his skill in hunting. In exploring unknown
regions for the advancement of science, or cast, as men may
be, on a desolate shore, how necessary, how^ indispensable,
is a knowledge of the huntsman's craft for the actual
preservation of existence ! And yet, in such travels as I
have read, I have never seen this craft fully explained, the
adventurer having been under the guidance of the natives,
and for the most part a novice in the business.

In my narrative of deer-stalking I have not, except in
one instance, noted my best success — far from it. My
aim has been to confine myself to such events as I thought
best calculated to illustrate a diversion, which all sports-
men, who have the means in their power, are now pursuing
with unabating ardour.

PBEFAGE. 9

I have thouMit it desirable to describe the motions of the
red deer under every variety of pursuit and danger to
them ; to set forth their great sagacity and self-possession ;
their courage and noble bearing ; the bay ; the method in
which they are prepared for being taken home ; and many
particulars relating to their natural history and habits.

I have attempted also to illustrate all the essential points
that occur in stalking deer, both in slow and quick time,
and to describe all the various turns and accidents of the
chase drawn from actual experience. This, I thought,
could be best done by the recital of moderate sport, since a
lonor catalogue of deer, killed in succession on the same
day, unaccompanied by some striking or unusual incident,
would only be a tedious repetition of events similar to
each other. In practice, however, I did my best, as fine
venison was always in request. If my success was occa-
sionally very considerable, it must be recollected that the
deer were numerous, and that I was assisted by clever
scouts. The being my own stalker, also, was an advantage
that long practice enabled me to profit from : no one,
I think, can make the best of events when his move-
ments are controlled by others, and are a mystery to
himself.

To the courtesy of the noblemen and gentlemen, pro-

10 PEE FACE.

prietors of the various magnificent deer forests in Scotland,
I am indebted for the short descriptions I have given of
them, and they are inserted nearly as I received them,
with a due and lasting sense of the honour and obligation
that has been conferred upon me ; the account of the forest
of Atholl alone has been put together wholly by myself ;
with that I am pretty conversant, but not with the others.
Whilst I am on. this subject, I cannot avoid expressing a
regret that the communications sent to me have not done
sufficient justice to the scenery they treat of, which in its
wild effect, and peculiar determination of character, is
admirably suited to the disposition and pursuits of its
brave and romantic inhabitants.

It will be seen how much I am indebted to Mr. Macneill,
of Colonsay, for his very interesting account of the original
Scotch greyhound, and for his picturesque description of
the novel amusement of deer-coursing. I am myself
unacquainted with the distinguishing characteristics of the
ancient Scotch and Irish greyhound; but there are still
many magnificent dogs in the possession of Scotch gentle-
men and chiefs, however they may be descended; and a
late celebrated sale will prove how highly some of the
present breed are esteemed by the public.

I have to boast of two poetical contributions, from the

PREFACE. 11

Hon. Henry T. Liddell, which appear to me to be exquisitely
beautiful. Mr. D'Israeli likewise has ornamented my pages
with some beautiful lines, paraphrased from a translation
from the Gaelic, most obligingly sent to me by the Marquis
of Breadalbane.

To my accomplished friend Mr. Skene, of Rubislaw, 1 am
under very great obligations, not only for some valuable
communications from himself, but also for other intelligence
which I have obtained by his means, and through his
influence.

The Duchess Countess of Sutherland has condescendingly
procured for me a full account of her magnificent possessions
in the North, which has been most ably put together by
Mr. Taylor, to whose skill and diligence I am greatly
indebted. I wish my limits had permitted me to publish
the whole of his interesting document ; but I have inserted
the most essential parts of it, in detached places, where I
thought they would be most effective, and I beg to offer
my best thanks for them.

A word or two I should add about the languaoje I have
put into the mouths of the hillmen. It is neither the
Highland nor Lowland dialect, but such, I believe, as is
spoken in Perthshire. The English, which the natives of

12 PEE FACE.

this country have, is daily improving by their intercourse
with sportsmen and their followers from the South, and
they now intermix their sentences with many words spoken
as correctly as they are in any part of England.

The superstitions and traditions which form some portion
of the following pages, being current in the country, have
probably found their way into other publications ; of this
I know nothing — it may or may not be so — I can only
say that I had them from the best authorities, and from
the fountain-head. It has come, however, to my know-
ledge, since I have sent these pages to the press, that the
trial of Duncan Terig has been mentioned in Sir W. Scott's
Demonology. Had I known this before, I should not
perhaps have dwelt so long upon the story, interesting
as it is.

As to the graphic illustrations of the sport, I am happy
to say that I have had the benefit of the talents of two
most eminent gentlemen of the same family; the fron-
tispiece and vignette are from the celebrated hand of
Edwin Landseer. The figures and animals in the litho-
graphs are, with one exception only, drawn by Charles
Landseer, author of " The Parting Benediction," and other
well-known splendid works. The exception is the plate
which represents the " Looking for a Wounded Deer," for

PEE FACE. 13

the whole of which, as well as for the landscape part, in
every subject introduced, the author alone is responsible.
They are not correct views, but only general recollections
of the forest scenery. None of the figures are intended
for portraits.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Descriptive character of the red deer — Royal harts — Shedding and page
renewal of the horns — Weight of deer — Donald MacKay's
deer-trap — Rutting season — Combats of stags — Deer stalked
while fighting — Calving of hinds — Shyness and defensive
instincts of deer — The hay — Traditional longevity — Red deer
venison — Sir Walter Scott's Letter — Singular instance of a
stag's ferocity — Deer-drive in Atholl in 1563 — Hunting the
stag — Deer-stalking, . 25

CHAPTER II.

Start from Blair Castle — Bruar Lodge — A comrade- joins — Ascent
of Ben Dairg — Ptarmigans — Forest scenery — Spirit-stirring
interest — A hart discovered — Manoeuvring — Wading a burn
— Getting a quiet shot — Dogs slipped — The bay in a moun-
tain cataract — Dogs in peril — Death and gralloching of the
deer — Cruel death of a deer-hound — Origin and antiseptic
property of peat bogs — Ascent of Ben-y-venie — A herd dis-
covered— Plan and manoeuvring — Alarm and movements of
the deer — An injudicious shot — A successful one — A deer-
hound slipped — Bay — Strange adventure — A wild huntsman
Encounter with a bear — Loss of a huge salmon — Tiie Gown-
cromb of Badenoch and his story, 53

CHAPTER III.

Forests of Badenoch, their rights and divisions — Legend of Prince
Charles — Cluny Macpherson — Adventure with a wolf — Mac-
pherson of Braekally — Children lost on a moor — Sportsmen
benighted — Witchcraft — Uncomfortable position — Fraser's
cairn — Boundaries of Gawick — Fate of Walter Gumming —
Wrath of a fairy — Destructive avalanche — Convivial resolu-
tion— Arrival at Bruar Lodge during the night-storm, . 99

CHAPTER IV.

Necessary qualifications for a deer-stalker — Curious attitudes re-
quired— Sleep almost superfluous — Advantages of baldness —
Self-possession indispensable — Abstinence from drinking,
and restrictions in food — Gormandiser's x^a^stime — Royal

16 CONTENTS.

diversion — Sportsman's pliilosoplay — George Ritchie the page
fiddler — Crafty movements — Currents of air — Passing diffi-
cult ground — Range of the rifle — Firing at the target —
Tempestuous winds — A tyro's distress — Overwhelming
kindness — Of speed and wind — John Selwyn — Wilson the
historian — Glengary, 112

CHAPTER V.

A Scotch mist — Visions of auld lang syne — Retrospect — The mist
clears — How to carry the spare rifles — Storm in the moun-
tains— Sportsmen struck by a thunderbolt — "Willie Robert-
son's lament — Macintyre's death — Deer seen on the move —
Vamped up courage — Making a dash — Unexpected success —
Dogs fighting, 130

CHAPTER VI.

The forest of AthoU — Probable number of deer, and their size —
Cumyn's cairn — Highland vengeance — Fatal accident —
Principal glens — Glen Tilt — Marble quarries — Roe deer —
Lakes and lodges — Merry foresters — Forest song — Cuirn-
Marnick — Last execution at Blair — Arrest of a murderer —
Royal feasting and hunting — Palace in the forest, and
Highland cheer — Burning of the palace — Kilmavonaig beer
— Cumming's death — Belief in witchcraft — M. G. Lewis's
legendary tale of the Witch of Ben-y-gloe, .... 142

CHAPTER VII.

Deer drive to Glen Tilt — Anticipated sport — The deer- stalker's
rhymes — The start from Bruar Lodge — Combat of stags —
Cautious exploring — Stalking the great Braemar hart — The
shot and bay — Preparation for driving the deer — Dalnacardoc
chamois — A French sportsman — The ambuscade, skirmish,
and slaughter — Shot at the black deer — The party assembled
The last hart brought to bay — The bay broken — The death-
shot— A carpet knight — Condoling with a victim — TheCount's
adventure — Chase and capture of a poacher — A quiet shot —
Granting a favour — Termination of the day's sport, . . 166

CHAPTER VIII.

Forest contracts — Wandering poachers — English vagabonds —
Adventure at Felaar — Highland vampire — Peter Breck's
backsliding — Trap baited with whiskey — The Gaig pet stolen
— Poacher's adventure — Desolate stituation — A Highland
witch — Chisholm's cave — Freebooter's life — John More —
Sutherland monster — A priest in jeopardy — Highland Robin
Hood — Our-na-kelig — The widow's hospitality — Rival

CONTENTS. 17

poachers in AthoU — Adventure in Glen Tilt — Eob Doun — page
Curious trial for murder — A polyglot ghost — Ghost no
lawyer, 191

CHAPTEK IX.

Broad awake — Arrangements for the day — A ticklish point —
Serpentine movements — Disappointment — White kid gloves
— Contest of skill — Escape of the deer — Good sport — Close
combat — A ride on a stag — Kemarkable prowess — Contest
with a phoca — The drive begins — Shots and untoward acci-
dent— Corrie's sagacity and night watch — The coup d'essai —
Past deeds — Eagles killed by a boy — Driving the herd —
Legend of Eraser's cau-n — The Lord of Lovat's Raid — Strong
taint of deer — Nervous excitement — Ambuscade at the wood
— Noble sport — The old Blair pony — Return to the castle, . 215

CHAPTER X.

Original Scotch greyhound — Fingal and his retinue — Bran and
Phorp — Their death — The lurcher — Glengarry's dogs — Of
blooding deer-hounds — Four-footed Hannibal — Sir Wilham
St. Clair's dogs, 241

CHAPTER XL

Occupation of Forest Lodge — Autumnal blasts — Sullen fuel —
The sport begins — Deer-stalker distressed — A sharp walk —
Lying in ambush — The fatal spot reached — Herd in jeopardy
— Peter Fraser's humanity — His penmanship — The lament
—The moors, 249

CHAPTER XII.

Dogs of ancient Britain — Irish dogs sent to Rome — Early Scot-
tish dogs — Sculptured stones at Meigle — the Miol-chu — The
mastiff and greyhound — Recreation of Queen Elizabeth —
Dogs of Epirus — Irish wolf-dog — Proportions of a deer-hound
— Failure of crosses in breeding — Deer dogs of Colonsay,
and dimensions of Buskar — Expedition from Colonsay —
Cavern scene — Wild scenery in Jura — Stag discovered —
Stalking him — The start and course — His death — Speed and
bottom of deer-hounds — Decay of the ancient race, . . 260

FORESTS OF SCOTLAND.

The Sutherland Forests. — Dirrie-Chatt and its boundaries —
Forest of Dirrie-more, its character and limits — Number of
deer — Deer dykes — Wolves in Sutherland — Death of the last
wolf — Traditions of Fingal — Slaughter of a wild boar —
Dermid and Grana — Angus BaiUie — The humble garron, . 279

18 CONTENTS,

Forests and Deer-hamits in Boss-shire. — Gairlocli — Balnagown page
Forest — Easter Ross, Calrossie, and Coigach — Isles of Harris
and Lewis, 290

Account of Coul. — Uncouth fire-arms, 293

Forest of Apjplecross. — The Laird's sport, 295

Forest of Glengarry, — Sagacity of a blood-hound — Wild work, . 297

The Duke of Gordon's Deer Forests. — Glenfeshie — Gawick —

Glenfiddich — Glenmore, etc., 298

Forest of Invercauld, formerly royal — Weight of deer, etc., . 300

Forest of Marr. — Wild boar and rein-deer — Battue of the olden

time, 304

Forest of Corrichibah. — Number and condition of deer — Mode
of killing them — Translations from the GaeUc poetry of
Duncan Macintyre — Spring in Bendouran — Lament for the
deUoimist, 307

Forest of Glenartney. — Boundaries — Weight of deer, etc., . 312

The Forest of Jura. — Description of Tarbet — Deer crossing to

Islay, etc., 313

The Isle of Skye and North Uish. — Number of deer — Method of

killing them, etc., 316

Loch Etive and Dalness. — Tradition concerning a white hind —

adventure and disastrous death of a poacher, etc., . . 316

APPENDIX.
Highest Hills in the Forest of AthoU, 318

Evidence relating to the Trial of Duncan Terig, alias Oierk, and
Alexander Bain Macdonald, for the Murder of Sergeant
Davies, 320

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. Frontispiece— Fighting Harts— A Forest Joust. By |

Edwin Landseer, ....

2. Title-Vignette— Group of Dogs — Buscar, a Highland

Deer-hound, of the original breed, belonging to ^^ ,

I precede

Mr. MacNeill: a Fox-hound, Blood-hound, and ^^^ printed

' Title.

Greyhound — from crosses of which the modern
Deer - hound is obtained — and a Tender. By
Edwin Landseer,

3. Getting a Quiet Shot, To face page 66

4. Deer at bay in a Torrent, .... „ 70

5. Looking for a Wounded Deer, ... „ 90

6. Left behind in a Dubious Position, . . „ 126

7. Lifting the Deer out of a Bum, ... ,, 142

8. The Witch of Ben-y-gloe, .... „ 162

9. East from Blair Castle, „ 166

10. Coming in for a Shot, . . ^ . . . „ 174

11. Shots from Caim-cherie, .... „ 224

12. Preparing the Deer for being left on the Moor, „ 256

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here ;

My heart's in the Highlands a hunting the deer ;
A chasing the wild deer, and following the roe,

My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go."

— Old Song,

DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE NATURE AND HABITS OF THE RED DEER.

Descriptive character of the red deer. — Royal harts.— Shedding and renewal of the horns.
—Weight of deer.— Donald M'Kay's deer-trap.— Rutting season.— Combats of stags,
— Deer stalked while fighting. — Calving of hinds. — Shyness and defensive instincts of
deer.— The bay.— Traditional longevity. —Red deer venison.— Sir W. Scott's letter. —
Singular instance of a stag's ferocity.— Deer-drive in AthoU in 1563.— Hunting the
stag.— Deer-stalking.

I am a hart by Greekes surnamed so,
Because my head doth with their tearmes agree ;
For stately shape few such on earth do goe,
So that by right they have so termed me.
For king's delight it seems I was ordayned,
Whose huntsmen yet pursue me day by day,
In forrest, chace, and parke, I am constrained
Before their hounds to wander many a way.
Wherefore who lyst to learne the perfect trade
Of venerie, and therewith all would know
What properties and virtues nature made
In me poor hart (0 harmless hart !) to grow,
Let him give ear to skilfull Trystram's lore
To Phoebus, Fowylloux, and many more.*

" Cervus Elaphus, cornihus ramosis, teretibus, recurvatis"
— Linn. Eight cutting teeth in the upper jaw, and none in
the lower.

Stags are found in all the northern regions, Lapland,
perhaps, excepted ; in Asia, especially in Tartary, and in
the northern provinces of China; they are also found in
America. Those of Canada dilFer from ours only in the
length of their horns, and direction of their antlers, which
are not so straight as with us, but are turned backward, so
that the end of each points to the stem of the horns.

* The noble Art of Venerie, translated from the French, p. 39.

3

26 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

The colour varies slightly, but is usually of a reddish
brown, nearly black about the face, mingled with grey;
a dark list down the hind part of the neck and between
the shoulders, and a light sort of buff colour between the
haunches and underneath.

The horns vary in size and number of branches ; partly
owing to the age of the animal, and partly from other
causes ; and it must be remarked, that deer with few points
to their horns are sometimes larger and fatter than those
with many branches. In the forest of Atholl we had no
technical names for harts of different ages; but they are
thus distinguished by park-keepers, and by those gentlemen
who keep stag-hounds in England : —

Before deer are one year old they are called (male and
female) Calves;* after one year old the male is termed a
Brocket; at three, a Sjyire; at four, a Staggart; at five, a
Stag; and at six a luarrantahle Stag. He may afterwards
be called a Hart. The female, after one year old, is termed
a Hearst ; and at three years old a young Hind.

The female does not cohabit with the male till three
years old. She never has more than one calf at a time,
though the contrary opinion has been entertained.

The stag's brow bay and tray antlers are termed his
Rights; the upright points on the top of his horns are
called Crockets ; the horn itself the Beam ; the width the
Span ; the rough part of the base the Pearls.f

A Brocket has only knobbers, and small brow antlers ;
a Sjyire, brow and uprights; a Staggart, brow, tray, and
uprights ; a five-year old, brow, bay, and tray ; two on top,
that is, a crocket on one horn, and an upright on the other.
A warrantable Stag has brow, bay, and tray, and two
points on the top of both horns. After this age their heads
vary very much in appearance.

* Some limit the term of calf to six months only.
t I am aware that these terms do not exactly correspond with those
mentioned in all the old authorities, neither do the latter always accord
with each other. I have taken my nomenclature from the Devonshire
Hunt, as the best authority. It has been founded considerably above a
century. Wriothesly, second Duke of Bedford, is the first person to whom
it can be traced : he died at Tavistock, in 1711. There are about S13 deer
in all the covers. Seventy were killed by the late Lord Graves in two
.seasons.

BOYAL HARTS. 27

If the impression of a deer's foot measures full two inches
^t the heel, he is warrantable; if three inches, and the hoofs
mark deeply in the ground, allowing for its nature, he is a
large, heavy, old deer. Such bring up their hind feet to
the impression made by their fore ones.

The tread of a hind is much narrower and longer than
that of the male, particularly at the toe, whilst the hart's is
broad and round at that point, instead of being narrow.

" Then, if he ask, what slot or view I found,
I say the slot or view was long on ground ;
The toes were great, the joynt bones round and short,
The shinne bones large, the dew-claws close in port :
Short joynted was he, hollow-footed eke,
An hart to hunt as any man can seeke." — Art of Venerie.

The mark of a deer's tread is called his slot; his haunt
is termed his lair; where he lies down, his harbour or bed;
where he rolls himself, his soiling pool ; his breaking place
over a hedge, his rack; when he goes to water it is called
going to soil ; if headed back, it is called blanched ; if he
stops in a river, or lies down in a pool, during the chase, it
is called sinking himself.

Harts that are crowned with three points at the upper
extremity of each horn are termed royal.

We read, also, of the hart royal proclaimed. Manwood
mentions a fact, which he found on record in the Castle
of Nottingham : it is dated in the time of Richard I., who,
having roused a hart in the forest of Sherwood, pursued
him as far as Barnsdale in Yorkshire, where the animal
foiled and escaped his hounds. The king, in gratitude for
the diversion he had received, ordered him to be immediately
proclaimed at Tickill, and at all the neighbouring towns,
the purport of which was to forbid any one to molest him,
that he might have free liberty to return to his forest.

" Some gentlemen, in the time of Henry III., havino-
<lestroyed a white hart, which had given the kino- much
diversion (and which had probably been proclaimed), his
majesty laid a heavy fine upon their lands, an acknowledg-
ment of which was paid into the exchequer so late as the
reign of Queen Elizabeth."*

* Cam. Brit. p. 59.

28 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

Hutchins, in his History of Dorsetshire, says, " It is paid
to this day."*

Deer shed their horns annually: the oldest harts shed
them first, about the beginning of April ; the younger ones
follow in succession, accordinor to their ao-e and condition.
The new horns attain their full growth in three months,
and appear about ten days after the old ones are shed. It
is not very long since a hart fell under the close observance
of a forester, whilst in the act of shedding his horns, in a
forest in Sutherland. Whilst he was browsing, one of his
antlers was seen to incline leisurely to one side, and imme-
diately to fall down to the ground : the stag tossed up his
head, as if in surprise, and began to shake it pretty violently,
when the remaining antler was discarded also, and fell some
little distance from him. Relieved from this weicrht, he
expressed his sense of buoyancy by bounding high from
the ground, as if in sport, and then, tossing his bare head,
dashed right away in a confused and rapid manner.

The shedding of the horns continues till the beginning of
June ; but deer of a year old will carry them till August
or September : these new horns are very sensitive, and the
harts at this time avoid bringing them into collision with
any substance. When they fight, they rear themselves
upon their hind legs, and spar with their fore feet, keeping
back their heads. They carry their horns just as long as
the hind carries her fawn, which is eight months. They
are not always shed at the same time, but one of them
occasionally drops a day or two after the other. I myself
have seldom found any other than single horns in the
mosses of the forest. It is a remarkable fact, however,,
that the number which are picked up in any forest bears
no proportion to those which are shed; and this cannot
arise from their being overlooked, for they are a valuable
perquisite to the keepers, and there is no part of the forest-
that is not traversed by them in the course of the season.

What, then, becomes of them ? Hinds have been seen to
eat them : one will consume a part, and, when she drops it,
it will be taken up and gnawed by the others. The late

* Vol. ii. p. 492.

BENE^AL OF HORNS. 29

Duke of Atholl, indeed, once found a dead hind which had
been choked by a part of the horn, that remained sticking
in its throat. It is not, however, credible that all those
which are missing are disposed of in this way ; they rather
seem to be thus eaten from wantonness and caprice, — and I
^m not able to account satisfactorily for their disappearance.

The new horns which deer acquire annually are covered
with a thick sort of leaden-coloured skin, which remains
•on them till the deer are in good condition : it then begins
to fall off, and, for a short space, hangs in shreds, ragged
^nd broken ; but they remov^e it as quickly as they can, by
raking their antlers in the roots of the heather, or in such
branches of shrubs as they can find adapted to the purpose.
When they have shaken off this skin, which is called the
velvet, and which disappears in the months of August and
September, they are said to have clean horns ; and, as these
deer are in the best condition, they are the particular object
of the sportsman.

If a hart is cut vvhen a fawn, he will never have horns ;
^nd if he is cut when five or six years old, after his horns
have attained their full growth, he will never drop them ;
and, if he be cut when he has dropped them, they will
never be renewed. This is mentioned in Bulfon, and has
been confirmed to me by Mr. John Crerer, who is a close
observer of nature, and has had sixty years' experience in
the forest of Atholl. But I once killed a very large fat
hart on the top of Ben Dairg, in the month of September,
which had not been cut, and still had no horns at all.

I myself have often observed, that if a hart has one of
his horns ill grown, and inferior to the other, he will, upon
examination, be found to have a gun-shot, or some other
bad wound, on the side where the horn is faulty.

Many horns of the Cervus Elaphus have been found in
peat bogs and shell marl; and, as these have the os frontis
attached to them, they could not have been cast in the
ordinary way; but must either have belonged to deer that
died of old age or disease, or to such as might have been
mired in endeavouring to land, where the bottom was soft
and quaggy. Many, probably, have perished in this way,
as the horns are generally found in an upright position.

30 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

A vast quantity of these horns, and, indeed, whole skeletons
of deer, have been found, within this last century, in the
small lakes of Forfarshire.* Indeed, antlers and skeletons.
of full grown stags are amongst the most common remains
of animals in peat. Horns so found are infinitely larger
than any which I have ever seen on living animals of the
same species.

It must be inferred, therefore, that the animals them-
selves were likewise of very superior dimensions. At first
sight this seems difficult to account for ; but when we take
into consideration the altered circumstances of the country,
— that immense tracts of wood have given place to barren
bogs, in the manner explained by Mr. Lyell, and mentioned
in the course of these pages, and that the deer have thus
been limited in food and shelter, — we can no lono-er be at a
loss to account for this degeneracy.

The red deer is not a very hardy animal : he does not by
choice subsist on coarse food, but eats close, like a sheep.
With his body weakened and wasted during the rutting
season in the autumn, exposed to constant anxiety and
irritation, engaged in continual combats, he feels all the
rigours of winter approaching before he has time to recruit
his strength: — the snow-storm comes on, and the bitter
blast drives him from the mountains. Subdued by hunger,
he wanders to the solitary sheelings of the shepherds; and
will sometimes follow them through the snow, with irresolute
steps, as they are carrying the provender to the sheep. He
falls, perhaps, into moss pits and mountain tarns, whilst in
quest of decayed water plants, where he perishes prema-
turely from utter inability to extricate himself. Many,
again, who escape starvation, feed too greedily on coarse
herbage at the first approach of open weather, which pro-
duces a murrain amongst them, not unlike the rot in sheep,
of which they frequently die. Thus, natural causes, insep-
arable from the condition of deer in a northern climate, and
on a churlish soil, unsheltered by woods, conspire to reduce
these animals to so feeble a state, that the short summer
which follows is wholly insufficient to bring them to the
size they are capable of attaining under better management.

* Vide Lyell's Geology, vol. ii. p. 259.

WEIGHT OF DEER. 31

If we look at the difference in size and weight of two
three-year-old beasts, the one belonging to a good, and the
other to a bad fanner, we shall find that difference to
amount to nearly double. The first animal is well fed for
the sake of the calf, both in winter and summer; and the
last, from insufficient keep, loses in winter what it has
gained in summer, and requires double the food in the
succeeding season to restore it to what it was at the com-
mencement of winter. Thus it is with the deer.

As a proof of this position, I may mention, that such
stags as have, for the most part, abandoned the Scotch
mountains, and pastured in the large woods in the low
country, have been found considerably to exceed the hill
stags in size and condition. The late Duke of Atholl killed
a hart that had been feeding for four seasons in the woods
of Dunkeld, where he remained, with twelve others, during
nine months of the year. He weighed thirty stone six
pounds imperial as he stood. His horns weighed thirteen
pounds two ounces; but they were still inferior to such as
have been found buried in peat mosses. The fat on his
haunches was four inches and one-eighth thick, though he
was killed in July, much too early in the season to have
arrived at his full condition.

In the year 1836, an outlying stag was killed at Woburn,
which weighed thirty-four stone imperial as he stood.
These are much higher weights than are to be found in the
forest of Atholl.

In the forest of Glengarry, where the snow never lies
long, where there is much rich pasture in the low grounds,
sweet grass on the hill-tops, and large woods for shelter,
the late Glengarry killed a hart, which weighed twenty-six
stone after the gralloch or offal was taken out: now, allow-
ing six stone six pounds for the gralloch (computing it at
about one-fourth of the entire weight), this noble animal
must have been thirty-two stone six pounds as he stood.

From the accounts that have been sent to me from the
various forests in Scotland, I am inclined to think that the
average weight of the best deer in Sutherland is superior
to that of the other forests. It reaches about fifteen stone,
Dutch, sinking the offal ; and stags are occasionally killed

32 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

of seventeen stone ; and, in the forest of Ben Hope, of a
somewhat larger size. Now, Dutch weight reckons sixteen
pounds to the stone, and seventeen ounces and a half to the
pound ; so that adding the offal, and reducing the whole to
imperial weight, a stag of fifteen stone Dutch would be
about twenty-five stone imperial as he stands.

In corroboration of what has been advanced above, as
tp the starving condition of the Highland deer in severe
weather, I shall mention a fact that happened about the
end of the last century.

One Donald M'Kay, a farmer, who lived in a remote glen
on the estate of Reay, in Sutherland, received so much injury
from the depredations of the forest deer, which made con-
tinual inroads upon his crops, invading him from the west
and from the north, that he at length marched off to Tongue,
the residence of his landlord and chief, to endeavour to
procure some redress. Having obtained an audience. Lord
Reay, who probably gave little credit to his tale, told him
to go back and pound the deer whenever they trespassed
in future. Donald did not presume to say aught against
his reception, though he was bitterly vexed at having
walked forty mortal miles for nothing.

On his arrival at his little farm, he set his wits to work
to devise some plan for making use of the permission which
had been conceded to him. Donald was a shrewd fellow ;
but it was not particularly easy to pound the denizens of
the mountains. He was pretty secure for the present, as
he had built a large barn, and kept his crop on rafters, out
of the reach of all depredators ; when the winter came on,
he put part of this crop very carefully into one end of his
barn, and barred it in with sticks and fir roots, in such a
manner that no beast or person could get at it.

About the end of November a very heavy fall of snow
came on, and the ground was wholly covered with it. The
second or third night after the storm fell the wind was
from the west; and Donald spread the sheaves on the
rafters, the barn door giving eastward : he then threw the
door wide open, and tied a long rope of hair to it, the end
of which he took in at the only window that was behind
the dwellinoj-house. Well did he know that the storm

IWTTING SEASON. 33

would drive the deer to his house in the still hour o£ night
to search for the least particle of such fodder as might be
dropped betwixt the barn and the byre in feeding the
bestial. He therefore took his station within the window,
with the end of the tether in his hand. He had not been
long in this situation before he saw the gaunt and starving
animals approaching. They came forward slowly and
cautiously, stopping at intervals, and examining every
object; at length the cravings of nature prevailed, and two
hinds walked into the barn, and began eating the corn.
The stags soon followed ; and some of them had great diffi-
culty in getting their antlers through the narrow door.

As soon as ten deer had fairly entered, Donald pulled the
tether, and made the door secure. More blithe than before,
he set off a second time for Tongue, travelling as fast as his
legs could carry him. On his arrival, he craved an audience
of Lord Reay, and told him in Gaelic that he had followed
his advice, and pounded ten of his deer. " I might," said
he, " as well have had a hundred as ten ; but I could not
afford to give them straw whilst I came to report the affair
to your lordship."

Not a little incredulous, Lord Reay despatched two men
to ascertain the truth of the matter. The deer were found
imprisoned as related, and were liberated. Donald M'K'ay
then came to terms with his chief, who very handsomely
gave him his little farm rent-free for his life, upon condition
that he would not pound his deer for the future.

It is remarkable for how short a time deer continue in
season in the cold climate of the north, owing to the back-
ward vegetation, and the causes already alluded to. In
warmer climates they come in sooner ; and we are informed
by Aristotle that, in Greece, the rutting season commenced
in the beginning of August, and terminated about the end
of September.

In Scotland this season varies slightly according to the
weather ; if mild and warm, the deer do not rut so soon ;
but, if the weather is cold and frosty, the harts are brought
forward earlier ; indeed, it is quite surprising what a few
cold nights will effect in this way.

About the end of September, and the first week in

34 ' DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

October, the harts swell in their necks, have a ruff of long-
wiry hair about them, and are drawn up in their bodie.s
like greyhounds. They now roll restlessly in the peat
pools till they become almost black with mire, and feed
chiefly on a light coloured moss, that grows on the round
tops of the hills, so that they do not differ so entirely
from the rein-deer in their food as some naturalists have
imagined.

In this state of rutting they are rank, and wholly unfit
for the table. Such deer a good sportsman never fires at ;
but many may be found at this time, not so forward, but
perfectly good ; and they are, of course, easily distinguished.
This is a very wild and picturesque season. The harts are
heard roaring all over the forest, and are eno^atred in savage
conflicts with each other, which sometimes terminate fatallj'.
When a master hart has collected a number of hinds, an-
other will endeavour to take them from him : they fight,
till one of them, feeling himself worsted, will run in circles
round the hinds, beinsj unwillincr to leave them : the other
pursues ; and when he touches the fugitive with the points
of his horns, the animal, thus gored, either bounds suddenly
on one side, and then turns and faces him, or will dash oti*
to the right or the left, and at once give up the contest.
The conflict, however, generally continues a considerable
time, and nothing can be more entertaining than to witness,
as I have often done, the varied success and address of
the combatants. It is a sort of wild just, in the presence
of the dames who, as of old, bestowed their favours on the
most valiant. Sometimes it is a combat a Voutranee, but
it often terminates with the efiect of the horn of Astolfo.

In solitary encounters, there being no hinds to take the
alarm, the harts are so occupied, and possessed with such
fury, that they may be occasionally approached in a man-
ner that it would be vain to attempt at any other time.
From the summit of a mountain in Atholl forest, I once
saw two harts in fierce contention, in a mossy part lower
down the hill. I came into sight at once, not expecting to
see deer in the situation in which these happened to be. I
could neither advance straight forward, nor retreat, with-
out danger of giving the alarm. One possibility alone was

DEEB STALKED WHILE FIGHTING. 35

open to me ; this was to get into the glen to their right
when I should be entirely hidden from their view, and
then come up, concealed by the hill, as nearly opposite to
them as possible. I was certainly a very considerable dis-
tance to the north of them ; but my position was so bad
that I looked upon my chance as a mere nothing. I laj-
down, however, flat on my back, amongst the rugged and
loose stones of Cairn-marnac, with a rifle in my hand ;
Thomas Jamieson, with the other rifles, placed himself be-
hind me in the same comfortable position. We had a full
view of the deer for some time, so that with their ordinary
vigilance they w^ould undoubtedly have seen us ; the stones,
however, formed an uneven outline, which was in our favour,
and thus we did not absolutely attract their notice. Whilst
the stags were fiercely engaged, we w^orked our way down
on our backs, looking askance ; when they rested for a
space, and sometimes they would do so on their knees,
from mere exhaustion, we moved not a limb : and in this
manner we wormed ourselves gradually into the glen, not
without certain uncomfortable bruises. Then, being out of
sight we sprang up, and made the best of our way to the
point immediately below them ; and moving cautiously up
th^ hill, which w^as sufficiently steep for our purpose, we
came all at once in full view of one of the combatants, who
was then alone ; he sprang off' at full speed, but all too late
for his escape, for my ball struck him dead on the spot.
His antagonist, I imagine, had been beaten off^. I expected
to have killed them both.

A conflict of this savage nature, which happened in one
of the Duke of Gordon's forests, was fatal to both of the com-
batants. Two large harts, after a furious and deadly thrust,
had entangled their horns so firmjy together that they were
inextricable, and the victor remained with the vanquished.
In this situation they were discovered by the forester, who
killed the survivor, whilst he was yet struggling to release
himself from his dead antagonist. The horns remain at
Gordon Castle, still locked together as they were found.
Mezentius himself never attached the dead body to the
living one in a firmer manner.

A hart will rut for about a week, after which period he

,^6 DAYS OF DEERSTALKING.

becomes weak and exhausted, and seeks some solitary spot
where he may recruit himself in peace : no wonder, indeed,
.since during this week he is constantly with a large herd
■of hinds, at times fighting, and always in a state of the
highest irritation ; for, at the darkening, another and an-
other hart will come in, and take some of the hinds from
him ; he then gives chase furiously, but is obliged to return
after a short space for fear of losing the remainder. At
length the old harts that have rutted, collect and go ott'
together in large parcels, and the younger ones succeed to
the hinds. During the winter they have long wiry coats
of a lighter cast of colour, and are wholly without fat, and
in every respect unfit for the table. The winter coat begins
to come off when they drop their horns, and the new coat
appears about the middle of June.

Neither Mr. John Crerer, who has followed deer in the
forest of Atholl for sixty years, nor any other individual
there, has ever seen a hart cover a hind.

The period of gestation in a hind is eight months. She
drops her fawn in high heather, where she leaves it con-
cealed the whole of the day, and returns to it late in the
evening, when she apprehends no disturbance. She makes
it lie down by a pressure of her nose ; and it will never
stir or lift up its head the whole of the day, unless you
come right upon it, as I have often done. It lies like a dog
with its nose to its tail. The hind, however, although she
separates herself from the young fawn, does not lose sight
of its w^elfare, but remains at a distance to the windward,
and goes to its succour in case of an attack of the wdld cat
or fox, or any other powerful vermin. I have heard Mr.
John Crerer say, and it is doubtless true, that if you find a
young fawn that has never followed its dam, and take it
up and rub its back, and put your fingers in its mouth, it
will follow you home for several miles ; but if it has once
followed its dam for ever so small a space before you found
it, it will never follow human beings. When once caught,
these fawns or calves are easily made tame ; and there were
generally a few brought up every year by the dairymaid
at Blair. I speak of hinds only ; stags soon turn vicious and
unmanageable. When the calf is old enough to keep up

CALVING OF HINDS. 37

with a herd of deer, and to take pretty good care of itself,
its mother takes it off, and leads it into ground that can be
travelled without difficulty, avoiding precipitous and rocky
places.

Hinds that have calves have no fat whatever upon them,
and are fit only for soup, or perhaps for stewing. A good
sportsman will never fire at them : indeed, it is reckoned a
disgrace to do so ; and a most wanton act of cruelty it cer-
tainly is. The best shots, however, will occasionally kill
them accidentally ; for they come up so rapidly before the
hart you are aiming at, that they often, like Polonius, get
that which was meant for their betters. Those hinds, how-
ever, that have not bred for the season, are lawful game ;
they are killed late in the year, and their venison is
fat and more delicate than that of the harts. They are
called Yell or Yeld Hinds, these terms signifying harren.
They are known by their sleek and compact make ; but it
requires a very experienced eye to distinguish them at a
distance with certainty ; and I must confess I have some-
times been egregiously deceived. They come into season
when the harts go out.

Deer, except in certain embarrassed situations, always
run up wind ; and so strongly is this instinct implanted in
them, that if you catch a calf, be it ever so young, and turn
it down wind, it will immediately face round and go in the
opposite direction. Thus they go forward over hill-tops
and unexplored ground in perfect security, for they can
smell the taint in the air at an almost incredible distance.
On this account they are fond of lying in open corries^
where the swells of winds come occasionally from all
quarters.

I have said that deer go up wind ; but, by clever manage-
ment, and employing men to give them their wind (those
men being concealed from their view), they may be driven
down it ; and in certain cases they may easily be sent, by a
side wind, towards that part of the forest which they con-
sider as their sanctuary.

It is to be noted, that on the hill-side the largest harts
lie at the bottom of the parcel, and the smaller ones above ;.
indeed, these fine fellows seem to think themselves privi-

38 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

leged to enjoy their ease, and impose the duty of keeping-
guard upon the hinds and upon their juniors. In the per-
formance of this task, the hinds are always the most
vigilant, and when deer are driven, they almost always
take the lead. When, however, the herd is strongly beset
on . all sides, and great boldness and decision are required,
you shall see the master hart come forward courageously,
like a great leader as he is, and, with his contidino^ band,
force his way through all obstacles. In ordinary cases,
however, he is of a most ungallant and selfish disposition ;
for, when he apprehends danger from the rifle, he will
rake away the hinds with his horns, and get in the midst
of them, keeping his antlers as low as possible.

There is no animal more shy or solitary by nature than
the red deer. He takes the note of alarm from every living-
thing on the moor, — all seem to be his sentinels. The sud-
den start of any animal, the springing of a moor-fowl, the
complaining note of a plover, or of the smallest bird in dis-
tress, will set him off in an instant. He is always most
timid when he does not see his adversary, for then he
suspects an ambush. If, on the contrary, he has him full
in view, he is as cool and circumspect as possible ; he then
watches him most acutely, endeavours to discover his in-
tention, and takes the best possible mode to defeat it. In
this case he is never in a hurry or confused, but repeatedly
stops and watches his disturber's motions ; and when at
length he does take his measure, it is a most decisive one :
a whole herd will sometimes force their way at the very
point where the drivers are the most numerous, and where
there are no rifles ; so that I have seen the hill-men fling
their sticks at them, while they have raced away without a
shot being fired.

When a stag is closely pursued by dogs, and feels that
he cannot escape from them, he flies to the best position he
can, and defends himself to the last extremity. This is
called, going to bay. If he is badly wounded, or very
much over-matched in speed, he has little choice of ground ;
but if he finds himself stout in the chase, and is pursued in
his native mountains, he will select the most defensible
spot he has it in his power to reach ; and woe be unto th

le

TRADITIONAL LONGEVITY. 39

•dog that approaches him rashly. His instinct always leads
him to the rivers, where his long legs give him a great
advantage over the deer-hounds. Firmly he holds his
position, whilst they swim powerless about him ; and would
die from cold and fatigue before they could make the least
impression on him. Sometimes he will stand upon a rock
in the midst of the river, making a most majestic appear-
ance ; and in this case it will always be found that the spot
on which he stands is not approachable on his rear. In
this situation he takes such a sweep with his antlers that
he could exterminate a whole pack of the most powerful
lurchers, that were pressing too closely upon him in front.
He is secure from all but man ; and the rifle-shot must end
him. Superior dogs may pull him down when running,
but not when he stands at bay.

It is worthy of remark, that when a cold hart (meaning-
one that has not been wounded) takes the bay, and it is
broken afterwards by an unskilful approach, or by any
other means, the same dog or dogs which outran it at first,
seldom succeed in bringing it to bay a second time. The
dogs exhaust themselves with their clamour and exertions,
whilst the hart is in a comparative state of rest, and
recovers his wind.

There is an opinion amongst many, founded upon tradi-
tion, that the deer attains to a very extraordinary old age,
amounting to some hundreds of years : "Long a et cervina
senectus," saith Juvenal. But the ground and authority of
this conceit, according to Sir Thomas Browne, " was first
hieroglyphical, the Egyptians expressing longevity by this
-animal ; but they often erected such emblems upon uncer-
tainties, and convincible falsities ; for Aristotle, first, and
Pliny long after, declared, that the Egyptians could make
but weak observations on this matter ; for althouo^h it was
said that ^neas feasted his followers with venison, yet
Aristotle affirms that neither deer or boar were to be found
in Africa : and how far they misconstrued the lives and
duration of animals is evident, from their conceit of the
crow, which they presume to live for five hundred years ;
and the lives of hawks, which, according to vElian, the
Egyptians reckoned at no less than seven hundred."

40 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

Setting aside the absurd story of the stag taken by
Charles the Sixth, let us see if there be any modern proof
that may throw light upon this subject.

In the year 1826, the late Glengarry, accompanied by
Lord Fincastle, now Earl of Dunmore, was hunting in the
Garth of Glengarry ; the beaters had been sent into a
wood, called Tor-na- carry ; a fine stag soon broke forth,
and was going straight to Lord Fincastle, but owing to a
slight swell, or change of the current of air, he turned
towards Glengarry, who fired at, and killed him.

On going up to him a mark was discovered on his left
ear ; tlie first man who arrived was asked, " What mark it
was?" He replied, "That it was the mark of E wen-mac-
Jan Og." Five others gave the same answer ; and after
consulting together, all agreed that Ewen-mac-Jan Og had
been dead 150 years, and for thirty years before his death
had marked all the calves he could catch with this particu-
lar mark ; so that this deer (allowing the mark to have
been authentic) must have been 150 years old, and might
have been 180. The horns, which are preserved by the
present Glengarry, are not particularly large, but have a
very wide spread.

Now this circumstance is clearly and honourably attested;
it was communicated to me both by the late and present
Glengarry ; we must, therefore, either subscribe at once to
this longevity, or we must imagine (what indeed seems to
be most probable), that as the old forester's mark was
evidently known to the hill-men, some of his successors
might have imitated it, without the sanction or knowledge
of their chief.

However this may be, it is notorious that no superstition
is more prevalent amongst certain classes in the Highlands,
than that which regards the longevity of deer. Hence the
following adage : —

" Tri avis coin, avis eicli ;

Tri ^vis eich, avis diiine ; ,

Tri dvis duine, avis feidh ;

Tii A, vis feidh, avis firean ;

Tri avis firean, avis craobh dharaicli."

Thus it stands in English : —

THE LARGE STAG OF MONA-LIA 41

Thrice the age of a dog is that of a horse ;
Thrice the age of a horse is that of a man ;
Thrice the age of a man is that of a deer ;
Thrice the age of a deer is that of an eagle ;
Thrice the age of an eagle is that of an oak tree.

Setting aside the extravagance of this adage, I venture
to mention that, according to tradition, Captain Macdonald,
of TuUoch, in Lochaber,* who died in 1776, at the age of
eighty-six, knew the white hind of Lochtreig for the last
fifty years of his life ; his father knew her an equal length
of time before him, and his grandfather knew her for sixty
years of his own time ; and she preceded his days : these
three gentlemen were all keen deer stalkers. Many of the
Lochaber and Brae Eannoch men knew her also ; she was
purely white, without spot or blemish, — was never seen
alone, and tradition furnishes no instance of any shot
having been fired at the herd with which she associated.

A very large stag was known for 200 years in the Mona-
lia, a range of mountains lying between Badenoch and
Inverness. He was always seen alone, keeping the open
plains, so that he was unapproachable. He was easily
distinguished from all others by his immense proportions.

About the year 1777, Angus Macdonald, after stalking
for five hours, got within shot of Damh-mor-a-Vonalia, as
he was called (that is the large stag of Mona-lia) ; he fired,
and saw distinctly with his glass that the ball had entered
his left shoulder blade. He fell to the shot, but, not being
severely injured, recovered, and got away.

Macdonald soon made known that he had wounded the
Damh-mor, but there was some scepticism on the subject.
In 1807, thirty years after this occurrence, the Damh-mor
was shot four miles to the westward of the inn at Garvie-
more, at the head of Badenoch. Thus it was : —

John Macdonald (innkeeper there, and brother to Angus,
who wounded the deer as above), having heard that the
hart was seen in his country, went in quest of him ; and
after stalking nearly a whole day in August, got within
distance, and brought him down. After a minute examina-
tion, the ball of 1777 was found in the left shoulder, an

* Communicated by Mr. Macgregor.

42 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

inch under the skin, which still retained the mark of an
old-standing perforation. The horns were by no means
remarkable in point of size ; but that on the left, being the
side on which the deer was wounded, was ill-shaped, and
defective.

The belief in the extraordinary longevity of the red deer
is not peculiar to the Highlands. I have been informed by
a gentleman, who has frequently attended the Duke of
Sage Coburg's deer-hunts, that he has very lately seen in
the mountains of Thuringia a stag of stupendous height
and dimensions, whose great age is. quite a tradition,
having been handed down from father to son in the village
from a very remote and untraceable period of time, though
he still appears in full vigour ; he has long enjoyed an
indemnity, the duke having restricted every one from firing
at him. The woods are of oak ; and the acorns no doubt
are one great cause of the large growth of the German deer.

William Twici, or Twety, grand huntsman to King
Edward the Second, in his Treatise upon Hunting, men-
tions, amongst other beasts of the chase of the first class,
the buck, the doe, the bear, the rein-deer, the elk, and the
spytard ; which latter, he himself informs us, is a hart of
one hundred years old : these he calls beasts of sweet flight.

On the other hand, "Aristotle, drawing an argument
from the increment and gestation of deer (I quote from Sir
Thomas Browne), comes to the conclusion, that they are.
not such as afford an argument of long life : and these
(saith Scaliger, his translator) are good mediums, con-
junctively taken, — that is, not one without the other : for
of animals, viviparous, such as live long, go long with
young, and attain but slowly to their maturity and stature :
so the horse, that liveth above thirty, arriveth at his stature
in about six years, and remaineth above ten months in the
womb ; so the camel, that liveth unto fifty, goeth with
young no less than ten months, and ceaseth not to grow
before seven ; and so the elephant, that liveth an hundred,
beareth its young above a year, and arriveth unto perfection
at twenty. On the contrary, the sheep and goat, which
live but eight or ten years, go but ^yq months, and attain
to their perfection at two years : and the like proportion is

LONGEVITY QUESTIONED.

•observable in cats, hares, and conies. And so the deer that
endure th the womb but eight months, and is complete at
six years, from the course of nature we cannot expect to
live a hundred years, nor in any proportional allowance to
much more than thirty.

" Moreover, the state and declination of all animals are
proportionally set out by nature ; and naturally proceeding,
admit of inference from each other. When long life is
natural, the marks of age are late ; and where they appear,
the journey unto death cannot be long. Now the age of
deer is best conjectured by view of the horns and teeth.
From the horns there is a particular and annual account
unto six years, — they arising first plain, and so successively
branching; after which the judgment of their years by
particular marks becomes uncertain : but when they grow
old, they grow less branched, and first do lose their pro-
pugnacula or brow antlers; which Aristotle says the
youngest use in fight, and the old, as needless, have them
not at all. The same may be also collected from the loss of
their teeth, whereof in old age the}^ have few, or none
before, in either jaw. Now these are infallible marks of
age ; and when they appear we must confess a declination,
which notwithstanding will happen, as we are informed,
between twenty and thirty."

I myself may add, that the great incitement and ex-
haustion during the rutting season, as well as the effort
nature makes in renewing the horns annually, is an
■argument against longevity ; and, notwithstanding the
extreme respect I bear to marvellous traditions (always, I
think, better attested in proportion as they are marvellous),
I judge it incumbent on me to say, that the accounts I have
received from park-keepers in England, where there are red
deer, entirely contradict their supposed longevity.

The longest lived deer they remember in Richmond Park
was the Naphill stag, turned out there by command of his
majesty George the Third. Every care was taken of him,
but he lived no longer than twenty years ; and the present
keeper, who communicated this information to me, asserted,
at the same time, that the red deer in that park rarely
■exceed the age of eighteen years, and that their horns

44 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

decrease in size after the age of twelve. The largest antlers
he has met with there, with the skull part attached, weigh
about twelve pounds.

The deer, like many other animals, seem to foresee every
change of weather : at the approach of a storm they leave
the higher hills, and descend to the low grounds, sometimes
even two days before the change takes place. Again, at the
approach of a thaw, they leave the low grounds and go to-
the mountains by a similar anticipation of change. They
never perish in snow drifts, like sheep, since they do not
shelter themselves in hollows, but keep the bare ground,
and eat the tops of the heather.

One would imagine that in a severe storm many would
perish by avalanches. But, during the long period of sixty
years, Mr. John Crerer remembers but two accidents of this
nature. These were in Glen Mark : eleven were killed by
one fall, and twenty-one by another : the snow in its
descent carried the deer along with it into the glen and
across the burn, and rolled up a little way on the opposite
brae, where the animals were smothered.

Harts are excellent swimmers ; and will pass from island
to island in quest of hinds, or change of food. It is asserted
that the rear hart in swimming rests his head on the croup
of the one before him ; and that all follow in the same
manner.

When a herd of deer are driven, they follow each other
in a line ; so that when they cross the stalker it is customary
for him to lie quiet, and suffer the leaders to pass before he
raises his rifle ; if he were to fire at the first that appeared,
he would probably turn the whole of them ; or if he were
to run forward injudiciously after a few had passed, the
remainder, instead of following the others in a direct line,
would not cross him except under particular circumstances
and dispositions of ground, but would bear off an end, and
join the others afterwards. It must be remarked, however,
that when deer are hard pressed by a dog, they run in a
compact mass, the tail ones endeavouring to wedge them-
selves into it. They will also run in this manner when
pressed by drivers on the open moor. But they are sensible
that they could not pass the narrow oblique paths that are

FLEETNESS AND STRENGTH OF FOOT. 45

trodden out by them in the precipitous and stony parts of
the mountain, or encounter the many obstructions of rock,
river, and precipice that rugged nature is continually oppos-
ing to thsm, in any other manner than in rank and file. If
they did they must separate, and lose the wind, which is
not their system.

They do not run well up hill when fat, but they will
beat any dog in such oblique paths as I have mentioned.
The hardness and sharp edges of their hoofs gives them
great tenacity, and prevents their suffering from the stones ;
whilst a dog, having no fence against injury, is obliged to
slacken his pace.

The bone also of a deer's foot is small and particularly
hard; it is this peculiar construction which renders the
animal as strong as he is fleet. The support and strength
of the joints of the feet of all animal bodies, according to
Sir E. Home, depends less upon their own ligaments than
upon the action of the muscles, whose tendons pass over
them. " This fact," he says, " was strongly impressed on
my mind in the early part of my medical education, by
seeing a deer which leaped over the highest fences, and the
joints of whose feet, when examined, were as rigid in every
other direction, but that of their motion, as the bone itself ;
but when the tendo Achilles, which passed over the joint,
was divided, with a view to keep the animal from running
away, the foot could readily be moved in any direction, the
joint no longer having the smallest firmness."

Some old authorities attribute various medicinal virtues
to certain parts of the hart ; and, amongst the rest, the
author of the Treatise on Venerie very gravely asserts,
" That his marrow or grease is good for the gout, proceed-
ing from a cold cause, — melting it, and rubbing the place
where the pain is therewith. Also the hart first taught us
to find the herb called Dictamus ; for when he is stricken
with an arrow or dart he seeketh out that herb, and eateth
thereof ; the which maketh the dart or arrow to fall out,
and healeth him immediately."

Almost every part of the deer is excellent for the table :
the liver, the heart, the tripe, the feet, and the white
puddings, should not be neglected. The skin itself is manu-

46 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

factured into a soft yellow-coloured leather, which is useful
for numerous purposes.

I have heard the excellence of the venison disputed by
sportsmen, and others who have tasted it in the north; but
I attribute this entirely to the age and condition of the sort
of creature it was their lot to taste, or to the time of year
in which it was killed. A hart, like most other animals,
has little fat when he is growing ; and if sportsmen do not
distinguish, or have not the means of selection, the haunches
will cut but a sorry figure at the table. But in the estima-
tion of all the numerous guests it has been my good fortune
to meet in the hospitable halls of Blair, the red deer has
been infinitely preferred to the fallow ; and I could name
many such guests, whose judgment w^ould be pronounced
paramount in such matters. On the contrary, the haunch
of the fallow deer, when brought to table at Blair, although
perfect in its kind, was always neglected. There must
however be a wide difference between the quality of the
red deer, which are fed in English parks, and such as wander
freely over the mountains, and browse on the sweet grass
and heather.

I have now lying before me a letter from Sir Walter
Scott, to whom I was in the habit of sending Highland
venison (and who was no mean judge of the merits of a
plat de resistance), attesting its excellence. Thus I quote
from it, word for word : —

" Thanks, dear Sir, for your venison, for finer or fatter
Never roam'd in a forest, or smoked in a platter."

" Your superb haunch arrived in excellent time to feast

a new married couple, the Douglasses, of M , and was.

pronounced by far the finest that could by possibility have
been seen in Teviotdale since Chevy Chase. I did not
venture on the carving, being warned both by your hints,
and the example of old Robert Sinclair, who used to say
that he had thirty friends during a fortnight's residence at
Harrowgate, and lost them all in the carving of one haunch
of venison ; so I put Lockhart on the duty, and, as the-
haunch was too large to require strict economy, he hacked
and hewed it well enough."

FEBOCITY OF DEER. 47

Stags, although they have frequent and ferocious combats
amongst their own species during the rutting season, have
been seldom known to attack men, in any other way than
in self-defence. No instance of the sort ever occurred to
me, nor to Mr. John Crerer, who shot sixty years in the
forest of Atholl. Once, indeed, he incurred a sort of rebuff
by his own imprudence ; being a very powerful man, he got
behind a stag, which was at bay at Glenmore, and thought
it advisable to take hold of his hind leg, and endeavour to
throw him over; but when about to do so, the animal
saluted him with both his hind legs, and with such effect,
that one of his hoofs broke his watch, and the other struck
him in the mouth, knocked out one of his teeth, and sent
him sprawling on his back to the edge of the water. The
only instance I ever heard of in that forest, of an offensive
assault on man, was recounted to me by the late Duke of
Atholl. His Grace had wounded a hart, and one of the
deer-hounds flew at him and seized hold of his ear ; when
the duke came up, the hart sprung forward with his head
down (the dog still hanging to his ear), and was rushing to
the attack, but his Grace escaped the danger by sending a
ball through his forehead. This, as I have said, is the only
instance I ever heard of an offensive attack upon man by
deer upon the wild mountains ; and it must be observed,
that the animal here in question was rendered furious by
the dog, and by the pain of his wound. It is, however, at
all times dangerous to approach a wounded deer too nearly,
for, in self-defence, he would not hesitate to kill any living
thing that came within reach of his pointed antlers. An
instance is recorded of a red deer having: beat off a ti^er,
which was set loose upon it in an inclosed arena, at the
instance of William Duke of Cumberland. But if sta^s in

o

such wild regions stand in awe of man, they have not
always the same respect when they become more familiar
with him.

" Some years ago," says Gilpin, " a stag in the New Forest,
pressed by the hunters, and just entering a thicket, was
opposed by a peasant, who foolishly, with his arms extended,
attempted to turn him. The stag held his course, and dart-
ing one of his antlers into the man, carried him off some

48 DAYS OF DEEB- STALKING.

paces, sticking upon his horn : the man was immediately
conveyed to Lymington, where he lay dangerously ill for
some time, but at length recovered. I have heard also that
when the Duke of Bedford was lord-warden of the forest,
his huntsman had a horse killed under him by a stag, which
he crossed in the same imprudent manner. " We read"
(saith the editor of the FobU Art of Venerie) " of an em-
peror named Batels, who had done great deedes cf chivalrie
in his country, and yet was nevertheless slaj^ne with a hart
in breaking of a bay."

But a recenc instance occurred in October, 183G, of the
forocity of a red deer when confined in a park, which, from
the courtesy of the gentleman to whom it happened, I am
enabled to give circumstantially.

The Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Fox Maule had left Taymouth
with the intention of proceeding towards Dalguise, and in
driving through that part of the grounds where the red
deer were kept, they suddenly, at a turn of the road, came
upon thedord of the demesne, standing in the centre of the
passage, as if prepared to dispute it against all comers.

Mr. Maule being aware that it might be dangerous to
trifle with him, or to endeavour to drive him away (for it
was the rutting season), cautioned the postillion to go slowly,
and give the animal an opportunity of moving off.

This was done, and the stag retired to a small hollow by
the side of the road ; on the carriage passing, however, he
took offence at its too near approach, and emerged at a slow
and stately pace, till he arrived nearly parallel with it;
Mr. Maule then desired the lad to increase his pace, being
apprehensive of a charge on the broadside.

The deer, how^ever, had other intentions ; for as soon as
the carriage moved quicker, he increased his pace also, and
came on the road about twelve yards ahead of it, for the
purpose of crossing, as it was thought, to a lower range of
the park ; but to the astonishment, and no little alarm of
the occupants of the carriage, he charged the offside horse,
plunging his long brow antler into his chest, and otherwise
cutting him.

The horse that w^as wounded made two violent kicks,
and is supposed to have struck the stag, and then the pair

VABIOUS MODES OF TAKING DEER. 49

instantly ran off the road ; and it was owing solely to the
admirable presence of mind and nerve of the postillion, that
the carriage was not precipitated over the neighbouring
bank. The horses were not allowed to stop till they reached
the gate, although the blood was pouring from the wounded
animal in a stream as thick as a man's linger. He was then
taken out of the carriage, and only survived two or three
hours. The stag was shortly afterwards killed.

Of the various modes practised for pursuing and killing
the deer in different ages and countries, I do not profess to
treat. In thinly-peopled districts, like the Wilds of North
America, whose inhabitants subsist by the chase, artificial
fences, stretching over vast distances, are employed to aid
in driving the deer to the spots, where the pit-fall, the net,
the spear, arrow, or rifle are employed for their destruction.

On the Continent, deer-driving on the grandest scale is
still occasionally practised, the game of a whole province
being surrounded by the marshalled peasantry of a prince
or noble, and forced by the gradual narrowing of the circle
to some central spot for promiscuous slaughter. Similar
princely Battues were formerly common, when the game
was more plentiful, and cultivation rarer, both in England
and Scotland. As one instance among many of these, which
we find recorded in the old chroniclers, and as a proof of the
determined resolution of the stag when pushed to extremit}'",
I may be permitted to quote the following account.

Spottiswood mentions in his History, " That Queen Mary
took the sport of hunting the deer in the forest of Mar and
AthoU, in the year 1563," of which Barclay, in his Defence
of Monarchial Government, gives the following particulars :

" The Earl of AthoU prepared for her Majesty's reception
by sending out about two thousand Highlanders to gather
the deer from Mar, Badenoch, Murray, and Atholl, to the
district he had previously appointed. It occupied the
Highlanders for several weeks in driving the deer to the
amount of two thousand, besides roes, does, and other game.

" The Queen, with her numerous attendants and a great
concourse of the nobility, gentry, and people, were assem-
bled at the appointed glen, and the spectacle much delighted
her Majesty, particularly as she observed that such a numer-

50 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

ous herd of deer seemed to be directed in all their motions
by one stately animal among them ; they all walked,
stopped, or turned as he did, — they all followed him. The
Queen was delighted to see all the deer so attentive to
their leader, and upon her pointing it out to the Earl of
Atholl, who knew the nature of the animal well, havinof
been accustomed to it from his youth, he told her that they
might all come to be frightened enough by that beautiful
beast. * For,' said he, ' should that stag in the front, which
your Majesty justly admires so much, be seized with any fit of
fury or of fear, and rush down from the side of the hill, where
you see him stand, to this plain, then would it be necessary
for every one of us to provide for the safety of your Majesty,
and for our own : all the rest of those deer would infallibly
come with him as thick as possibly they could, and make
their way over our bodies to the mountain that is behind us/

"This information occasioned the Queen some alarm, and
what happened afterwards proved it not to be altogether
without cause, for her Majesty having ordered a large
fierce dog to be let loose on a wolf that appeared, the
leading deer, as we may call him, was terrified at the sight
of the dog, turned his back and began to fly thither whence
they had come ; all the other deer instantly followed.

" They were surrounded on that side by a line of High-
landers, but well did they know the power of this close
phalanx of deer, and at speed ; and therefore they yielded,
and opposed no resistance ; and the only means left of
savinor their lives, was to fall flat on the heath in the best
posture they could, and allow the deer to run over them.
This method they followed, but it did not save them from
being wounded; and it was announced to the Queen that
two or three men had been trampled to death.

" In this manner the deer would have all escaped, had
not the huntsmen, accustomed to such events, gone after
them, and with great dexterity headed and turned a detach-
ment in the rear ; against these the Queen's staghounds and
those of the nobility were loosed, and a successful chase
ensued. Three hundred and sixty deer were killed, five
wolves, and some roes ; and the Queen and her party
returned to Blair delighted with the sport."

liOYAL SPOBT. 51

If this account "by Barclay is matter of fact throughout
(which I very much doubt), it would be curious to know in
what manner these i^,000 men proceeded, and how they
consumed several weeks in bringing down 2,000 head of
deer. Such a force of men, well and equally distributed,
would cover an immense tract of ground, but the wind
must be changing upon them continually, and it must have
required the strictest order, and perhaps fires throughout
the line to keep the deer in during the dark nights, at
which time they will go in any direction, either up or down
wind. Even in the daytime, a cross wind might be fatal to
the drive, if it were not for the enormous extent of ground
that a force of 2,000 men could cover. A hundred men a
mile would give less than twenty yards of interval between
each man, and constitute a line of twenty miles in length.
But how did all these rough-footed Highlanders subsist for
two months on the barren mountains ? A few days, one
would think, would have been quite sufficient for their
purpose. As for the number of deer that were killed, if a
hundred couple of fierce and swift dogs were let loose,
which we are told was not unusual, they must have pulled
down a great many hinds and calves, though probably but
few harts.

When the country was partially covered with wood the
forests were driven, and the sportsmen occupied passes
where they took their chance of sport ; and this method is
still occasionally resorted to in the forest of Glengarry and
in other places. But, generally speaking, the system has
given way to the more exciting amusement of deer-stalking.

The destruction of the woods, and the substitution of the
gun for the bow and arrow and hagbute, formed quite an
epoch in the habits and size of the deer, as well as in the
mode of killing: them.

In Sutherland, fire-arms were unknown until about the
latter end of the 16th century, when a large awkward kind
of blunderbuss, named by the country-people Glasnahhean
(meaning the mountain match-lock gun), was obtained
by Angus Baillie of Uppat, one of the most noted of the
Sutherland foresters of whom we have any correct account;
and it was used by him with great effect in some of the

52 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

conflicts and skirmishes that were of frequent occurrence
in those days.

This memorable appearance of Glasnahhean * took place
in the year 1589 ; and I think it very probable that it was
a gun taken from the wreck of a vessel belonging to the
Spanish Armada, which was cast on the Scotch shores in
the year 1584. Early in the following century, more
serviceable, but still very rude guns, having the barrel
attached to the stock by iron hoops, were introduced
generally into Sutherland. These did not, however,
entirely supplant the bow and arrow until after the middle
of the seventeenth century. The spear was used at a more
remote period against the boar and the wolf, and also in
killing wounded deer.

The bow had one advantage over the gun, namely, that of
being noiseless ; so that, if the stalker were well concealed,
he might repeat his shots without giving much alarm.

The sport afforded by the deer to the lovers of the chase
with hound and horn (by which I mean hunting on scent,
without the aid of rifles,) has always ranked high amongst
the amusements of the upper ranks of civilised nations.
In Germany, France, and England, up to a comparatively
recent period, a pack of staghounds formed part of the
establishment of every sovereign prince and wealthy noble ;
and this branch of the " Arte of Venerie " was reduced by
rule and method almost to a science, and pursued in a
stately and magnificent manner according to recognised
principles, which are treated of at length in many works of
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. But this is a
field into which I have no intention of entering.

In this country, I believe, the stag is now hunted in his
wild state only in Devonshire, and in the New Forest, and
even there the animal is daily becoming scarcer. Stag-
hunting was never probably practised in the same way in
the Highlands of Scotland, the nature of the country offer-
ing great obstacles to this mode of pursuit on horseback.

It is mentioned in a letter, printed by the late Lord

* Sir Robert Gordon ascribes the name of Glasnahhean to John Beaton,
the person who had charge of the gun, and used it in the skirmishes in
company with Angus Baillie.

8TABT FROM BLAIB CASTLE. 5^

Graves, who hunted the wild-deer in Devonshire, that these
animals, when they find themselves pursued by scent,
generally run down wind; and the same thing has been
asserted to me by others. This is an extraordinary instance
of sagacity, as their natural instinct leads them to the
opposite direction, it being a most difficult thing for men
alone to drive them down wind.

In the following pages I confine myself to a description
of the mode of killing deer now in use in the Highlands,
which may be considered limited to the two methods of
drivinor and stalkincr; the former of these oflfers more room
for the companionship and friendly rivalry, which confers
its main zest on sport of every description ; but the latter^
if it has the disadvantage of being pursued in a more
solitary guise, yet gives so much scope to skill and
manoeuvring, and exhibits the motions and the defensive
instincts of the stag in such a beautiful manner, tried as
he is under every variety of incident, that I have always
considered it as creating a deeper and more absorbing in-
terest. Those sportsmen, therefore, who agree with me,
will not be surprised at my dwelling on it with the natural
preference of a fond lover of the spirit-stirring craft.

CHAPTER 11.

Start from Blair Castle.— Bruar Lodge. — A Comrade joins. — Ascent of Ben Dairg.—
Ptarmigans. — Forest Scener}'. — Spirit-stirring Interest. — A Hart Discovered —
Manoeuvring.— Wading a Burn.— Getting a quiet Shot.— Dogs Slipped.— The Bay in
a Mountain Cataract.— Dogs in Peril.— Death and Gralloching of the Deer.— Cruel
Death of a Deerhound.— Origin and Antiseptic Property of Peat Bogs.— Ascent of
Ben-y-venie. — A Herd Discovered. — Plan and Manoeuvring. — Alarm, and Movements
of the Deer.— An Injudicious Shot— A Successful One.— A Deerhound Slipped.—
Bay.— strange Adventure.— A Wild Huntsman. — Encounter with a Bear.— Loss of a
Huge Salmon.— The Gown-cromb of Badenoch and his Story.

" As he came down by Merriemas,
And in the benty line,
There has he espied a deer lying
Aneath a bush of ling."

Minstrelsy of the Border.

"It's just the skreek o' day, yer honour, and time ye war
out o' bed."

" Rather farther on, I'm thinking, Peter ; so take away
the rifles, balls and all, get the men together, and make

54 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

good speed over the moor : I see by the course of the clouds,
which I have been watching from my bed, that the wind is
in the right airt, and as the weather is warm, the deer will
be far out on the tops of the hills ; so we will leave Blair
as soon as possible, breakfast at the lodge as usual, and go
round the north of Ben Derig, that we may take all the
ground, and not lose a chance. I expect to find a friend at
Bruar Lodge, who was to come across the moors from the
Badenoch country, and he slept there last night, if he did
not miss the track, which you know is but a wild one. So
order the pony to the door at four o'clock, and take care I
do not pass you at Auld Heclan, as I did the day we killed
the great deer ; and I say, Peter, do not forget the whiskey."

" Na, na, I aye tak tent o' that. Did ye ever knaw me
lave it ahint ?"

"No, faith, to do you justice, your memory never fails
you there ; and you take care to refresh it pretty often.
So off with you, my good fellow, and keep that laugh to
enliven you on your way, for it is a long and dreary one."

It may be thought that Tortoise said this in a half intel-
ligible, drowsy tone. Not a bit of it. An eager sportsman
never sleeps or slumbers ; or, if he does so by way of variety,
he starts into life at once, and springs up from his bed as if
the deer were actually before him : neither does he say,
" Sandy, bring me the balls ;" or, " Charlie, bring me my
powder-flask," or my jacket, or my shoes, or anything else
of the sort ; for he has very methodically laid out all these
things on his dressing-table over night with his own proper
hands. To be dependent on others in these matters is
exceedingly youthful : no, he trusts to no man's vigilance,
but relies upon his own, and this is his system, not only in
the camp, but in the field.

Mounted on his horse, Tortoise soon left the silent castle,and
away he went, winding his rugged course through the forest
of pines, some standing stately and dark in their verdure,
others riven and blasted by the storm, their bare bones
lying across his path, or driven crashing into the torrent
below, where the waters of the Banavie come struofalinor
through their rude barriers. The morn broke silvery and
bright over the mountain top, just moving with her refresh-

BBUAR LODGE.

inof breath the lioht leaves of the birch and mountain ash,
which were scattered about in nature's careless haste, hang-
ing in graceful forms, and glittering with the falling dew-
drop.

Now and then a roe sprang up from the bracken, in the
secret glades of the wood, and vanished instantly with a
bound among the gloom of the thickets, as the feet of the
good Galloway clattered over the stones. To say that the
rider " recked not of the scene so fair," were to do him in-
justice. No sudden gleam of light shot vividly across the
moor, — no cataract leaped and dashed down the rocky
chasms, —no wreaths of mists rose sluggishly to the moun-
tain tops, with their light trains flickering behind, the effect
of which did not excite his mind powerfully, and awaken
it to the most pleasurable sensations.

" These are thy glorious works, Parent of good !"

So mused he thankful. At length, freed from the gloom
of the pine woods, his pony dashed forward to the open
moor, and the light spread broad around him ; not a cloud
is to be seen to indicate the course of the wind ; a moment
he checks his horse on the summit of the first hill, and
scatters a few shreds of tow ; away they sail to the north.
Burn after burn is left behind him, but still he sees the
long cart-track winding into the distance ; and in the remote
sky-line a few specks, which surely are his men, now near
Bruar Lodo^e, At lenojth the last hill is cjained, and from
its summit he descries the smoke issuing from the little
chimneys; joyfully he sees it, and the complacent thoughts
of breakfast come like balm over his soul.

There are some classes of men, alas, who know too well
what hunger is : (would they were fewer) ! Were I called
upon ofl" hand to name a few individuals particularly
tortured by famine, why then I should say Franklin,
Richardson, Ross, and the deer-stalker, who has ridden
over moor and mountain, from Blair to Bruar Lodge, before
sun-rise, .conscientiously putting the deer-stalker decidedly
first. Still let him beware of indulging his appetite too
liberally. Something we shall say on this subject when we
touch upon the necessary qualities and conduct of a deer-

56 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

stalker. But, after all, what is the use of preaching up
abstinence to a craving, ravenous mortal ? Eat he inevit-
ably will, and that to the last possible extremity, notwith-
standing we tell him he may as well swallow coals of fire
like Portia.

About eight reputed miles north of Blair Atholl, which
distance would be numbered ten in a country of mile-
stones, you descend into a glen, which is of a wild and
desolate character. The heather being old, is rather of a
brown than a purple colour ; but there is some relief of
green sward near the lodge, and more in various patches
near the winding course of the Bruar. Huge, lofty, and
in the district of Atholl, second only in magnitude to
Ben-y-gloe, Ben Dairg, or the red mountain, stands
dominant. At the right entrance of the pass, the little
white and lonely dwelling, called Bruar Lodge, lies a mere
speck beneath it. It consists of two small tenements
facing each other, encompassed by a wall, so as to form a
small court between them : one of these buildings serves
for the master and the other for his servants ; there is,
besides, a lodging-place for the hill men, rather frail in
structure, and a dog kennel of the same picturesque
character. Close by stands a black stack of peats. Down
winds the river Bruar through the glen, sometimes creeping
silently through the mossy stones, and at others raving,
maddening and bearing all before it, so that neither man
nor beast may withstand its violence. Nearly in front of
the little lodge is a wooden foot bridge, raised high above
the water, so as to give it a free passage. When Tortoise
flourished, this bridge, shot away by the floods, used to
make an annual excursion of some miles towards the
Garry, and was as regularly brought back again piecemeal,
by a train of carts every summer. Like the boat-bridge on
the Rhine, it might be termed a pont volant Some dis-
tance up the glen, towards the east, a lofty cataract falls
from the mountain side, whose waters find their way into
the Bruar ; and the head of the pass is obstructed by a chain
of mountains, so that it forms a sort of cul-de-sac.

On these hills grouse are most abundant ; and when they
are not shrouded in mist, there cannot be a more delightful

A COMRADE JOINS, 57

range for a sportsman. Tortoise, therefore, used to relax a
little on them after the severer exercise of deer-stalking,
when venison was plenty, and grouse scarce at the castle,
or when the wind was unfavourable for the pursuit of the
nobler game. By the favour of the lord of the forest,
Bruar Lodefe"^' was his occasional domicile. With all its
apertures he loved it dearly ; and it may be doubted
whether any monarch ever entered a palace, or any lady a
ball-room, with more absolute delight than he was wont to
enter this lonely abode. What, though the winds would
revel freely in it, and heave up the little carpet with an
unceasing undulation, still the table cloth was tolerably
tranquil, for the weight of the meal made it retain its
station ! What, though the parlour bell in the passage
would ring incessantly during the night, even when the
doors were closed, stimulated by the gentle violence of the
wind ; it was an ^olian harp to him ! What, though a
deluge of continuous rain, like the bursting of a water-
spout, would sometimes plunge down, and darken the
narrow glen, recalling the days of Deucalion and Pyrrha,
still there was a to-morrow, and then the mist would climb
the mountain tops, and the sun break forth anew in all its
refulgence !

Heaven be praised for these transient checks, they add
new vigour to our mind, and fresh zest to our sport.

But away with these reflections; for here comes my
friend, safely arrived over the dubious tracts of the
Badenoch mountains, fresh and eager for the sport.

" Well, Harry, I am delighted to see you arrived, and to
welcome you to my cabin ; how do you like our country ;
and how did you and your sheltie get across it ?"

" Country ! why it is a vast chaos of mountains, rocks,
and torrents ; I hit the track by a mere miracle, — you know
that well enough. I am aware that the descendants of the

* The noble proprietor of Bruar Lodge would have spared no trouble or
expense in making it as comfortable as possible for the writer of these
pages, and this was repeatedly and kindly pressed upon him at Blair ;
but, as almost all his time during the shooting season was spent at the
castle, he felt and expressed that every thing at the lodge was precisely as
he could wish ; and really, during a violent north wind and a raging
tempest (the particular time alluded to), it did not come within the scope
of a carpenter's or mason's craft to ward oflf the inroad of the elements.

58 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

Picts dwelt to the north, but without this previous in-
struction, I should be inclined to say, 'Nunc tevniinus
Britannioi patet ; — nulla jam ultra gens, nihil nisi fiuctus
et saxa ; so utterly desolate seems all around me. I dare
say we shall see Galgacus in the course of the day. But
pray let us go in ; the breakfast is prepared, and has a
most inviting appearance. Your men descried you on the
last hill-top with their glasses, and all is ready. I never
was more happy to see any one in my life ; for besides
other considerations, ' the air bites shrewdly ;' and I am
hungry past endurance. What a rascally hill that is at the
head of the pass ; my pony slid down it on his hocks, carr}^-
ing forward with him a rattling mass of stones and rubbish,
that now forms a talus, which, under ordinary circumstances,
ought to have been the work of ages."

What was dispatched at breakfast w^e may not say ; it
becomes us not, when in our own cabin, to record how often
empty plates were exchanged for full ones, or to say whether
the pasty was still a venison pasty, or only a simple unpre-
tending dish of earthenware ; let those who have felt the
mountain breeze, and all the freshness and salubrity it
imparts, form their own conclusions ; and we really can
assure them that, all things considered, we are not voracious,
that is, not particularly so, — on the contrary, we always
feel inclined to inculcate the doctrine of abstinence ; but
then we cannot very decently do tJiis to our own guests, so
you must excuse us for the present.

" Now, Harry, are you ready ?"

"In one moment, — just let me take another ^gg: and
with your permission I will put this broiled grouse in my
pocket, and a roll or two, and so forth. Now, then, for
this wonderful work."

'•Do you still hold your intention of taking no rifle ?"

" For to-day, yes, most decidedly ; I will keep cool,
and see the nature of the thing first. That is my firm
resolve."

" Well, I shall have three rifles with me, and you can use
mine whenever you feel inclined to do so. I will explain
the abstruse science to you, and all the meaning of our
operations as clearly as I can, and I hope they will awaken

ASCENT OF BEN DAIRG. 59

your interest. The men are ready, and the dogs are in the
leash, so let us sally forth. See, we must ascend this moun-
tain ; it is called Ben Dairg, which means the red hill ; and,
when we are near its summit, we shall be at the head of
•our cast."

" That will not take us long, I think, though it seems
pretty steep ; but the top is not far off."

"You cannot see the top from hence; but when we
arrive at the point, which you mistake for it, which is
a mere brae, the ascent is somewhat steeper, till you come
to a naked point of rock, and sundry large uncomfortable
stones."

" Well, thank heaven, there it ends at last."

" Wait a moment. Having reached this rock, a little
cairn serves as a mark for our course, and guides us to the
bare thin soil ; and when we are at that spot, why, then,
we shall see the top of the mountain. In fact, you must
have seen it yourself yesterday, if it was clear, which I
should doubt."

" I certainly did see a great mountain all the way before
me, which blocked out the hills to the north, and grew
bigger and bigger as I advanced, like a giant in a dream.
A thick mist clung around its summit, and I pitied the poor
eagles that were wheeling in the vapour. It made me dream
of precipices and vultures all night long. You don't mean
to say that we are to go there without a balloon. Why,
Chimborazo is a mole-hill to it !"

" No, we shall not go to the very summit; bii^ you are
walking so stoutly, that I am sure you will not be the last
of the party ; and, to say truth, the mist that sits on the
peak makes it look higher than it really is."

" Well, Davy, I see you have got Corrie and Tarff, and
you are right, for that eager devil Ossian pulled so hard
yesterday in the couples, that he must be quite unfit to go
out to-day. It was worse for him than running ten chases ;
why, you could scarcely hold him."

" I dinna ken what sort of work it war to him, but I ken
weel enough what it war to me, for he pulled me heels over
head twice, in rinning down Ben-y-gloe, to turn the deer,
him and anither, that's Oscar."

60 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

" To try to turn them, you mean, Davy, but they were-
over wilful, and gang'd their own waj'- in spite of you."

The party were now breasting the mountain, and soon
overcame the first ascent ; when, turning to the left, they
kept the northern side of Ben Dairg, and bore off towards
the east, till they arrived under that huge mass of large
gneiss and granite blocks which forms the summit of the
mountain. The ground here was strewed over with the
bones of calves (fawns), lambs, and moor-fowl, which had
fallen a prey to the fox, wild cat, or eagle ; and it was
settled that traps should be set for the depredators.

" What ! have you rabbits here ? I thought I saw one run
under the rocks."

" It must have been a white hare, which is nearly the
colour of a rabbit in summer, and occasionally burrows like
him. There are no rabbits here."

Lightfoot now suddenly seized the arm of his friend with
an earnest look and panting heart, and making a signal for
silence, pointed to a particular spot amidst the chaos of
granite blocks. There was a sort of " air of success about
him," that seemed to say he had made a capital hit; and, in
truth, his excitement appeared to be excessive : judge, then,
of his surprise and disappointment, when the only answer
he got was, — " Ay, those are ptarmigans : you can have a
a day at them when you have nothing better to do. They
are not worth our notice at present, — guarda, e passa."

They now turned up the hill to the south-east, and pro-
ceeded till they came to an immense block of granite which
stood upon the sky line of the hill; and then the gillies sat
down on the heather ; — he with the dogs in the leash, a
little apart from the rest.

" Is this the forest ? why, there is not a single tree or
bush within ten miles of us."

" You are nearly right there, Harry ; it is a forest only in
the sense of the chase ; wild as this immense tract is, how-
ever, every rock, corrie, cairn, and mountain is distinguished
by some particular name, ' nullum sine nomine saxum ;' and
there are numerous sub-divisions which indicate every pre-
cise spot, so that the men appointed to bring home the dead
deer, being thus told where they lie, never fail to find them.""

WILD SCENERY. 61

" And now what do you think of this wild region ? Do
you not always feel as if you were wandering in a new
world ? Here, everything bears the original impress of
nature, untouched by the hand of man since its creation.
That vast moor spread out below you ; this mass of huge
mountains heaving up their crests around you ; and those
peaks in the distance, faint almost as the sky itself, — give
the appearance of an extent boundless and sublime as the
ocean. In such a place as this, the wild Indian might fancy
himself on his own hunting grounds. Traverse all this
desolate tract, and you shall find no dwelling, nor sheep,
nor cow, nor horse, nor anything that can remind you of
domestic life ; you shall hear no sound but the rushing of
the torrent, or the notes of the wild animals, the natural
inhabitants ; you shall see only the moor fowl and the plover
flying before you from hillock to hillock, or the eagle soar-
ing aloft wdth his eye to the sun, or his wings wet with
mist.

" Nothing more shall you see, except the dun tenants of

the waste, which we are in search of, and these I hope to

fall in with long before we reach Blair. You have hitherto

seen nothing but our tame deer, with their palmated

branches, cooped up in ornamental parks ; and such are

picturesque enough ; but when I show you a Merd of these

magnificent animals, with their pointed and w^ide-spreading

antlers, ranging over this vast tract, free as the winds of

heaven, I think you will agree with me that there does not

"exist a more splendid or beautiful animal ; for whether he

is picking his scant food on the mountain tops, or wandering

in solitude through the birch groves, or cooling himself in

the streams, he gives grace, character, and unity to every

thing around him. How you feel I know not ; but when I

first trod these glorious hills, and breathed this pure air, I

almost seemed to be entering upon a new state of existence.

I felt an ardour and a sense of freedom that made me look

back with something like contempt upon the tame and

hedge-bound country of the South. Perhaps it is impolitic

thus to raise your expectations as to the chase; and, indeed,

it is impossible for me to describe the enthusiasm I felt

when I first began my career. In the pursuit, the stag's.

62 D^yS OF BEEB-STALKING.

motions are so noble, and his reasoning so acute, that,
believe me, I had rather follow one hart from morning till
night with the expectation of getting a shot (in which I
might be probably defeated), than have the best day's sport
with moor fowl that the hills could afford me. All your
powers of body and mind are called into action, and if they
are not properly exercised, the clever creature will inevitably
defeat yow : it is quite an aiFair of generalship ; and if you
have any thoughts of the army, I would advise you to scan
all our motions, that you may gain a knowledge of ground
and skirmishing." You will find that almost every step we
take has a meaning in it ; we shall creep along crafty paths,
between clefts and recesses, and make rapid and continuous
runs according to the various motions of the quarry; so
tha when the deer are afoot, the interest and excitement
will never flag for one single moment. See what a bound-
less field for action is here, and what a sense of power these
rifles give you, which are fatal at such an immense distance I
When you are in good training, and feel that you can
command the deer, your bodily powers being equal to take
every possible chance, the delight of this chase is excessive^
as I trust you will ere long experience ; — and here ends my
eulogy."

" Well, I have listened to you with great interest, for I
see your heart goes along with your words ; and I burn
with impatience to see a sport which every individual I
have met on this side of the Tay seems to be perfectly wild
about. Why, what a primitive country is this ; are there
any buffalos here V

" Not exactly."

" Nor wolves ?"

"Not at present; but sit you down quietly where you
are, whilst we look for the deer : you may amuse yourself
by eating the provender you put in your pocket at starting."

" No bad hint that ; will you have a little ? You won't ;
— oh, very well."

Tortoise and Peter Fraser now laid down their rifles on

* It is a fact that one of our most gallant and celebrated generals (why
should I forbear to mention Lord Lynedoch?) declared that he got his.
knowledge of ground in this forest.

A HART DISCOVERED. 63

the heather, put their caps in their pocket, and crept forward
on their hands and knees to a large granite block ; then,
cautiously peering over its summit, they began to examine
the ground with their telescopes steadily poised upon it. —
" Well, Peter, I can see nothing but those eternal hinds on
the Mealowr, and not a good hart amongst them: the
ground is quite bare; so jump up, and let us get round
the east of the Elrich, and see if there is anything in the
corrie. — Maclaren, what are you glowring at ?"

" Why, as sure as deid, I had a blink of a hart lying in
the bog by the burn under the Mealowr. But my prospect
is foul ; he is lying beyond that great black place in the
bog, joost in a line wi' thae hinds wha are on the scalp of
the hill aboon."

" And a noble fellow he is, Maclaren ; I can just see hi»
horns and the point of his shoulders. It is a glorious
chance ; for, once in the burn, we can get within a hundred
yards of him, and that is near enough in all conscience. —
Here, Lightfoot, look at the fine fellow; pull off your cap,
and rest the glass on the stone."

" Not the semblance of a deer can I see ; but I'll take
your word for it: I dare say he is there, since you say
so. And now explain to me how you mean to get at him ;
communicate, my good fellow ; for it seems, by all your
caution, that even at this distance you dare not show a hair
of your head."

" Creep back, then, behind the hill, whilst I mark the
very spot in the burn which is opposite his lair. — Well,
now I will tell you :

" We must go all round by the east behind yon hill, and
then come up at the notch between yon two hills, which
will bring us into the bog ; we can then come forward up
the burn under cover of its banks, and pass from thence
into the bog again by a side wind, when we may take his
broadside, and thus have at him. So let us make the best
of our way. It would be quite easy to get at the hart, if it
were not for the hinds on the top of the hill ; but if we
start them, and they go on belling, the hart will follow
them, whether he sees us or not. Get our wind he cannot.

" Well, Lightfoot, you have come on capitally ; and have

64 DATS OF DEER-STALKING.

hitherto been able to walk like a man, with your face erect
towards heaven. But now we are below the hill we must
imitate quadrupeds, or even eels, for an hour or so. You
have promised most faithfully to comply with my instruc-
tions ; so, pray, walk and creep behind me, and carry your-
self precisely as I do. Be like unto the dotterel, who,
according to the worthy and veracious Camden, stretches out
a wino: when the fowler extends his arm, and advances his
leg when the said fowler puts forth his corresponding limb.
Above all, be as silent as the grave ; and when you step
upon stones, tread as lightly as a ghost. If your back
aches insupportably, you may lie down and die ; but do not
raise yourself an inch to save your life, precious as it is. I
assure you I am in earnest when I press all this on your
attention, for it is absolutely necessary. Now let us put
our caps in our pockets. Heaven bless me ! do not raise up
your hair with your fingers in that manner. I assure you,
my good fellow, that just at present it would be much more
becoming to be bald, or to wear your hair like King Otho.

"Maclaren, you will remain here, and watch the deer
when I have fired. Sandy, follow you at a proper distance
with the dogs ; and come you along with us, Peter, and take
the rifles. And now, my lads, be canny."

The party then advanced, sometimes on their hands and
knees, through the deep seams of the bog, and again right
up the middle of the burn, winding their cautious course
according to the inequalities of the ground. Occasionally
the seams led in an adverse direction, and then they were
obliged to retrace their steps. This stealthy progress con-
tinued some time, till at length they came to some green
sward, where the ground was not so favourable. Here was
a great difficulty : it seemed barely possible to pass this
small piece of ground without discovery. Fraser, aware of
this, crept back, and explored the bog in a parallel direc-
tion, working his way like a mole, whilst the others re-
mained prostrate. Returning all wet and bemired, his long
serious face indicated a failure. This dangerous passage
then was to be attempted, since there was no better means
of approach. Tortoise, in low whispers, again entreated the
strictest caution.

WADING A BURN, 65

" Raise not a foot nor a hand ; let not a hair of your
head be seen ; but, as you value sport, imitate my motions
precisely: every thing depends upon this movement. This
spot once passed Successfully, we are safe from the hinds."

He then made a signal for Sandy to lie down with the
dogs ; and, placing himself flat on his stomach, began to
worm his way close under the low ridge of the bog ;
imitated most correctly and beautifully by the rest of the
party. The burn now came sheer up to intercept the
passage, and formed a pool under the bank, running deep
and drumly. The leader then turned his head round
slightly, and passed his hand along the grass as a sign for
Liofhtfoot to wreathe himself alonorside of him.

" Now, my good fellow, no remedy. If you do not like
a ducking, stay here ; but for Heaven's sake, if you do
remain, lie like a flounder till the shot is fired. Have no
curiosity, I pray and beseech you ; and speak, as I do, in a
low whisper."

" Pshaw, I can follow wherever you go, and in the same
position too."

" Bravo ! — here goes then. But for Heaven's sake do
not make a splash and noise in the water ; but go in as
quiet as a fish, and keep under the high bank, although it
is deeper there. There is a great nicety in going in pro-
perly : that is the difficult point. I believe it must be head
foremost ; but we must take care to keep our heels down as
we slide in, and not to w^et the rifles. — Hist, Peter : here lay
the rifles on the bank, and give them to me when I am in
the burn."

Tortoise then worked half his body over the bank, and,
stooping low, brought his hands up on a large granite stone
in the burn, with his breast to the water, and drew the rest
of his body after him as straight as he possibly could. He
was then half immersed, and getting close under the bank,
took the rifles. The rest followed admirably. In fact the
water was not so deep as it appeared to be, being scarcely
over the hips. They proceeded in this manner about twenty
yards, when, the ground being more favourable, they were
enabled to get on dry land.

" Do you think it will do ?"

66 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING,

" Hush ! hush ! — he has not seen us yet ; and yonder is
my mark. The deer lies opposite it to the south : he is
almost within gunshot even now."

A sign was given to Peter Fraser to come alongside, for
they were arrived at the spot from which it was necessary
to diverge into the moss. In breathless expectation they
now turned to the eastward, and crept forward through the
bog, to enable them to come in upon the flank of the hart,
who was lying with his head up wind, and would thus
present his broadside to the rifle w^hen he started ; whereas,
if they had gone in straight behind him, his haunches would
have been the only mark, and the shot would have been a
a disgraceful one. Now came the anxious moment. Every
thing hitherto had succeeded ; much valuable time had
been spent ; they had gone forward in every possible posi-
tion ; their hands and knees buried in bogs, wreathing on
their stomachs through the mire, or wading up the burns ;
and all this one brief moment might render futile, either
by means of a single throb of the pulse in the act of
firing, or a sudden rush of the deer, which w^ould take him
instantly out of sight. Tortoise raised his head slowly,
slowly, but saw not the quarry. By degrees he looked an
inch higher, when Peter plucked him suddenly by the arm,
and pointed. The tops of his horns alone w^ere to be seen
above the hole in the bog ; no more. Fraser looked anxious,
for well he knew that the first spring would take the deer
out of sight. A moment's pause, when the sportsman held
up his rifle steadily above the position of the hart's body ;
then, making a slight ticking noise, up sprang the deer ; as
instantly the shot was fired, and crack w^ent the ball right
against his ribs, as he was making his rush. Sandy now
ran forward with the dogs, but still as well concealed by the
ground as he could manage. .

" By heavens he is off*, and you have missed him ; and
here am I, wet, tarred, and feathered, and all for nothing ;
and I suppose you call this sport. If you had killed that
magnificent animal, I should have rejoiced in my plight ;
but to miss such a great beast as that ! — Here, Peter, come
and squeeze my clothes, and lay me out in the sun to dry.
I never saw so base a shot."

BOGS SLIPPED AT A WOUNDED DEEB. 67

" Hush, hush ! — keep down. Why the deer's safe enough »
Harry."

" By Jove, I think he is, for I see him going through the
moss as comfortably as possible."

" We must louse a doug, sir, or he will gang forrat to the
hill."

" Let go both of them ; it will be a fine chance for the
young dog ; but get on a little first, and put him on the
scent; the deer is so low in the bog that he cannot see him."

Fraser now went on with the hounds in the leash, sink-
ing, and recovering himself, and springing from the moss-
hags, till the dogs caught sight of the hart, and they were
slipped ; but the fine fellow was soon out of the bog, and
went over the top of the Mealowr. All went forward their
best pace, plunging in and out of the black mire, till they
came to the foot of the hill, and then with slackened pace
went panting up its steep acclivity.

" Now, Sandy, run forward to the right, if j^ou have a
run in you, and get a view with the glass all down the
burn of auld Heclan, and then come forwards towards Glen
Deery if you do not see the bay there. Come along, Harry,
the deer is shot through the body I tell 3^ou."

" Sangue di Diana ! what makes him run so, then ?"

" Hark ! I thought I heard the bay under the hill. — No ;
'twas the eagle ; it may be he is watching for his prey.
Hark again : do you hear them, Peter ?"

"I didna hear naething but the plevar; sure he canna
win farther forrat than auld Heclan ; he was sair donnered
at first, but he skelped it brawly afterwards : we shall see
them at the downcome."

True enough they did ; for when they passed over the
hill to the south, the voice of the hounds broke full upon
them, and they saw the magnificent creature standing on a
narrow projecting ledge of rock within the cleft, and in the
mid coarse of a mountain cataract; the upper fall plunged
down behind him, and the water, coursing through his
legs, dashed the spray and mist around him, and then at
one leap went plumb down to the abyss below; the rocks
closed in upon his flanks, and there he stood, bidding
defiance in his own mountain hold.

68 JDAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

Just at the edge of the precipice, and as it seemed on the
very brink of eternity, the dogs were baying him furiously;
one rush of the stag would have sent them down into the
chasm ; and in their fury they seemed wholly unconscious of
their danger. All drew in their breath, and shuddered at the
fatal chance that seemed momentarily about to take place.
Fortunately the stag (sensible perhaps of the extreme
peril of his own situation) showed less fight than wounded
deer are apt to do ; still the suspense was painfully exciting,
for the dogs were wholly at his mercy, and, as he menaced
with his antlers, they retreated backwards within an inch
of instant dissolution.

" For Heaven's sake, Lightfoot, stay quietly behind this
knoll, whilst I creep in and finish him. A moment's delay
may be fatal ; I must make sure work, for if he is not killed
outright, deer, dogs, and all, will inevitably roll over the
horrid precipice together. Ah, my poor, gallant Derig !"

" May your hand be steady, and your aim true, for my
nerves are on the rack, and yet I must own that it is the
most magnificent sight I ever beheld ; bayed by two furious
animals, and with the death-shot in his fair body, the noble
— the mighty hearted animal still bears up undaunted."

Tortoise listened not, — waited not for these remarks, but
crept round cannily, cannily, towards the fatal spot, looking
with extreme agitation at every motion of the dogs and
deer ; still he dared not hurry, though the moments were
so precious.

Of the two dogs that were at bay, Derig was the most
fierce and persevering ; the younger one had seen but little
sport, and waited at first upon the motions of the older,
nay, the better soldier ; but his spirit being at length
thoroughly roused, he fought at last fearlessly and inde-
pendently. Whenever the deer turned his antlers aside to
gore Tarflf, Derig seized the moment to fly at his throat,
but the motions of the hart were so rapid that the hound
was ever compelled to draw back, which retrograde motion
brought him frequently to the very verge of the precipice,
and it was probable, that as he always fronted the enemy,
he knew not, or, in the heat of the combat, had forgotten
the danger of his situation.

THE DOGS IN DANGEB.

The stag at length, being maddened with these vexatious
attacks, made a desperate stab at Derig, and, in avoiding it,
the poor dog at length lost his footing, — his hind legs
passed over the ledge of rock, and it now seemed impossible
for him to recover himself.

His life hung in the balance, and the fatal scale appeared
to preponderate. Still his fore legs bore upon the ledge,
and he scraped and strove with them to the utmost ; but,
as he had little or no support behind, he was in the position
of a drowning man, who attempts to get into a boat, and,
being also, like him, exhausted, the chances were consider-
ably against him. In struggling with his fore legs he
appeared to advance a little, and then to slip back again,
gasping painfully in the exertion ; at length he probably
found some slight bearing for the claws of his hind feet,
and, to the inexpressible relief of every one, he once more
recovered his footing, and sprang forward at the deer as
rash and wrathful as ever.

Tortoise had at length gained the proper spot, — the rifle
was then raised, — ^but when all hearts were beating high in
sudden and nervous expectation of a happy issue, the dogs
were unfortunately in such a position that a shot could not
be fired from above without risk to one of them, and the
danger was fearful as ever.

Three times was the aim thus taken and abandoned.
At length an opening : the crack of the gun was heard
faintly in the din of the waterfall ; — the ball passed through
the back of the deer's head, and down he dropped on the
spot, without a struggle.

" Cadde, come corpo morto cade."

The dogs now rushed forward, and seized him by the
throat; — so firm and savage was their grasp, that they
were with difficulty choked off. The men came cautiously
on the ledge of the rock, and began to take out the huge
creature, two at his fore legs, and two at his hind quarters,
and thus they lifted him out from the course of the torrent,
and laid his dun length upon the moss.

" Ou, what a bowkit beast ! Fende his haunches, and
see sic a bonny head 1"

70 DAYS OF DEERSTALKING.

" All, this is the best deer we have killed this year, Peter.
1 have not seem the like of him since the great monster I
felled on the Elrich, when you put two charges of powder
and two balls in my rifle ; and the man who cuts up the
deer so beautifully, at Blair, said he had a hole in his
shoulder large enough to put his fist in."

" Will ye never forget that, then ? But yer honour never
held better, and sure oughten'd a big deer to hae a big
load!"

" Admirably reasoned ; I had forgotten that, Peter. Now,
Lightfoot, what think you of deer-stalking ? "

" Why, now we have got the deer, I must own it is most
glorious sport ; from the time we began imitating all the
reptiles on the face of the earth, and bowing like the Per-
sian, my heart was throbbing with excitement. It appeared
as if all our craft and caution was to lead to some great end
— an end not easily attained ; which, you know, heightens
the pleasure of success : and then the bay was sublime —
positively awful ! To be plain with you, however, I did
not much relish gliding up the burn, trout fashion, not
being gifted with fins. And now I am more than ever
averse from Demaillet's theory, who conceived the globe to
have been covered with water for many thousand years,
and that, when the waters retreated, the inhabitants of the
sea became terrestrial animals, and that man himself began
his career as a fish."

"Well, we will have a good round of whiskey, and a
health to the lord of the forest, who will smile when he
sees this fine fellow. You got on most capitally."

" Why, yes, yes, pretty well over the moss-hags ; but that
confounded hill distressed me exceedingly ; — that, and the
grouse, mutton-chops, eggs, and rolls, venison pasty, etc.,
drew hard upon my wind, and I should not have been sorry
to have gone all fours again. But I rallied capitally — did
not I?"

"Rallied! why, I never saw you beat; and, to say the
truth, these mountains are not so formidable as they appear
to be. I have been more oppressed in walking over flats,
mashing turnips with my feet, after those little birds called
partridges, where the action of the muscles never changes.

f'

/^ ^^m

DEER AT BAY IN A TORRENT.

GBALLOCHING AND LAYING OUT. 71

than I have ever been on this varied ground, where the air
is so refreshing and elastic."

"Well, now you shall see the last offices paid."

"Ah, that plunging of your man's long knife into his
chest, which is followed by such a stream of blood, is a
very kind one indeed."

The deer, after having been thus bled, was opened and
gralloched.

"Eh, look to the white-puddins, sir, and see till the fat
in his brisket and inside, and just pass your hand over his
haunches. Lord, what a deer ! "

Lifjlitfoot felt his haunches as desired, and asserted that
they were enormously fat, with as much confidence as Par-
son Tralliber would have done, though his conscience told
him he knew nothing at all about the matter.

" Sandy, man, tak' the bag and white-puddins, and wash
them weel at the fall, and bring the bag full of water,
and we will rinse out his inside, and mak' clean work wi'
him."

This being performed, they turned his head back on his
shoulder, and covered it with peats, then shook over him
a little gunpowder, and tied a black flag to his horns, to
scare away the ravens. A few peats were heaped up in a
conspicuous place at a little distance, as a mark to show
where he was lying.

" A fair beginning ; now for another round of whiskey,
and then back to the head of our cast. As you complained
of being blown in going up the Mealowr, I must tell you
that there are some tracts of ground that are believed to be
so much under the power of enchantment, that he who
passes over any one of them would infallibly faint if he
did not use something for the support of nature ; it is
therefore customary to carry a piece of bread in one's
pocket to be eaten when one comes to what is called ' hun-
gry ground.' You ate enough, to be sure, but it was at the
wrong place."

" What a narrow escape Derig had! It reminds me of an
event which happened in Sutherland in the Dirriemore
Forest.

" A high-couraged dog was slipped after a deer among

72 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

the cliffs and crags on the eastern side of Klibreck. In the
heat and recklessness of pursuit, he fell down a sloping but
very steep precipice, and alighted on a narrow shelf formed
by a projecting piece of rock — in fact, precisely in such a
situation as my dogs were in, with the exception, that these
could be approached on one side, whereas this poor crea-
ture could neither ascend the steep bank from which he
tumbled down, nor find any practicable passage by which
he could escape from his terrible position. The rocks
opposed an insuperable obstruction from above, and the
precipice menaced certain death below. There was no
escape — no means of rescue; the spot could not be ap-
proached by man ; and the poor animal, expecting that
assistance from his master which it was impossible for him
to afford, kept up a continual howling for succour during
day and night. He continued to linger in this frightful
prison for several days, and the sounds of his voice grew
feebler and feebler, until they ended in a sharp kind of
whistle, interrupted by vain efforts to break out into a
bark. Every kind of project was considered, but no means
could be devised to save him, for the ground was of such a
nature, that no one could be lowered and pulled up by
means of a rope. At length, the faint sounds ceased — his
flesh was carried away by eagles, and his bones are still
whitening on the rock.

" Now, Lightfoot, you are once more a free agent, and
may get forward in the attitude most convenient to you ;
and pray talk as much as you please : ' minus via Iceclat.'
We have no chance of seeing deer for some time, all this
orround bein": disturbed."

" What ! are we to go through that confounded peat-bog
again ?"

" Do not disparage it, for it abounds in grouse ; and you
see how useful its black channels proved in concealing us.
I think its present state better for a sportsman than its
original one ; for, doubtless, it was formerly covered with
trees, and the change has been brought about by their fall,
and the stagnation of water caused by their trunks and
branches obstructing the free drainage of the atmospheric
w^aters, and thus giving rise, as you see, to a marsh : this,

MIBED IN A BOG. 73

Mr. Lyell has asserted of peat-mosses generally; and he
mentions also particularly, 'that in Mar Forest, large trunks
of Scotch fir, which had fallen from age and decay, were
soon immured in peat, formed partly out of their perishing
leaves and branches, and in part from the growth of other
plants.' In the Forest of AthoU, we find everywhere in
these boofs, roots of trees fixed to the subsoil, so that no
doubt can exist of their having grown on the spot. My
men dig some of them up annually, and they make ex-
cellent firewood, burning with great brilliancy, owing to
the quantity of turpentine they contain. The eminent
author I have quoted says also — 'It is curious to reflect
that considerable tracts have by these accidents been per-
manently sterilised, and that during a period when civilisa-
tion has been making a great progress, large areas of Europe
have been rendered less capable of administering to the
wants of man.* "

" I cannot quite assent to this latter remark of your
eminent geologist, since I opine that venison and moor fowl,
which the moss now nourishes, are incomparably better
than oat cake and mutton, and that one of your fine,
straight-limbed, sinewy Highlanders here are worth a
thousand of such lazy fellows as Tityrus, and all that class
of piping milksops : — aye, and Sir Walter Scott would have
made them more poetical too, or, at least, more interesting.
Hallo ! by Jove I'm in for it."

" Heaven bless you I you should never put your foot in
such a place as that, particularly when you are detracting
from the Mantuan bard. Never mind, we will get you out
presently. Here, Sandy, take you the right arm, whilst I
lay hold of the other ; now then — once — twice — thrice —
and out you come, rather blacker to be sure, but quite as
well as ever. Sandy, give Peter the dogs, and just scrape
off* the black dirt from Mr. Lightfoot with your deer knife,
unless he wishes to enact the Moor of Venice."

(Peter Fraser, touching his hat.) " There's no such moor
here awa', yer honour."

" These things will happen, but custom will make you
better acquainted with such traps : let the ground look ever
6

74 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

so bad, however, you may tread in perfect safety whenever
you see stones lying about in it."

" Much obliged for your posthumous advice ; but if I
had been alone and had sunk in this bottomless bog, I
should have been buried alive, and advertised for as
missing."

" Something of that nature might probably have
occurred; but I must tell you for your solace, in case of
any future accident, that peat* has wonderful antiseptic
properties, and that you would have remained, though
dead, in perfect preservation. Many instances are re-
corded of bodies so buried having been found fresh and
unimpaired after a long lapse of years ; and particularly
the body of a woman was found six feet deep in the Isle
of Anxholme in Lincolnshire : the antique sandals on her
feet afforded evidence of her having been buried there for
many ages ; yet her hair, nails, and skin are described as
having shown scarcely any marks of decay.* Thus you
might have been exhumed after a few centuries, and put in
a niche for the admiration of posterity, like the dried bodies
at Monreale in Sicily, which are by no means alarmingly
ugly, as I can testify."

" Highly alluring, certainly ; I am glad, however, I was
taken out for all that."

" Well, we shall now go along by the burn side, where
the ground is firm, and then up that mountain which
heaves its narrow back so high in the air. You have now
seen what is termed a quiet shot ; and I hope to show you
sport of another description before we reach Blair, for all
our best ground is to come. See, we are to go up this hill
which leads to Cairn-Cherie ; it will conduct us to the top
of yonder grey summit, called Ben-y-venie, and there we
shall have a fine command over all the deer that may chance
to be within miles of it."

" Upon my word you try me hard, and, I believe, really
wish to prove your peat's antiseptic qualities upon my frail
body. The aerial perspective of that mountain's crest is

*Ly ell's Geology.

A HERD DISCOVERED. 'Jo

•exceedingly alarming ; your soil is culpably ambitious and

aspiring —

Superas evadere ad Anras,

Hoc opus, Lie labor est.

I thought myself as good as any of you at first, but that
struggle up the Meal-ower (I think you call it) undeceived
me. A hundred yards of such a steep is, as Falstaff says,
* three score and ten miles to me.' But by Jove I'll have a
pull for it ; andlamo dwnqiie, andiamo pwre, and now
beat me again, if you can."

The party proceeded obliquely up the hill eastwards, the
files coverino' each other, and all maskinof themselves as
much as possible behind knolls and blocks of gneiss or
granite, under cover of which they repeatedly examined
the country with their glasses. Had the fate of a whole
army been dependent upon discovering and circumventing
an ambuscade, no better tact or caution could have been
observed. And now they had just gained such an ascend-
ancy of the mountain, as would enable them to examine
Glen Mark and the hill side beyond it, called Sroin-a-chro.
This was an anxious time for the ground was so pre-
cipitous, or, in other words, so favourable for the sport, and
Tortoise was so intimately acquainted with it, that good
success might be expected if there was no lack of deer.
The little party took care to keep below the sky lines ; and
all lay down in the heather except Tortoise and Fraser,
who crept forward on their hands and knees without
their caps, and then extended themselves on the ground,
resting their glasses on the little eminence in front of them :
these they moved slowly and steadily to all the favourite
^pots.

" Nae thing can I see forebye a few hinds on the
Craggan-breach. Surely the glen can no want for harts ?"

" Heaven forbid, Peter ; but I fear it does, unless they
•are lying further on. There is a great deal of ground which
we cannot see from hence, you know."

Fraser now looked intently for a long while at the same
spot, and would pay no heed to any thing that was said to
him. But when at length he turned back his head, there
was such a relaxing smile on his face, as made it perfectly

76 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

beautiful to a sportsman. These, indeed, were Peter's
handsome moments, — illuminations that shot across his
countenance like the sun-o^leam on the moor.

" Now, where are they, Peter ? for I see you have found
them at last. Your eyes are ever the best."

" Creep back, — low, low. They are lying in yon corrie,.
rather high up. Hey, what fine harts ! Ane, twa, three,
four ; there are eight a'-the-gither ; twa of them are royal,
and twa mair there are wi' wide heads and few branches,
and these, I ken, are the fattest and bonniest of the lot :
haud weel to them. Sir, if you have a chance."

"Never fear. Ah, now I see them. You said nothing
about the hinds, whereof there are several ; and one nasty,
lop-eared imp there is, some way to the south, before the
rest ; and if we are foiled, as I fear we shall be, this beast
will do it, for she was born for mischief."

" Hist, hist, Maclaren, come you here. Take the glass-
and examine the deer well, and most particularly that
sentinel to the south, for she is the beast you must dress to
when you start the deer. Take care and be well forward
when you show above her, but so that the harts in the rear
of the parcel do not get your wind. But it is useless to
give you any instructions, for you know what to do as well
as I can tell you ; only take care they do not go tailing
down the glen, and break off over Aukmark-moor. The
wind you ken is full south, and a difficult job it will be ta
make them cross."

Maclaren looked long and intently at the deer, and not
only ascertained their exact position, but examined all the
rest of the ground, to see if there were any other deer that
were likely to join them. He then sat down with a thought-
ful countenance, every now and then plucking little pieces
of grass, biting them, and flinging them away, like one in
perplexity.

" I'm thinking it'll be no that aisy to get them owcr
Ben-y-venie ; but I shall try to pit them intill your ground
at ony gait. The beast will be unco kittle to dale with.
Ye'll be patient. Sir, and gie me time."

" If they do not come it will not be for lack of skill, or
good will on your part, Mac, for a more clever or willing

THE GAEL'S PBOVIDENCE. 77

man never trod the hills, — in sight and out of it, alike to
be depended upon."

" Now, Davy, a word with you. What is that sticking
out in the right pocket of your jacket ? "
" That's joost the whiskey."

" And what is that great lump in your left pocket ? "
" That's in my left ! Why, then, that's joost the ither
whiskey."

" But you seem to have something pretty considerable in
the right pocket of your trowsers; what may that be, Davy ?"
" That's the wee bit pewter whiskey flask, yer honour."
" Then that protuberance opposite, on the left ? "
" Why sure is'nt that the ither pewter flask ? "
" Well, Davy, thou art most judiciously balanced, and
thy providence is much to be commended ; just take out
one of the large bottles, and let us see what it is like. Now
for the pewter cups, and fill round to every one, that they
may drink good success to our manoeuvres. You are a
perfect walking cellar, Davy ; how many bins of whiskey
you have about you I cannot precisely say ; but we will
have compassion on you, for at any rate you are heavily
laden. Just give one of the flasks to Peter Maclaren; —
nay, give it man, and leave a black bottle with Sandy ;
and now to your posts. Sandy, set you ofl" for Ben-y-chait."
" Upon my word, Mr. General Tortoise, you are a very
mysterious person ; I have listened very attentively to all
you have said, and silent I have been, as not presuming to
interrupt the jargon of so consummate a general. As for
the deer, I do not see them, though I have been looking
through the glass this long while ; but it seems you are
going to put some manoeuvre in practice, and I will thank
you to tell me what your exquisite plan may be. You
<lon't mean to say that you can get near deer in such an
open country as this ? "

" That is as it may be : we shall have to wait here about
forty minutes, when I will disclose and illustrate ; but I
must first start Peter Maclaren. Now take your whiskey,
and away with you, Peter."

Away went the clean-limbed hill-man down the moun-
tain, skipping over the hillocks, diving, vanishing, and

78 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

reappearing with a bound upon the moss-hags, like a stone
hurled downwards in pure pastime. Arrived in the glen,
he kept twisting and lurching in the darkest coloured
ground, and, by making a circuit, managed to cross the
stream out of sight of the o^ame. Here we will leave him
for the present, full of the importance of his embassy, and
sensible that all his movements would be seen and canvassed.
While the sportsmen were lying down in the heather
awaiting the event of Maclaren's mission. Tortoise pointed
out the various features and nature of the wild tract of
country that lay around them.

" We are now," says he, " on Ben-y-venie, which means
the middle hill, or if you delight more in its other appel-
lation, on Beinn-a-Wheadhounedh. That bulky, round
headed mountain to the right is Ben-y-chait, from which
we are separated by Glen Dirie. The mountain tract to
the left consists of Cragro-an-breach, Sroin-a-chro, and Cairn-
marnach. And this deep glen to the east is Glen Mark.
You see by the indistinctness of the objects, how deep it
lies beneath us ; the river that runs through it in beautiful
curves, as if loth to leave the solitary pass, is called the
Mark : listen attentively, and you will hear a faint, hollow
noise coming up the glen from afar ; this is the sound of its
waters falling into the Tilt. Some few miles away to the
south, it forces its passage through a gloomy channel
between the mountain crags, then dives through groves
of birch wood ; after which begins its ceaseless toil, — it
rushes headlong into the Tilt, — for ever doomed to struggle
with still more turbulent waters.

" Beyond these glens and mountains, many a mile and
many a hill top lie between us and the end of our cast, and
the whole is terminated by large pine woods.

" So much for our ground. You will soon see what we
are attempting to do with those deer. In sportsman's
language we have the command of this mountain, as well
as of the glens and hill-sides on each hand of us, or at least
we shall have it, when the men are arrived at their posts ;
for one of them will be on Ben-y-chait, on our right, and
the other on Sroin-a-chro, on our left : we shall remain on
this hill in the centre, and they will endeavour to put the

PATIENCE IN BEQUEST. 79

deer on our hill. This, it is evident from the wild and open
nature of the country, cannot be done by actual driving,
but depends entirely upon skilful manoeuvring, which I do
not endeavour to explain at present, because you are about
to see it put in execution.

" Do you see Maclaren, Peter Fraser ? "

" He has louped the burn, and is in the moss forenent the
crags."

" Now, as I was saying, Harry, I have not much hope
that we shall get at these harts, but I make it a rule to try
every possible chance. If we get them on our ground once,
it shall go hard but we will keep them there the whole of
the day. I think you will find this stalking in double quick
time far more beautiful and excitinsj than the o^ettinor a
quiet shot."

'•' Is Maclaren behind the hill, Peter ?"

" No, no, he canna be that far as yet. You ken that
yoursel'."

" That getting a quiet shot, Harry, has its charms, I must
confess : the threading of the winding passages through
bogs, up watercourses, and secret places in every possible
attitude, except that adapted to the nature of a two-legged
animal, is certainly picturesque and exciting. But then it
is a sort of assassination ; and you never get the intellect of
the animal to bear against you, or see his motions, but steal
upon him like a thief."

" For heaven's sake, my good friend, do not prose any
longer, but tell me at once how the deuce we who are
sitting here have any chance of getting a shot at those
deer which are fifty miles beyond us. I long to be in
action."

" Adagio, adagio, you shall see. Do not be impatient, ray
good fellow ; I will not be chary of instruction when time
shall serve. — Why, Peter, what the deuce is Maclaren about ;
will he never get behind the hill : are we to be kept here
all day ?"

" Why sure ye'll no be expectin' he'll be there the noo : he
canna win that far in twanty minutes."

" Well, w^ell ; the time seemed longer."

" So, as I was saying, Lightfoot, you must not in this

80 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

case be impatient, but rather imitate the discreet Fabius.
He would have been a capital hand at a quiet shot."

" Aye, and a capital proser too. But will you not 'j;ive
me leave to imitate you, my incomprehensible master, who
have been fidgetting about, looking at your watch, taking
up your rifles, and putting them down again a hundred
times, and are as restless as a hy?ena in a cage ? A pretty
sort of Fabius you are yourself."

" No, no, never mind me ; it's only a way I have : or
perhaps I consider patience as King Charles did morality :
he loved it, he said, though he did not practise it. But I
would advise you to — - — . By the powers ! I see him
now ; he is sitting down above the deer, and examining
them with his glass. What a capital fellow; he has not
been more than half an hour. Now he is looking at us for
a signal : open your waistcoat, and show your shirt, Peter.
— He sees it : now he is goinor forward behind the hill, and
will soon start them."

" Lightfoot, come you here, and observe the beautiful
motions of these animals, which to me are as entertaining
as any part of the sport ; but should the deer come near
us, pray be mute as a fish, and as quiet as the most
magnanimous mouse ; keeping your hair smoothed down
like unto those fair nymphs at Portsmouth, beloved of the
sailors, who comb it straight in front, and cut it to the pat-
tern of a bowl-dish."

" Now, take my glass — one of Dolland's best, it is — stay,
I will direct it to the proper spot : look intently — keep the
glass as steady as possible — and when the deer are in mo-
tion, and group together, you will be sure to distinguish
them, though they are not so easily seen at present."

" Now, indeed, I do actually see them ; what beautiful
creatures! They are all standing up, and gazing at the
summit of the hill. How stately the stags look with their
jutting necks and towering antlers. Are you sure they are
not elks? Gad, I think they are. How they are moving
forward to the hind in advance, which you seem to have
such an antipathy to. What in the world makes them shift
their quarters ?"

"Why, Maclaren is nearly opposite to them, but at a

THE HEED TAKE ALARM. 81

great distance above, behind the swell of the hill, and
doubtless has just shown them the top of his bonnet over
the sky-line ; but they are all going wrong, and do not seem
inclined to accommodate us."

" They are not much alarmed, I think, for now they are
standing still, and the hind has walked back a few paces,
and is gazing up the hill again ; the others seem to watch
her motions, and to be guided by her judgment; whilst the
harts appear to give themselves very little trouble about
the matter."

"No, the lazy rascals ! but we may rouse yet. Yes, they
are alarmed, or, more properly speaking, suspicious. They
have that sort of discretion which makes them run away
in cases of danger ; but you can never frighten them out
of their wits with so small a force as ours. They are deli-
berately trying to make out what is going on before they
decide upon the direction of their retreat, and are too proud
to fly without evident cause. But just keep your eye upon
them ; Maclaren will not let them off thus ; he will make a
push for it at any rate."

And so it seems he did ; for in a few minutes they turned
aside, and came a little wa}^ down the hill, gazing in a fresh
direction more towards the south.

" By Jove, they are turning ! — capital ! — well done, Mac-
laren ! "

" Why how the deuce now did he manage that ; and what
has made them alter their course ? Why, your men are
almost as clever as the deer : upon my life this is very
entertaining, especially now the herd are coming towards
us ; I feel my heart rioting and beating against the heather."

" Doubtless, when he saw the deer o-oino- southwards, he
slipped back cannily behind the hill, ran like an antelope,
and then came in again over the sky-line, and showed him-
self partially more in front of them. Faith, I see him now
with my glass sitting very composedly on that crag that
hangs over the glen ; his legs seem to be dangling in mid
air. That is right, Maclaren ; let well alone. The deer
cannot see you, I know, my man, though we can. One point
at least is now gained ; for I am happy to tell you they will
never resume their first direction, for the slight dubious

82 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

glimpse they had of the hill-man's bonnet makes them sus-
pect an ambush in that quarter; but when they descend
into this glen, which, as you see, lies some three thousand
feet below us, they may go straight forward to the south,
which will be equally bad, avoid our hill entirely, and extri-
cate themselves from the Caudine Forks without a shot.
But I hope Maclaren may match them yet."

" You will think this is slow work, and so indeed it is
just at present ; but if things go favourably, take my word
for it, you will have no reason to complain on that score.
We shall try your wind again, my good fellow, I promise
you. But at any rate it is no little matter to see the
graceful motions of the deer, and mark their intelligence
and sagacity. See, now they stop, and examine all the
glen before they venture rashly into it ; they scan every
part of the ground, and gaze so intently that no object can
escape them that lies within the limit of their vision.

" I may as well tell you, that if the hill-man had come
down right upon them in the first or second instance, and
endeavoured to drive them as one drives sheep, they would
immediately have raced away straight south, right up
the wind, and have soon been out of our cast. When
they see their enemy, they easily discover his drift, and
take pretty good care to defeat it. See how carefully they
march, like a retreating army, with their front and rear
guard."

" Beautiful ! and with such measured steps : so stately,
winding down that horrid rocky precipice, which I should
have thought impassable by living beast. — What are our
firmest resolves ? I shall take one of the rifles, if they
come near enough, notwithstanding my previous determina-
tion, for this day I mean to immortalise myself."

" I am rejoiced to hear you say so : and now we must
crawl farther forward, for the deer are fast sinking below
out of our sight ; already they are at the bottom of the
glen, on the banks of the Mark ; and now, Peter, after all
this trouble, I fear our chance is gone, for they are all going
straight down the glen, and will not cross to us."

Here Peter pressed the master's arm, and pointed.
^" Did you no see yon parcel of hinds there towards the

DECIDED COURSE TAKEN. 83

shank of our hill ? they canna chuse but join them, and they
will come ; but it will be low doon."

And now the skilful missionary, who had a clear and
commanding view of all these things, began to set to work
in a more determined manner ; he pressed forward rapidly,
still out of sight of both parcels of deer ; till at length, when
he came sufficiently forward, he dashed down the hill in
full view, shouting, hallooing, and hurling stones down the
mountain with all his might, — S'oino^ to and fro as the
deer shifted, — slipping, clambering, and tumbling, in such
perilous places as would have endangered the life of a
mountain goat. Greatly to be feared he was, as Polyphemus,
when he hurled the rock at the Sicilian lovers ; but not
Maclaren, or Polypheme himself could have put these
reasoning animals into any state of confusion ; for, being
too distant from the tumult to be under any apprehension
of immediate danger, they continued to be perfectly de-
liberate in all their movements : it was like calm dignity
opposed to passion.

The hinds last mentioned, which were opposite them, on
Ben-y-venie, collected and wheeled about, much admiring
what all these strange noises might portend. Now had the
decisive moment arrived when the thinof must terminate
either one way or the other.

But let us see what the rifle-men are about. When they
saw the hill-man storming, and heard the stones coursing
each other down the crags, they were aware that no time
was to be lost. Tortoise pressed his friend's arm : —

" Now, then, or never ! — creep back quickly, and prepare
for action ; for, by Heme the hunter, they are coming ; low,
low, for heaven's sake ! We must get on to that large
stone, and they will all come into our very mouths. Now,
then, forward ! take this rifle, and hold well at the best
antlers when time shall serve; be steady, and fire well
forward, taking care not to drop the gun when you pull the
trigger. By Jove ! I see the points of their horns. Run
low, — low, for heaven's sake ! this is not our time. Hark,
I hear them in the crags."

The faint clatter of their hoofs was indeed heard by all,
as they were picking their way obliquely along the rocky

84 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

ridge ; and the stones that they put in motion coursed each
other down the steep, and gave forth a sound, which, becom-
ing fainter and fainter, died gradually away, as they rolled
into the depth below.

But how uncertain are all the chances of the chase !
How Fortune loves to baffle us ! and how wise the Romans
were to worship her as a deity, and erect a temple to her
honour !

The goddess sulked unpropitious, and her frowns were
met by Tortoise with the following eloquent exclamations,
uttered, as was meet, sotto voce —

" Death and destruction ! they are turning away. Oh,
what a fine chance lost ; they were coming up so beauti-
fully 1 Confound ye all, ye regular set of misbegotten imps,
don't you know your own minds ? But you shall have a
run for it yet. — GuMi a vol, anime prave !

" Come along your best pace, Harry, for the hinds are
started, and our parcel is racing up to them ; keep you
above me, which will save you ground ; and, Peter, do you
stalk the deer, and I will stalk you, which will give me a
pull also. We will make a push for it yet."

In pursuance of this arrangement, Fraser peered down at
the deer's horns, over the ribs of the hill side, ducking,
skipping, and running, so as to keep out of their sight, and
nearly along side of them, — the riflemen above keeping
parallel to him, and dressing according to his motions. The
deer, however, were steady to their tactics, for they were
resolved not to come over the steep part of the hill, where,
by losing the wind, they might come unawares on an
enemy ; thus they were rapidly advancing towards the foot
of the hill, where the slope was so open and gradual that
they could see a long way in advance, and consequently
could not be suddenly surprised.

When Tortoise saw how unfavourably things continued
to go, he persisted no longer in the same direction, which
would only have given the deer a fresh start, and hurried
them on to an impracticable distance, without any possible
chance of his coming within shot of them.

Thus, whilst there was yet time, he turned suddenly to
the right, and went rapidly over the hill in a new direction ;

DIFFICULT DESCENT. 85

for as the herd had never seen him or any of his party, he
judged they would remain for some time at least on the
round swell of the hill below, which they were now
approaching.

This continued exertion was a severe draught upon the
vigour of the party ; deplored by all, but by none more
deeply than by the newly initiated sportsman ; in fact, he
was wholly unequal to it, — his limbs faltered, his knees
trembled, and his breath came short and loud, till, quite
exhausted, he lay down on the moor a solitary and forsaken
man, while his inhuman companions persisted in their
course. His spirit, however, was unbroken ; for as soon as
his wind was a little recruited, he got up and followed in
the line.

And now Tortoise and Peter Fraser had reached the crags
on the opposite side of the hill, towards the west. Here
was an absolute precipice, and large angular stones were
lying down it, with their edges uppermost. Happy was
the foot that did not slide down upon their sharp ridges,
and charmed was the leg that was not either cut or broken
by them. The two practised hill-men, nothing dizzy, picked
up their legs like cats, and went down pretty fast ; having"^
once begun the descent, indeed, it was not very easy to stop,
so headlong was the steep.

And here I am sorry to be obliged to relate a circum-
stance that, for the sake of their credit, I would gladly have
concealed, namely, that, from the time of their first rapid
start, they never once took care of their companion, and,
indeed, had as completely forgotten him as if he had never
been of their party ; so absorbed had they been in stalking,
and so absolutely necessary was it for them to act precisely
as they had done, or to throw away a capital chance.

The struggle now was to get under the hill, on the side
opposite to that part which the deer were crossing, so as to
arrive there in time to take them as they passed down over
the boll of it, still preserving the wind. Arrived at length
at this desired spot, breathless, flushed, and covered with
perspiration, they crept forward and wormed themselves-
through the heather, till, from behind a small knoll, they
saw the deer feeding forward very leisurely, but still restless.

<S(j DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

and with their sentinels looking back towards the east.
And now the heat of the manoeuvre being ended, they began
once more to think of Lightfoot ; and Tortoise, putting his
mouth close to Peter Fraser's ear, as he lay on the ground
beside him, desired him in a low whisper to beckon him
alongside of them. "Here is a glorious chancel" said he,"
" and I would not have him lose it on any account."

" And it's mair the pity he's no here to tak the chance ;
but I have been speering aboot, and canna light on him.
Sure as deith, then, but I see him the noo ! eh, that's him,
Jiigh up in the crags. Lord, Lord I what shall we do ? it is
an unco' fashions place for a stranger : he canna win forrat
by himsel at ony gait."

" We should have considered that before, Peter ; but creep
back, and send Davy after him, with a caution how to brinop
him into the ground properly. The dogs will be back in
time ; and I trust he may yet join us before the deer cross.
Speed, Davy, speed I"

Away went Davy over moss and crag, and up the steep,
waving his bonnet to the vexed sportsman; but there w^as
no charm in Davy's signs sufficiently powerful to induce
Lightfoot to alter that' method of descent which he himself
judged most conducive to the preservation of his existence.
In vain did the herald keep sawing the air with his bonnet,
still advancing to the rescue. Our hero found his head
swimming, and very wisel}^ gave up the upright position,
and made his way on his hands and knees, as best befitted
his unhappy condition. At length the messenger reached
and assisted him, and the crags once passed, both came for-
ward rapidly.

Fraser, who had been peeping from time to time through
a bunch of heather, now pressed Tortoise's arm and whis-
pered, "Be ready, — they are coming!" Both were lying
Hat on the heather, with the rifles on the ground, on one of
which Tortoise had his hand ; but, as yet, he did not raise
it. They lay still as death till some hinds passed within
an easy shot ; next came a four-year-old hart, which was
suffered to pass also : the better harts were following in the
same direction, and the points of their horns were just com-
ing in sight, when lo 1 Lightfoot, who liad that moment

A SUCCESSFUL SHOT. 87

come into the ground, fired at the small hart which was
galloping away gaily, and gaily did he still continue to
gallop. This injudicious shot (which of course turned the
other deer) struck woe and dismay into the soul of Tortoise ;
up he sprang, and dashed forward, but it was only to see
an antler or two vanishing out of sight under the swell of
the ground ; still he went on as fleetly as ever he ran in his
life, cutting off to the point where he expected the deer
would reappear in crossing the bottom. There he arrived
just in time to get a long shot at the last deer that was
passing. He stopt short as an Arab's courser, and, standing
at once firm and collected, took a deliberate aim at him.
The crack of the ball could not be mistaken ; it was that
particular smack which it makes, distinct from any other,
when a deer is stricken.

Davy came forward with the dogs at the well-known
sound, followed by Lightfoot ; the whole party then lay
quietly down in the heather, Peter Fraser being enjoined
to examine the herd as they passed up the opposite heights,
and keep his eye on the wounded hart. This is always the
surest way of recovering him, for if you press him, and he
is not hit deadly, he will get forward in the middle of the
herd, whilst his wound is fresh, and run with the other deer,
in such a manner as will most probably occasion you to
lose him ; but, on the contrary, when he is not urged for-
ward, and sees no one in pursuit of him, his wounded part
stiffens, and he seeks ease by slackening his pace, or, if
badly wounded, by falling out altogether from the rest of
the herd ; and if he is not badly wounded, you must lose
him at any rate, — at least you will have no better chance
with him than with his companions.

" Now tell me, my way-worn and much injured friend,
what made you shoot at that little deer ?"

" A little deer ! a little deer ! hand credo — I thought he
was an enormous monster !"

" I must reply as Master Dull, the constable, did to the
erudite Holofernes, — ' 'Twas not a haud credo, 'twas a
pricket.' Extremely juvenile he is, I promise you ; but
you will soon distinguish better. It would have been a
<lead loss to the forest to have slain him, for his flesh now

DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

i.s worthless ; whereas, in two years more, he will be fine
venison. But I would have borne all the blame at the
castle, in requital for your good temper in not scolding me
for leaving you on the crags of Ben-y-venie. But hinds
and harts wait for no man ; and, moreover, I should have
given up a fair chance had I waited, without conferring any
benefit upon you."

" Aye, food for eagles I might have been. All fair, all
fair ; — I undertook to follow you, and could not, that's all ;
and, to do you justice, you never looked behind. ' You have
a straight back, Hal, and care not who sees it.' I am con-
vinced that you have cloven feet, like Pan, or that fellow
with a worse name (whom, out of deference to you I for-
bear to mention), or you never could have galloped down
that fearful precipice like a chamois. It made me giddy
at once ; my head reeled, and I was a lost man — an abso-
lute nonentity, wounded and heart-broken."

"And heartily glad am I that you are found again; with-
out bruises you intimate, I may not say, but without broken
bones at least I may, at any rate. But console yourself ;
you are not to blame, but rather your half-boots. Get the
proper material in future, — thick shoes with nails, or Scotch
brogues —

• The hardy brogue, a' sewed wi' whang,
"With London shoes can bide the bang,
O'er moss and muir with them to gang.' '•'

* By the foot of Pharaoh,' as Captain Bobadil says, but this
must be amended.

"Peter, do you see the wounded deer amongst the lot
which are foremost ?"

" Na, na, he's no there ; he'll be coming up ahint."
" Give me the glass ; I see him plainly enough : he is
shot through the body, rather far behind, and cannot go
far. Now one of the deer is licking his wound — now he
beocins to falter — now he turns aside, and sends a wistful
look after his companions, who are fast leaving him, happy
and free as the air we breathe. He is making another effort
to regain them — poor fellow ! it may not be; you shall never

* Galloway's Poems.

A DEER-HOUND SLIPPED, 89

join them more. Never again shall you roam with them
over the grey mountains — never more brave the storm to-
gether— sun your red flanks in the corrie — or go panting
down to your wonted streams; — 'brief has been your dwell-
ing on the moor !'

" And now I am resolutely determined never to fire at a
deer again — ^no, never whilst I live. It is a barbarous and
inhuman practice ; the act of a savage, and ought to be
punished by branding, hanging, or at least by transporta-
tion for life. There — (flings down his rifle) — lie there,
thou villain ! ' hie cestus artemque repono.' "

" They're a' ganging right, yer Honour, and we shall have
them again beyond Cairn Dairg Moor."

" By Jupiter ! so we shall, Peter. Here, give me my rifle,
most humane of men, and I will aye make a clean shot in
future."

" And I have seen you mak' clean shots half through the
season ; but the wee bit ball will whiles tak' his ain course;
— naethinor mair wilfu'."

" Now then, Peter, take Percy, and get the wounded hart to
bay : a fine fellow he is. I need not caution you to pass the
scent of the herd before you lay him on. There is no hurry.
In the mean time I will load my rifle myself, and then,
Peter (you ken what I mean), we shall have no more broken
ramrods."

" Did I brak a ramrod since last Tuesday ?"

" Indeed you did not, my good fellow ; you only rendered
a powder-horn unfit for service ; but I would rather have
my ramrods broken daily, in the excitement and hurry of
the moment by a dear lover of the sport like you, than
have my rifles loaded carefully, slowly, and mechanically,
by a tame and lukewarm sportsman. Here, take a glass of
whiskey, Peter.

" Now, Lightfoot, we will wait here till we see the dog
laid on. I am vain, you know, of my hounds, and Percy is
one of my best. You see what a pace Peter is going "with
my favourite in the leash pulling him onward all the way ;
— now they are dashing through the stream — now he breasts
the hill, and has passed the track of the herd, and is trying to
find the slot of the wounded deer — he has it ! — Percy scents
7

90 I>AYS OF DEERSTALKING.

it too, and pulls down the leash, straining his nose to the
ground ; — do look at the eager fellow !

" He is slipped, and has overrun the scent : see what a
cast he makes, with all the dash of a foxhound united to the
speed of a greyhound : — beautiful ! — there — he has it, and
the deer is before him, going down towards the Tilt : come
along, then ; and follow you, Davy, with the other dog."

Off ran the sportsmen to the river Mark at their best
enduring speed, and so on to the Tilt, where they expected
at once to find the bay, but they w^ere wofully mistaken.
After having followed the wild romantic course of that im-
petuous torrent for some time, they overtook Peter Fraser,
who seemed as much at a loss as themselves ; still they
kept running on, and at length came upon the track through
a birch grove. Here and there they found the grey stones
dyed with drops of blood : now, all were sure they heard
the baying of the hound ; but, although they kept advanc-
ing with their utmost speed over rock and ridge, through
burn and cataract, it died away and was lost : again it was
renewed ; and the sound ceased as before. This was very
strange! what should make a stag so badly wounded break
his bay in such a manner ? But Percy would never leave
him, come what might. Once more, in rounding a point,
they heard the bay distinctly, and not far distant. They
gained upon it, and soon the fatal truth broke upon them,
filled them with astonishment. Could it have been believed
that, amongst the lonely woods of Glen Tilt, reserved alone
for ducal sports — sacred as the harem : where neither
stranger nor traveller w^ere permitted to put a foot unbid-
den— in a country where the chase, and its customs, and its
laws, were so well recognised and understood — could it
have been believed, I say, that a mortal could be found so
rash as to constitute himself the lord of the chase, setting
aside the laws of the Medes and Persians ? Yet there
figured such a monument of audacity. He seemed to be
a young man ; certainly he had all the vigour and activity
of youth. He shouted with all his might, rushed into the
water, assailed the deer with stones, and tried to get in
upon him and fell him with a sort of bludgeon which he
brandished. A kilted Highlander was running towards

A STBANGE ADVENTURE. 91

him, and, as it seemed, endeavouring to call him off; then
came forth a general shout of invective from all the party
as they ran forward. High above the rest rose the guttural
sounds of the iracund forester.

In the midst of this tumult the hart broke bay, laboured
out from the Tilt, and went heavily along through the
birchen grove, being evidently much exhausted. Percy
followed close upon his traces ; then came the wild hunts-
man with whoop and hallo, dashing over knoll and rock,
through bog and through burn, till he fairly vanished from
the view.

" Contremuit nemus, et silvae intonuere profundae."

" The man's dementit. But sure it's na man, ava' ; it's
joost the kelpie ; him that left the print of his fut on the
muckle stane up bye forenent the Tilt, where he grapt the
deer ; and the deer's fut is there, too, — ye'll ha seen it
yoursel' sir." *

Toiling and jaded, the sportsmen followed as best they
might, replete with wrath, and venting threats of vengeance
from time to time as their breath permitted ; but not one
inch could they gain on the fleet-footed stranger. They
came up with the Highlander, however, and made him go
on with them as a prisoner. A word or two passed between
him and the hill-man, who, it seems, knew him.

Percy's deep tongue again echoed through the pass, and
it was hoped that the bay would last long enough to allow
them to come up ; if it did not, they had no expectation of
outrunning a being whom some of the party took to be
supernatural.

At length the stag was quite exhausted, and stood again
at bay in the midst of the rushing waters. Always fore-
most, superior to every obstacle, and flaming with ardour,
in plunged the reckless sportsman, intent, as it seemed, on
close combat. Already was he making his approaches with
uplifted club, when Tortoise, who had gained upon him
during the bay, raised his rifle from a distance, — the ball
whizzed close by the assailant, and down floated the mighfcy
hart, a lifeless thing !

These impressions actually exist at present, ciiiite perfect, in the place

alluded to.

92 DAYS OF DEERSTALKING,

The stranger splashed after him, rushed at him, and was.
the first to grip him and drag him towards the shore, till
the hill-men came up and took the affair into their own
hands.

When protracted torments, however acute, terminate in
complete success, it is astonishing how suddenly all precon-
ceived anger ends with them. Considunt venti fugiuntque
nubes. Thus it was with Tortoise ; and when he saw the
open, happy countenance of the English stranger, who
accosted him as if he had performed the most serviceable
feat in the world, he could not forbear laughing outright.

" Fine sport, sir," said the wild huntsman ; — " glorious
sport ! — butjyou finished it a little too soon ; I would you
had let me come at him again, — I would fain have plucked
the laurel."

" I believe, sir, we are indebted to you for having
protracted the good sport so long ; for owing to your very
valorous exertion we have pursued that noble fellow some
miles farther than we had calculated upon."

" I am too happy, sir, to have been the means of affording
you any assistance. I am not a regularly trained sports-
man, whatever you may think ; but some encounters of
this sort have happened to me before ; so that, perhaps, I
may say, ' Sono ancK io cacciatore! "

" You may say so, indeed, if it so pleases you."

All were now intent upon the deer, which was a first-
rate one : he had few points to his horns, being one of those
originally marked out as the fattest ; he was beautifully
cleaned, and all the operations being carefully performed.
Tortoise thought it high time to satisfy his curiosity. He
learned from the Sassenach that he was an artist, and
travelled over the country, making sketches, with a light
knapsack at his back; he had come that morning from
Badenoch, and the Highlander before mentioned was his
guide. He was a man, f actus ad unguem, and a magnificent
walker, and at once recognised by the hill-men as the
painter who came to Blair two years before, and took
Macintyre, with the Duke's permission, as his guide to
Braemar forest. Now, Macintyre was one of the stoutest
walkers in Atholl ; no step was lighter or more elastic up

ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAB. 93

the mountain, — none steadier or more iron-like when he
bounded down the steep : to him was given strength,
activity, and endurance of fatigue, beyond the common lot
of man ; he knew his superiority, and was proud of showing
it; but, intent as he was in making a grand display to
astonish the artist, he found himself totally discomfited.
"" The de'il was in the man ; he skelped awa quite aisy,
with a wee bit knapsack and umbrella to boot ; " and
•although Mac very cannily slipped a few stones into the
knapsack, he was beat the whole way ; and it was a laugh
against him to his dying day.

The artist having hinted that these sort of encounters
had chanced to him before, Tortoise drew from him the
following account of one of them : —

He had walked over Norway on a sketching tour, and
once joined a party of Norsemen who were ringing the
bear. He carried no fire-arms, he said, like the rest of the
party, always preferring close combat; — nothing but his
sketching stool. This, when produced, was found to be a
circular piece of heavy oak timber, divided into three parts,
fitting closely, so as to unite, and rivetted together in the
centre ; but when detached by a sort of twist, the extremi-
ties were spread, — the lower ones forming feet, and the
upper ones a seat, by hitching some sort of sacking on their
points. The thing is a sketching stool in common use, —
his only differed from others by being made of the most
solid oak, so that in good hands it was a very effective
weapon ; and it was with this that he had been attacking
the stag.

" I was on skidor," said he, " which you know is a sort of
long wooden skate, which enables you to get over the snow
at a quick pace, — rather unmanageable, however, by a
novice like myself. A young bear having been discovered
in a cave, I begged he might be put at my discretion, and
that we might have a combat a Voutrance. They talked
a great deal of nonsense about danger, but at length the
point was conceded. I roused the beast with a great stone,
which hit him somewhere on the os frontis. Out came
Bruin with a growl, and I then belaboured him over the
head, and I really believe I should have had the best of it.

94 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

being pretty expert at single-stick, could I have made any
impression on the beast ; but he only shook his head a
little, as if he dissented from my conduct. He seemed
much given to apathy — indeed I never saw a more phleg-
matic animal; nevertheless he kept advancing upon me,
and, at length, in spite of my blows, which were numerous
and heavy, reared himself on his hind legs, and fairly got
me within his foul hug. I assure you, upon my credit, I
never felt more uncomfortable in my life; but the Nor-
wegians, taking the alarm, ran in and dispatched him with
their long knives : for this they received my forgiveness,
though the combat was somewhat sullied, the rather, as I
found the beast was powerful and resolutely inclined,
though I would willingly have had a longer tussle with
him. He is not a very terrible animal after all, but, on the
contrary, somewhat too loving and close in his embraces,
whereof I felt the effects for a considerable time afterwards.

" But, really, your Norwegian is always too hasty with
his weapons. As an instance of what I say, I must tell
you that I went with one of these barbarous huntsmen in
quest of a salmon. Day after day, and week after week,
did I toil without success ; believe me, sir, in all that time
I never saw a fin. At last the long-desired moment came,
— I hooked a prodigious monster ; the natives were
astounded at his portentous size, — nay, some went so far as
to say that he was no salmon, but the great sea-snake,
called Jormungandr, in person, whom Thor fished for with
a bull's head ; but it proved to be a salmon after all, and
not the great sea-snake.

" Soon after I hooked him he made a prodigious rush,
which brought him on the channel in bare water ; the
officious Norwegian immediately tucked a large iron hook
into him, which was fastened to the end of a long stick, and
fairly hauled him ashore.

" Being extremely disappointed to find my sport termi-
nate so suddenly, I obliged him to put the fish back into
the river, that I might kill him secundwrn artem. This
he was at length persuaded to do, though I must say he
performed it with a very bad grace.

" The fish, once more in his element, began to exhibit

A WOBD OF ADVICE. 95

most astonishing power and activity, bending my rod like
a willow wand, and making my arms quiver again ; his
runs were so strenuous and rapid, that one of my fingers
coming in contact with the line, was deeply cut by it.
After various manoeuvres on his part (which I would fain
hope I defeated with some degree of dexterity), he at length
darted down the stream, and ran out nearly all my line ;
then he shot suddenly across the river, and went up under
the opposite bank : I pulled strenuously, but my line
seemed fixed to one particular spot; and whilst I was
looking at that spot, where I conceived the monster to be,
I just glimpsed him about twenty yards above, lunging out
of the river, lashing his huge tail, and towing my tackle
after him. Soon after this my line came up quite easily,
and upon examination I found it about fifteen yards minus
of its fair proportion. As for the salmon, I never saw or
heard of him again."

" Aye ! In Scotland this is what we call being drowned ;
meaning that the line is so, the action of the current and
weight of water forming it into an immense curve, from
which position it can with difiiculty be extricated; but
when you next hook any thing resembling Jormungandr,
you had better endeavour to take the management into
your own hands, and not suffer the snake or salmon, as it
may be, to manage you ; and if he runs out your line with
a rush down the stream, follow, wind up, and keep above
him ; should he then attempt to cross, keep your line as
short as you can, hold your rod aloft, and give him the
butt. For if you once suffer him to cross to the opposite
bank with so long a line as you appear to have had, he will
not become your property — never shall you rejoice over his
tinselled sides as he lies glittering on the pebbles. Some
water-elf (for such, I am told, there are in Norway) never
fails to interpose a great stone or rock between you and
your fish ; you toddle up the river all too late ; and your
tackle, assuming Hogarth's line of beauty, bears against
this obstruction ; the salmon pulling on one side against
the concealed rock, and you unwittingly on the other ; so
that betwixt your united efforts, a fracture must inevitably
take place, were your line even as strong as that used in

96 D^YS OF DEEIi-STALKING.

trolling for the great water-bull of yore, when they baited
with a sheep's head. My advice conies somewhat late, to
be sure ; but it may be of service to you hereafter.

" But you really came too late into the world, sir, and;
should rather have flourished in the time of the Lapithae
I am convinced you would have been as wonderful as the
best of them, at least the poets would have made you so,
which, when a man is dead, you know, is the same thing ;
and, indeed, had you to-day advanced much closer in the
combat with this dun beast, you might by this time have
been a ghost, and taken your rank amongst the shades of
Ossian's heroes. His horns stab fiercely, and when attacked
he is altogether very redoubtable.

" Still I do homage to your wonderful activity, as well
as to your gallant bearing : overtake you we could not,
practised and trained as we are ; though this may be in
some measure accounted for from our previous exertions —
the extent of w^hich you will comprehend when I tell you
that we brought this stag from yon mountain top, w^hich
you see melting into air in the extreme distance — and that
from the said point to the place where we now stand, we
have pulled up but twice, and that but for a brief space.
We have had some sharp bursts, I promise you, which you
have been pleased to extend : my friend, whom you see
coming up, will bear witness to this. But really, now all
is well over, I am much gratified at the pleasure you have
received. We do not see such sets-to every day."

The wounded stag had by this awkward encounter taken
the deer-stalkers so far out of their cast, that the day's
sport was considered as ended. So the whiskey-bottle went
round, and all were gossipping together like brothers.

The Highlander was a well-known good companion,
pretty considerably addicted to poaching, like many of his
compeers ; but in this instance he well knew that he could
not appropriate the deer, and that the rifleman must be in
pursuit, so that he would willingly have stopped the
stranger, had it been in his power to overtake him.

There was a great deal of merriment between the Atholl
men and this Highlander, who was the Gown-cromb, or
blacksmith, of some village in Badenoch. He was taxed,

THE GAELIC EDEN. 97

but in a merry mood, with many dexterous feats of poach-
ing, and drivinof the duke's deer to the north, when the
wind served, which he did not altogether deny.

" Well," said Tortoise, " take some more whiskey, and a
pinch of snuff from my mull ; but you must not steal the
duke's deer, man"

" Hout-tout ! Ye're a true Sassenach, an' the like o' ye
chiels aye ca' liftin' stealin', which is na joost Christian-
like."

" Well, what would you give for such bonny braes and
birks and rivers as are in the forest of Atholl, if they could
be transferred to your wild country ?"

" And are there nae bonny braes and birks in Badenoch ?
Ye're joost as bad as our minister ; but fat need the man
say ony thing mair aboot the matter, fan I tell 'im that I'll
prove, frae his ain Bible, ony day he likes, that the Lios-
mor, as we ca' the great garden in Gaelic, stood in its day
joost far the muir o' Badenoch lies noo, an' in nae ither place
aneth the sun; isna there an island in the Loch Lhinne
that bears the name o' the Liosmor to this blessed day ? fan
I tell you that, an' that I hae seen the island mysel, fa can
doot my word ?"

" But, Mac, the Bible says the garden was planted east-
ward, in Eden."

" Hout ! aye ; but that disna say but the garden micht
be in Badenoch ! for Eden is a Gaelic word for a river, an'
am shaire there's nae want o' them there ; an' as for its
bein' east o'er, that is, when Adam planted the Liosmor, he
sat in a bonny bothan on a brae in Lochaber, an' nae doot
lukit eastwar' to Badenoch, an' saw a'thing sproutin' an
growin' atween im an' the sun fan it cam ripplin o'er the
braes frae Atholl in the braw simmer mornings."

" But, Mac, the Bible further says, they took fig leaves
and made themselves aprons ; you cannot say that figs ever
grew in Badenoch."

" Hout-tout ! there's naebody can tell fat grew in Bade-
noch i' the days of the Liosmor ; an' altho' nae figs grow
noo, there's mony a bonny fiag runs yet o'er the braes o'
both Badenoch and Lochaber. It was fiag's skins, an' no fig
blades that they made claes o'. Fiag, I maun tell you, is

98 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

Lochaber Gaelic for a deer to this day ; an' fan the auld
guidman was getting his repreef for takin' an apple frae the
guidwife, a' the beasties in Liosmor cam roon them, an*
among the rest twa bonny raes ; an' fan the guidman said,
.'See how miserable we twa are left: there stands a' the
bonny beasties weel clad in their ain hair, an' here we
stand shame-faced and nakit — aweel, fan the twa raes
heard that, they lap oot o' their skins, for very love to
their sufFerin' maister, as any true clansman wad do to this
day. Fan the guidman saw this, he drew ae flag's skin on
her nainsel', an the tither o'er the guidwife : noo, let me tell
ye, thae were the first kilts in the world."

" By this account, Mac, our first parents spoke Gaelic."
" An' fat ither had they to spake, tell me ? Our minister
says they spoke Hebrew ; and fat's Hebrew but Gaelic, the
warst o' Gaelic, let alane Welsh Gaelic."

" Well done, Mac ; success to you and your Gaelic."
" Success to me an' my Gaelic ! I tell ye that the Hieland
Society, or Gaelic Society, or a' the societies in the world,
canna ca' again' my Gaelic ! noi; the name or origin o' the
first dress worn by man, for —

' Ere the laird cardit, or the lady span.
In flags' skins their hale race ran.' "

" We would require proof for this, Mac."

" Proof, man ! disna your Bible say, ' cursed is the ground
for Adam's sake,' an' that curse lies on Badenoch an Loch-
aber to this day; for if there be in all Scotland a mair
blastit poverty-stricken part than 'ither o' the twa, may
Themus Mac-na-Toishach's auld een never see it ! an' for the
truth o' fat I'm saying, its joost as true as any story of the
kind that's been tauld this mony a day : let them contradic
me fa can."

Thus the Gown-cromb's wit at length fairly got the better
of his patriotism.

HOOKING AN OTTER. 99

CHAPTER III.

Forests of Badenoch, their rights and divisions.— Legend of Prince Charles. — Cluny Mac-
pherson. — Adventure with a wolf.— Macpherson of Braekally.— Children lost on a.
moor. — Sportsmen benighted. — Witchcraft. — Uncomfortable position.— Eraser's
cairn. — Boundaries of Gawiclt. — Fate of Walter Cumming-.— Wrath of a fairi*. —
Destructive avalanche.— Convivial resolution.— Arrival at Bruar Lodge during the
night-storm.

The sun went down behind the hill,

The moor grew dim and stern ;
And soon an utter darkness fell

O'er mountain, rock, and burn.

The party now separated, the artist being bound for Blair.
Tortoise and his friend struck across the hills towards Bruar
Lodge, from which they were about eight or nine miles
distant.

" Not bad, that supposition of our friend the artist," said
Tortoise, " that he had hooked the great sea-snake ; but one
does hook strange things sometimes; as, for instance, Mr.
James Rose, a friend of Mr. Skene of Rubislaw, was fishing
on his property in the river Dee, it was snowing very
thickly, and he had on his line a large fly, full four inches
long, called there the black dog. In a short time he hooked
what he conceived to be a fine strong salmon, who, however,
worked as salmon never worked before, dragging the fisher-
man down the stream at the top of his speed, and making
his arms quiver again ; at length, to his great surprise, the
animal began to give tongue, and he found he had hooked
an otter by the muzzle. This increased his ardour, and he
dashed along, at some risk, through the water, and over
great blocks of stone, till at length a high projecting rock
impeded his progress. Mr. Rose, however, was determined
enough to throw himself into the Dee, and swim for some
distance, rod in hand, after the otter ; but unfortunately,
his tackle failed, and the brute at length got ofi*. Probably,
however, he was killed afterwards; for a tenant of Mr.
Skene, whose house was close to the water, was awakened
one clear frosty night by screams and extraordinary sounds
issuing from the river : he arose quickly, under an impres-
sion that some one had fallen into the Dee ; when, to his
relief, he descried two otters upon a large mass of floating

100 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

ice, fighting for a salmon, which they had dragged upon it.
They were screeching and yelling in fierce combat. The
man loaded his gun, and fired at them with success ; for
when he arrived with his boat, he found one of the otters
killed, and a beautiful salmon of twenty pounds beside him,
with a piece only bit out of his throat ; he got a good price
for the otter's skin, and fed his family with the salmon.

"And now, as we are journeying on," said Tortoise, "I
will endeavour to lighten the way by giving you a true
description of the Badenoch country. I am putting to-
gether a short account of the principal forests in Scotland,
and I meant to have reserved Badenoch for your perusal
with the rest ; but as you have just passed through a large
tract of it, — and as the Gown-cromb rather libelled his own
country, and, moreover, gave you but an apocryphal version
of its history, I will take this opportunity of telling mine.

" The account I am about to relate, as well as I can from
memory, was most obligingly given to me by Cluny Mac-
pherson, chief of Clanchattan, a very celebrated and accom-
plished sportsman. Thus, then, it runs : —

" The Earls of Huntly possessed in former times by far
the most extensive range of hills and deer forests in Great
Britain; they commenced at Benavon, in Banffshire, and
terminated at Ben-nivis, near Fort- William, a distance of
about seventy miles without a break, with the exception of
the small estate of Rothiemurcus, which is scarcely two miles
in breadth where it intersects the forest.

" This immense tract of land was divided into seven dis-
tinct portions, each of which was given in charge to the
most influential gentleman in its neighbourhood. The
names of the divisions or forests were, — firstly, Benavon,
in Banffshire : secondly, Glenmore, including Cairngorm ;
thirdly, Brae-f eshie ; fourthly, Gaick ; "^ fifthly, Drumnach-
der ; sixthly, Benalder, including Farrow ; and, lastly, Loch-
treig, which extended from the Badenoch march to Ben-nevis;
these are all in Inverness-shire.

" These divisions are very extensive ; Benavon compre-
hends about twenty square miles, Glenmore the same

* Spelt also Oawicky and Oaig.

DEER IN BADENOCH. IQl

quantity, Brae-feshie about fifteen, Gaick about thirty,
Drumnachder twenty-five, Benalder fifty, and Lochtreig'
sixty ; in all about two hundred and twenty square miles.

" The whole of this vast tract was not solely appropriated
for breeding deer, for tenants were allowed to erect shiel-
ings on the confines of the forest, and their cattle were
permitted to pasture as far as they chose during the day,
but they were bound to bring them back to the shielings
in the evenings ; and such as were left in the forest over
night were liable to be poinded.

" These regulations answered very well between Huntly
and his tenants, but they made an opening for small
proprietors, who held in fee from the Gordon family, to
make encroachments, and in course of time to acquire a
property to which they had not the smallest legal title.

" In other respects, rights were more rigidly adhered to ;
for the old forest laws, which were exceedingly severe,
were enforced to the utmost in this district ; mutilation,
and even death, were resorted to. It is upon record, that
Donald of Keppoch hanged one of his own clan, in order to
appease Oluny Macpherson for depredations committed in
the forest of Benalder ; and it is a known fact, that another
person, called John Our (John the swarthy), had an eye
put out, and his right arm amputated, for a similar ofience ;
and it is also said, that he even killed deer afterwards, in
that mutilated condition.

" No alteration took place in these forests till after the
Rebellion of 1745, when the whole was let for grazing,
with the exception of Gaick, which the Duke of Gordon
continued as a deer forest until about the year 1788, when
it was let as a sheep walk, and continued so until 1816,
when the late Duke of Gordon (then Marquis of Huntly)
re-established it ; and it is now rented by Sir Joseph
Radcliffe. But in consequence of cattle being admitted to
summer grazing, the present number of deer, as I am
informed, is not great ; probably not more than between
two or three hundred. The deer in this forest are small,
and chiefiy hinds ; but, in all the other named forests, it
was not uncommon to kill harts that weighed twenty-four
stone, and even up to twenty-seven, imperial weight.

102 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

" The forest of Benalder is now rented by the Marquis of
Abercorn, from Cluny Macpherson, chief of Clanchattan;
but as the sheep were only turned off in 1836, there are
not many deer in it as yet ; still, as the Marquis of Bread-
albane's forest is not far distant, they will, no doubt,
accumulate rapidly under such excellent management.

" This forest lies on the north-west side of Loch Erroch,
and contains an area of from thirty to thirty-five square
miles : the position .is in a south-west direction ; the
boundary on that side is the small river Alder; on the
north-west it is limited by Beallach-na-dhu (the dark vale),
and the river Coolroth (which signifies a narrow and rapid
stream) ; and on the east it is bounded by Loch Pallag and
the hill of Farrow.

" The mountains are lofty, probably near 4000 feet above
the level of the sea, and many of them of picturesque
character and majestic appearance. I must not omit, that
there is a lake of two miles in circumference, at an elevation
of at least 2500 feet, called Loch Beallach-a-Bhea (the Loch
of the Birchin Gap). So much for the boundaries, extent,
and character of this celebrated domain.

"The legends connected with this forest are numerous
and interesting. In Benalder is a cave which gave shelter
to Prince Charles Stuart for about three months after he
made his escape from the Islands, where he so imprudently
entangled himself. When he came to Benalder, he was in
a most deplorable state — covered with rags and vermin;
but there he was treated with kindness and hospitality;
and during the period of his stay, he made considerable
progress in the Gaelic language. Cluny Macpherson and
Lochiel, faithful, high-minded, and loyal, were his constant
companions ; and they were attended by a few trusty
Highlanders, who carried to him every necessary, and
many of the luxuries of life.

" Cluny had generally the charge of this forest in olden
times. On one occasion, a nephew of his, a young man,
met a party of the Macgregors of Rannoch, who were
upon a hunting excursion: there were six of them; but
Macpherson, who had still a stronger party, demanded their
arms : to this the Macgregor leader consented, with the

CLUNY MACPHEBSON. 103

exception of his own arms, which he declared should not be
given to any but to Cluny in person. Macpherson, how-
ever, persisted in disarming the whole, and in the attempt
to seize Macgregor, was shot dead upon the spot. The
Macgregors immediately fled, and effected their escape :
one alone suffered, who was wounded in the leg, and- died
from loss of blood.

" This unlucky circumstance was attended with no
farther evil consequences — no lasting animosity — no secret
vow of mutual extermination ; but, contrary to usual
custom, it had the effect of renewing an ancient treaty
between the two clans, for mutual protection and support.

"When Cluny Macpherson resolved upon departing to
France, on account of the share he had in the affair of 1745,
he called upon a gentleman with whom he was intimate,
and who was a noted deer-stalker (Mr. Macdonald of
Tulloch), and said that he wished to kill one more hart
before quitting his native country for ever : the proposal
was cheerfully accepted by Macdonald, and they proceeded
to Benalder accordingly.

"They soon discovered a solitary stag on the top of a
mountain ; but just as they had stalked almost within shot
of him, he started off* at full speed, and went on end for
about two miles ; he then stood for a few minutes, as if
considering whether he had any real cause for alarm, and
at length deliberately walked back to the very spot from
which he first started, and was shot dead by Cluny. This
circumstance was considered a good omen, and the pros-
perous interpretation was not falsified by future events.

" As for the forest of Glenmore, I would advise you to
keep clear of it, unless, like the northern champions of old,
you delight in encounters with military spectres ; for it is
said to be haunted by a fairy knight or spirit called Lham-
deargh, in the array of an ancient warrior, having a bloody
hand, from which he takes his name. He challenges those
he meets to do battle with him; and as lately as 1G69
he fought with three brothers one after another, who
immediately died thereafter.*

* Account of Strathspey, apud Macfarlane's MSS.

104 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

" I must now tell you of an adventure that happened to
Mr. Macpherson of Braekally, when he had the charge of
the forest of Benalder. He sallied forth one morninof, as
he was wont, in quest of venison, accompanied by his
servant. In the course of their travel they found a wolf-
den (a wolf being at that time by no means a rarity in the
forest). Macpherson asked his servant whether he would
prefer going into the den to destroy the cubs, or remain
outside and guard against the approach of the old ones.
The servant preferring an uncertain to a certain danger,
said he would remain without ; but here Sandy had mis-
calculated, for, to his great dismay, the dam came raging to
the mouth of the cave ; which, no sooner did he see, than
he took to his heels incontinently, without even warning
his master of the danger. Macpherson, however, being an
active, resolute man, and expert at his weapons, succeeded
in killing the old wolf as well as the cubs ; and in coming
out of the den espied his servant about a mile off, to whom
he beckoned ; and, with scarcely a remark upon his cowardly
conduct, told him, that as it was now late, he intended to
remain that night in a bothy at Dalenluncart, a little dis-
tance off. They accordingly proceeded to this bothy, and it
was quite dark by the time they reached it.

" Macpherson, on putting his hand on the bed to procure
dry heather for lighting a pipe, discovered a dead body ;
and without taking any notice of the circumstance, merely
remarked, — ' I don't like this bothy ; we will proceed to
Callaig, about a mile off, where we shall be better accom-
modated.' They accordingly went to this other bothy ; and
on arriving there, Macpherson pretended that he had left
his powder-horn in the bothy they had just quitted, and
desired his servant to go after it, telling him that he would
find it upon the bed. The servant did as he was desired ;
but instead of finding the powder-horn, he placed his hand
upon the dead man ; which, to one of his poor nerves, was
a terrible shock. He then hurried back in great agitation ;
and, on reaching the other bothy, found it, to his great
dismay, dark and deserted, his master having set off home-
wards so soon as he had started for the powder-horn.
Terrified beyond m easure at this second event, he proceeded

INSTANCES OF LONGEVITY. 105

home, a distance of about twelve miles of dreary hill, where
he arrived early in the morning ; but the fright had nearly
cost him his life, for he fell into a fever, and it was many
weeks before he recovered.

" This Macpherson of Braekally was commonly called
Galium Beg, or Little Malcolm ; and there is reason to
believe that he was one of those who fought in the famous
battle of the Inch of Perth, in the reign of Robert the
Third.

" An affecting circumstance happened in this district
many years ago. Two children of tender age wandered
from a neighbouring shieling in search of berries and wild
flowers, and such pastime as innocent and happy souls
delight in : — they never returned to their lonely dwelling ;
but after an anxious search, and a lapse of many days,
were found dead, and locked in each other's arms. The
place is still called Laggan-na-cloine-a-Caouch, or, the
Hollow of the Affectionate Children.

" To recur to the deer, I must tell you, that it is con-
fidently asserted that a white hind continued to be seen
in Benalder for two hundred years ; and there is at this
present time a hind which was marked twenty years ago :
she is well known to the shepherds, from the circumstance
of both ears being cut off, which gives her an appearance
too remarkable to be mistaken. There was also a large
hart, well known in the forest for a period of thirty years ;
— he was said to carry eighteen branches. He has dis-
appeared, however, during the last three years ; but it has
not been ascertained what has become of him, — whether he
has been killed, died a natural death, or has changed his
ground. There is now also a hart, which has been remarked
for many years ; he has a very peculiar formation of antlers,
and it is well ascertained that he was shot through the body
seven years ago, and is now perfectly recovered. I mention
this chiefly to prove, from other evidence than my own, that
a deer that has been wounded, has ever afterwards his horns
deformed."

" My story, I fear, has been a tedious one, but happily for

*Vide p. 29. Chap. I. on the Nature and Habits of Red Deer.
8

106 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

you I must now come to a stop, for all your attention will
be required in picking your road ; we have some very un-
comfortable ground to pass over. Had the moon kept clear
we might have made our way tolerably well, but that black
cloud has completely mystified us."

In truth, it had become so impenetrably dark, that it
was impossible to distinguish the nature of the moor, —
whether the foot was to alight upon the top of the moss
hag, or to sink down in the bog ; the burns themselves,
which ran silently, were not discernible, — no light from the
sky being reflected on them. Each man struggled on as
best he might ; but the hill-men supported Lightfoot with
that kind care and hospitable attention, which is the charac-
teristic of every Highlander, from the highest to the lowest.

" Ye niun gang cannily, sir, an dinna pit yer fut doon
rashly, for the bog is deep, it'll tak ye up to the weem ;
mony's the beast that has been lost in it. It was na lang
sin' Sandy Macgregor, him that drives the cattle, lost his
bonny cow, — the milk had been takken afore by some in-
veesable hand, or may be by the evil eye, and then the
beast was gone a-the-gither. For twa days he lookit ower
a' the green grazings, where aiblins she micht have strayed ;
aweel, on the third day, he saw the gathering of the ravens,
and the waving of the wings, and the wheeling aboot in the
air, and heard the hoarse croakings ; and when he wim to
the place, there was his bonny beast stuck fast, stark deid,
a wee bit to the wast of whar yer honor stands the noo ; and
the foul birds had pickit out his een, and ate his flesh.
They say that if Sandy had found the cow when the hide
was fresh, and had takken it aff, and wrapped himsel in it,
raony strange things would he have heard that nicht on the
moor. Wha can say what thae birds may be, gin they were
in their ain proper shape."

" All this is excellent comfort, my good friend ; but why
did you bring me here, to devote me to your bog kelpies, — do
you wish to see another beastie lost, and food for the raven?"

" God bless you, sir, baud up, and dinna be afeard, ye
shall no come to harm ; tak my hand, and joost feel the
moss a wee bit afore ye trust till it. Sandy, man, gang f orrit
a step or twa."

UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION. 107

Sandy did as he was desired, and a loud splashing was
almost immediately heard, like to the rising of a muckle
salmon, when he attempts to spring up the falls of the
Garry.

" Sandy, man, I'm thinking ye've got intill the burn."
" It's nae burn ava', it's joost a deep pool. Ye mun keep
raair to the wast. Its fearfu' dark, and as sure as deid the
€vil spirit is abraid, — he couldna have harmed me in the
burn, for you ken he has nae power in rinnin water. I am
as weel acquent wi' this moss by day and by nicht as ony
man in Atholl, and never pool was there here afore."
" In pool or ford can nane be smur'd,
Gin kelpie be nae there."

To describe the toil of the party through these bogs, pits,
and moss hags, would be only to utter a repetition of the
same disasters. The darkness was so deep that the men
could not distinguish each other ; and although their foot-
steps fell cautiously, yet not one of the party escaped con-
tinual floundering ; the individual wrath and vexation was
at first at a pretty high pitch ; but with the exception of a
slight exclamation or so, it was most philosophically sup-
pressed. And when at length all were found to be in
similar perplexity, there was more merriment than anger.
Everything, however, whether sweet or bitter, has an end,
and so at length had this their pilgrimage through the
Slough of Despond.

As soon as they were fairl}^ through, the blank moon, so
coy when she was courted, shone out for a brief moment,
and gave them a glimpse of a herd of deer just passing into
the shadow. And now they came down to a burn, which,
wet as they already were, they waded without hesitation.
Lightfoot alone was carefully carried over on Eraser's back,
for the channel was obstructed here and there by large
blocks of granite, which the constant attrition of the water
makes so slippery, that no unpractised person can step on
them with security ; and when he loses his footing (as lose
it he must), down at once he goes into the deep hole that
the current always excavates at their base. But the sinewy
and well-shod Highlander went firmly and safely through
with his burthen, the legs alone dangling in the water.

108 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

This portage was absolutely necessary, for our friend had
the disadvantage of London shoes, which are somewhat of
the neatest ; and as the captain of Bewcastle said to Wat
Tinlinn, the heels risp,* and the seams rive."f*

They now came to firmer ground, and resolved, though it
was somewhat out of their way, to strike across to the firm
cart-track. This was so overgrown with heather, that it
was not very distinguishable in day-time ; and they were
now only assured of their arrival at it by scraping with
their feet, and thus ascertaining that the ground was hard.

" We are now at Fraser's cairn, and the Lord of Lovat's.
spirit may be abroad, calling for his horse. Are you not
horribly afraid, Peter ?"

" Hout-tout ! Clish-ma-claver, I'm o'er auld farran to be
fleyed for bogles."

" And now, Lightfoot, as our difficulties are fairly ov-er,
and you have your attention at liberty, I will finish my
description of Badenoch, by giving you an account of its.
celebrated forest of Gawick. Should you like to hear it ?"

" Yery much ; it will lighten our way ; provided you will
leave out everything that relates to bogs, burns, pits, and
kelpies, — ' an universe of death.' "

" Well, then, I must tell you that there are many very
interesting circumstances connected with this forest; but
though it may be somewhat dull, I will give you a descrip-
tion of its boundaries before I enter upon them.

" Its bearing is in a south-west direction; and it is bounded
on the south by the hills ' of the braes of Atholl,' on the
north and east by Glentromy and Corrybran, and on the west
by the Glentruim and Drumnachter hills.

" In the centre of Gawick there is a plain about eight
miles long, and in this plain there are three lakes — Loch-
andellich, Loch Bhroddin, and Lochindoune — all abounding
with excellent char and trout. There is also another species
of fish, called by the natives, Dormain. This fish is large,
has a huge head, and is supposed to prevent salmon from
ascending to the lakes : some of them weigh from twenty
to thirty pounds. The hills on each side of this plain are

* Creak. + Tear.

WALTEB OF GAWICK8 FATE. 109

remarkably steep, with very little rock, and of considerable
altitude. On the western extremity there is a hill of a very
striking appearance ; its length is about a mile, its height
about one thousand feet from the base of the plain; its
shape resembles that of a house. This hill is called the
Doune, and forms the southern limit of the forest. So
much for the boundaries and locality; now for a tale of
other times.

" Walter Gumming was killed by a fall from his horse in
the forest of Giiwick ; he was the son, I believe, of one of
the Cummings of Badenoch, and certainly a very profli-
gate young fellow. Tradition says that he determined on
making a number of young women shear stark naked
in the farm of Ruthven, which was the residence of the
Cummino-s in Badenoch. In the meantime he was called
away on business in Atholl, and the day of his return
was fixed for this infamous exhibition. When that day
arrived, his horse galloped up to the court-yard, stained
with soil and blood, with one of his master's leo^s alone
hanging in the stirrup. Search was instantly made, and
the mangled body of Gumming was found with two eagles
preying upon it.

"This horrid circumstance was ascribed to witchcraft;
and the eagles were supposed to be the mothers of two of
the young girls intended for the shearing exhibition. The
place where Walter was killed is called Leim-ramfian, or the
Fingalian's Leap ; and a terrible break-neck place it is.

" The fate of Walter is still proverbial in the Highlands ;
and when any of the common people are exasperated with-
out the power of revenge, * May the fate of Walter of
Gawick overtake you,' is not an uncommon expression.

" The belief in ' spirits of a limited power and subordinate
nature ' dwelling amongst w^oods and mountains, is, as you
know, common to all nations, and more particularly to such
as are of a wild and romantic character. The lonely man
who journeys over a vast uninhabited, space, feels himself
almost unconnected with human society ; and when dark-
ness falls upon the moor, objects of dubious form loom
around him and disturb his imagination.

" Thus traditions of witches and fairies are numerous in

110 DAYS OF DEERSTALKING.

the forest of Gawick ; one at least I will give you as a
specimen of their character.

" Murdoch, a noted deer-stalker, went at sunrise into the
forest, and, discovering some deer at a distance, he stalked
till he came pretty near them, but not quite within shot.
On looking over a knoll, he was astonished at seeing a
number of little neat women, dressed in green, in the act of
milking the hinds. These he knew at once to be fairies ;
one of them had a hank of green yarn thrown over her
shoulder, and the hind she was milking made a grab at the
yarn w^ith her mouth and swallowed it. The irritable little
fairy struck the hind with the band with which she had
tied its hind legs, saying at the same time, ' May a dart from
Murdoch's quiver pierce your side before night;' for the
fairies, it seems were well apprised of Murdoch's skill in
deer-killing. In the course of the day he killed a hind,,
and in taking out the entrails he found the identical green
hank that he saw the deer swallow in the morning. This
hank, it is said, was preserved for a long period as a testi-
mony of the occurrence.

" This was not our deer-stalker's only adventure ; for
upon another occasion, in traversing the forest, he got
within shot of a hind on the hill called the Doune, and took
aim ; but when about to fire, it was transformed into a
young woman. He immediately took down his gun, and
again it became a deer ; he took aim again, and anon it was
a woman ; but on lowering his rifle, it became a deer a
second time. At length he fired, and the animal fell in
the actual shape of a deer. No sooner had he killed it
than he felt overpowered with sle^p ; and having rolled him-
self in his plaid, he lay down on the heather : his repose
was of short duration, for in a few minutes a loud cry was
thundered in his ear, saying, * Murdoch, Murdoch ! you have
this day slain the only maid in Doune.' Upon which Mur-
doch started and relinquished his spoil, saying, ' If I have
killed her, you may eat her ; ' he then immediately quitted
the forest as fast as his legs could carry him.

" This man was commonly called Munack Mach-Jan, or
Murdoch, the son of John ; his real name, however, was
Macpherson ; he had a son who took orders, and obtained a

CONVIVIAL BESOLUTION. HI

living in Ireland ; and it is said that the late celebrated R.
B. Sheridan was descended from one of his daughters.

" The most extraordinary superstition prevalent was that
of the Liannan-Spell, or fairy sweethearts; and all inveterate
deer-stalkers, who remained for nights, and even weeks, in
the mountains, were understood to have formed such con-
nexions. In these cases the natural wife was considered
to be in great danger from the machinations of the fairy
mistress.

" I noAv come to the relation of a story better vouched
for, and of a melancholy nature, which happened in the
year 1800. Captain John Macpherson, of Ballachroan, with
four attendants, and several fine deer-hounds, was killed by
an avalanche in Gawick. The house in which they slept (a
strong one) was swept away from the very foundation, and
part of the roof carried to the distance of a mile. This
catastrophe was ascribed by some to supernatural agency,
and a great deal of superstitious exaggeration was circu-
lated, to the annoyance of Captain Macpherson's family and
friends.

" But a more public, a more wide-spreading calamity, has
lately befallen. The gallant spirit is fled — the benefactor,
the father, the beloved of his people, is gathered to the
tomb of his fathers. Mournfully has his lament sounded
from the dumb heights of Corrie-arich, and been borne over
many a mountain, and through many a glen, from the
hospitable shores of the Spey to the dark pines of Rothie-
murcus.

"Thus sadly ends my account* of the possessions of the for-
mer Earls of Huntly ; and our journey is nearly ended also.
Yon speck of light that you see at a distance below, about
the size of a half -grown glow-worm, shines in Bruar Lodge.
But let us mend our pace, for foul weather is coming on."

" Aye, you may mend yours, but you w^ill mar mine :
have at you, however. I am lighter than I was, and will
be more frugal at breakfast another time ; it was that which
touched my wind. I must be eating venison pasty and
mutton chops, forsooth ; catch me at that again in the

* In allusion to the late Duke of Gordon.

112 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

morning. I'll match you yet. But by all the gods above,
I will make such a dinner this night as shall content my
inward man, and distress your menage exceedingly."

" Never fear, we are tolerably provided."

And now they were before the rugged walls of old Bruar.
Out came a servant with a lighted candle, twinkling, and
vainly contending with the rain and wind. The door at
the end of the little passage opened upon a blazing fire of
bog- wood and peat ; the table-cloth was invitingly spread.
Each before dressing drank a tumbler—

" Di quel buon Claretto, benedetto,
Che si spilla in Avignone."

And here we leave our men to the performance of such
convivial deeds as Abernethy abhorred, and Cornaro was
an utter stranger to.

CHAPTER IV.

TKEATING OF THE NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS FOR A
DEER-STALKER, WITH A FEW HINTS TO HIM.

Necessary qualifications for a deer-stalker.— Curious attitudes required.— Sleep almost
superfluous. — Advantages of baldness. — Self-possession indispensable.— Abstinence
from drinking-, and restrictions in food.— Gormandizer's pastime.— Royal diversion.
— Sportsman's philosophy. — George Ritchie, the fiddler. — Crafty movements. —
Currents of air. — Passing difficult ground. — Range of the rifle. — Firing at the target.
Tempestuous winds.— A tyro's distress.- Overwhelming kindness.— Of speed and
wind.— John Selwyn.— Wilson, the historian.— Glengarry.

0, this life

Is nobler than attending for a check ;
Richer than doing nothing for a bauble ;
Prouder, than rustling in unpaid-for silk."

Cymbeline.

I WAS so impatient to get on the moor, and to plunge at
once, as it were, in medias res, that I omitted in the first
instance to describe what sort of properties a deer-stalker
should be decorated with. And although most of these
might be easily divined by the practised sportsman from a
perusal of these pages, still it may be as well to touch
slightly upon a few others that are absolutely indispens-
able.

NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 113

If a sporting gentleman was asked what was the best
makeior speed and endurance of fatigue, he would pro-
bably describe his own figure as accurately as possible, and
that with the greatest appearance of candour, looking
around upon his fair or foul proportions, as it may happen.
In this there is abundance of encouragement ; and, indeed,
I am inclined to think that men go in almost all shapes,
excepting, perhaps, those of Geoffrey Hudson, Daniel
Lambert, and the Irish or any other giant. One of the
most active men I ever saw was Richmond, the black
pugilist, and he was knock-kneed to a deformity. Set
before me a man that is long from his hip downward,
closely ribbed up, and with powerful loins ; take care that
he be straight, and of the happy medium between slim and
stout ; let his muscle be of marble, and his sinews of steel.
Heavens, how the fellow will step out ! And what tre-
mendous odds are half a foot in every step ! See with
what an elastic spring he recovers his legs ! I swear by
Atalanta and Achilles, the swift of foot, that this is the
man I would back to go right up the Andes without deviat-
ing an iota from the straight line. I must add, however,
that his lungs should be pre-eminent, because in long runs
(say of six or seven miles at a stretch), through bogs and
over mountains, wind will be found an article most par-
ticularly in demand. After all, a man should be trained in
the way he should go as soon as he is out of petticoats ; if
not, the symmetry of the Antinous will avail him nought.
I liave not the slightest doubt, indeed, but that Pan would
have caught Daphne much sooner than Apollo. He would
have made a much better run, and probably a better thing
of it altogether.

Now, this is all very well ; but your consummate deer-
stalker should not only be able to run like an antelope, and
breathe like the trade winds, but should also be enriched
with various other undeniable qualifications. As, for
instance, he should be able to run in a stooping'position, at
a greyhound pace, with his back parallel to the ground, and
his face within an inch of it, for miles together. He should
take a singular pleasure in threading the seams of a bog,
or in gliding down a burn, ventre a terre, like that insinuat-

114 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

ing animal the eel, — accomplished he should be in skilfully
squeezing his clothes after this operation, to make all com-
fortable. Strong and pliant in the ankle, he should most
indubitably be ; since in running swiftly down precipices,
picturesquely adorned with sharp-edged, angular vindictive
stones, his feet will unadvisedly get into awkward cavities,
and curious positions ; — thus, if his legs are devoid of the
faculty of breaking, so njuch the better, — he has an evident
advantage over the fragile man. He should rejoice in
wading through torrents, and be able to stand firmly on
water- worn stones, unconscious of the action of the current ;
or if by fickle fortune the waves should be too powerful for
him, when he loses his balance, and goes floating away upon
his back (for if he has any tact, or sense of the picturesque,
it is presumed he will fall backwards), he should raise his
rifle aloft in the air, Marmion fashion, lest his powder should
get wet, and his day's sport come suddenly to an end. A
few weeks' practice in the Tilt will make him quite aufait
at this. We would recommend him to try the thing in a
spate, during a refreshing north wind, which is adverse to
deer-stalking ; thus no day will be lost pending his educa-
tion. To swim he should not be able, because there would
be no merit in saving himself by such a paltry subterfuge ;
neither should he permit himself to be drowned, because we
have an affection for him, and moreover it is very cowardly
to die.

As for sleep, he should be almost a stranger to it, activity
being the great requisite ; and if a man gets into the sloth-
ful habit of lying a-bed for flve or six hours at a time, I
should be glad to know what he is fit for in any other
situation ? Lest, however, we should be thought too
niggardly in this matter, we will allow him to doze occa-
sionally from about midnight till half-past three in the
morning. Our man is thus properly refreshed, and we
retain our character for liberality.

Steady, very steady, should his hand be, and at times
wholly without a pulse. Hyacinthine curls are a very
graceful ornament to the head, and accordingly they have
been poetically treated of ; but we value not grace in our
shooting jacket, and infinitely prefer seeing our man, like

ADVANTAGES OF BALDNESS. 115

Dante's Frati, " che non hanno coperchio piloso at capo ;"
because the greater the distance from the eye to the extreme
point of the head, so much the quicker will the deer discover
their enemy, than he will discover them. His pinnacle or
predominant, therefore, should not be ornamented with a
high finial or tuft. Indeed, the less hair he has upon it the
better. It is lamentable to think that there are so few
people who will take disinterested advice upon this or any
other subject ; but without pressing the affair disagreeably,
I leave it to a deer-stalker's own good sense to consider
whether it would not be infinitely better for him to shave
the crown of his head at once, than to run the risk of losing
a single shot during the entire season. A man so shorn,
with the addition of a little bog earth rubbed scientifically
over the crown of his head, would be an absolute Ulysses
on the moor, and (cceteris paribus) perfectly invincible. Do
this or not, as you please, gentleman ; I am far from insist-
ing upon it with vigour, because, to my utter shame and
confusion, be it spoken, I never did it myself.

When Sir Francis Head fled over the Pampas, mounted
upon wild horses, as if upon the griffin of Astolfo, he must
have felt a sense of buoyancy and freedom that it would be
difficult to describe. Astride upon the monstrous crocodile,
Mr. Water ton must have rejoiced in his novel position and
fair feats of jockeyship. But neither Mr. Waterton, nor he
the subduer of the crocodile and python, can possibly feel
more secret exultation than the well trained pedestrian,
confident in his speed, secure in his aim, and unbaffled in
his science.

As to mental endowments, your sportsman should have
the qualifications of an Ulysses and a Phillidor combined.
Wary and circumspect, never going rashly to work, but
surveying all his ground accurately before he commences
operations, and previously calculating all his chances both
of success and of failure. Patient under suspense and dis-
appointment, calm and unruffled in moments of intense
interest, whether fortune seems to smile or frown on his
exertions ; and if his bosom must throb at such times, when
hopes and fears by turns assail it, he should at all events
keep such sensations under rigid control, not suffering them

116 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

to interfere with his equanimity, or to disturb the coolness
and self-possession which at such moments are more than
ever necessary to his operations.

And that he may preserve in all their due vigour and
steadiness these indispensable qualities, he should add to
them in his hours of leisure and refreshment the further
graces of temperance and moderation. And here condemn
me not, ye joyous editors of Maga, if I restrict my stalker
to moderate libations after his toil.

Odogherty, be merciful ; Christopher, put down thy
bristles; for lo, I will not limit him as Sir Humphry does his
fisherman, to the philosopher's half -pint of claret ; but, if
he exceed it, 'tis at his own peril. Wine and poetry go
joyously together. Bacchus and Apollo were aye boon com-
panions ; but I never heard of Diana having attached herself
to the jolly god, or of an amour between Hebe and Adonis.
Hard work upon wine will parch up the body, and make
the hand ricketty — you ken that yoursel', Christopher. A
keen deer-stalker's walk will keep a horse in a pretty
decent trot, and his run changes that trot into a gallop, a
sort of eclipse pace. Would you then have him BaccJd
plenus ? Yes, I verily believe you would. Well, my good
Anacreon, only just try that system yoursel' a wee bit.
During the first week, your mouth will be drinking bog-
water in every black pool you can find ; in the next,
your flesh will vanish from your solitary bones ; and, in the
third — yes, in the third, at latest — you will die by spon-
taneous combustion.

1 he best part of a bottle of champagne may be allowed
at dinner : this is not only venial, but salutary. A few
tumblers of brandy and soda-water are greatly to be com-
mended, for they are cooling. Whiskey cannot reasonably
be objected to, for it is an absolute necessary, and does not
come under the name of intemperance, but rather, as Dog-
berry says, or ought to say, " it comes by nature." Ginger
beer I hold to be a dropsical, insufficient, and unmanly
beverage ; I pray you avoid it ; and as for your magnums
and pottle-deep potations, why, really at this season of the
year, as Captain Bobadil says, " We cannot extend thus
far." When the nerves are unsteady, the rifle in the sports-

BESTBICTIONS IN FOOD. 117

man's man begins to betray a want of fixed purpose and
resolution ; it does, as it were, vibrate considerably. Under
these circumstances the balls are apt to take many unto-
ward directions, such as are wholly unlooked for, and not
fitted to maintain his reputation. Very wanton courses
they will sometimes take, dabbing into a bog, or smacking
against a stone ; the deer all the while scampering and gal-
loping away, freedom in their air, and independence in their
heels ! Already they have broken out of your cast — now
they vanish over the hill — and by the direction they are
taking, it grieves me to say that you are not likely to see
them again this blessed day.

Having thus somewhat stinted my rifleman in his pota-
tions, it may possibly be inferred that I allow him to make
up for such abstinence in the article of substantial food.
This is a great mistake ; I permit him to do no such thing ;
and most particularly do I restrict him at breakfast.

Should a deer-stalker eat and stuff" ? — should he pamper
the inward man ? Shade of Abernethy forbid ! He should
go forth lank and lean like a greyhound ; the most that can
be permitted him is a few cups of coffee, a moderate allow-
ance of fine flowery pekoe, some venison pasty, mutton-chops
(both are easy of digestion), a broiled grouse, of course, hot
rolls, dry toast, and household bread, with a few grapes to
cool him. Peaches and nectarines may be put in his pocket,
because, as he will be sure to sit upon them, they will do
him no earthly harm, but rather confer a benefit by moisten-
ing the outward man. But here I must stop : at this point
the muzzle must positively be put on ; for would you have
me fill my man with Findon haddocks, and all the trashy
and unprofitable varieties of marmalade: red, green, and
yellow ? What a proposition ! Oh, no ; I say again in no
manner, and by no means will I let him gormandise. After
the slender fare above mentioned, he will bound along like
a Grimaldi ; and let me see a hearty eater that has the
least chance with him.

Can a man with a full stomach dash up Ben Derig ?
Vain hope ! He would sink down gently in the first bog ;
nought save his head appearing above the surface ; and the

118 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING,

raven would feed upon his scalp, as Ugolino did upon the
cruel archbishop's.

Ye who eat long like your mothers, and fast like your
fathers — ye, believe me, had much better remain at home
with your household gods, and cultivate decisive apoplexies.
Everybody will tell you how well you look ; so let out your
waistcoats and your waistbands most amply, my much
cherished friends — eat, drink, and be happy ; or if the god
of sport be warm within you, if so great — such an inex-
tinguishable ardour burns in your bosoms, arrange your-
selves, I pray you, in an ample punt on a domestic fishpond,
with a rod, a line, and that admirable contrivance the float ;
but let not your obese fingers aspire to dally with a rifle.

Tell me now, could you hit any given acre of land at fifty
paces ? I should rather think not. As for a rifle, then, have
nothing to do with it, I beseech you, my good fellows, lest
it should go ofl" unadvisedly. We are ready to give you
every possible credit for your private and domestic virtues ;
— you are good fathers, the best of husbands, and the most
excellent of friends — in short, ornaments to society ; much
more valuable members of it, indeed, than we minions of
the mountains. What ! does not this satisfy you ? Do you
mutin}^ in your punt, and are you determined to reject our
wholesome advice ? Well, then, we admire your spirit
which soars so high above your corporal capacity, and since
you are so determined, we will grant you our license to
sport with the stag after the self -same fashion with Queen
Elizabeth.

Thus it was : — When the said Queen, of glorious memory
visited Lord Montacute at Cowdrey in Sussex, on the
Monday, August I7th, 1591, her Highness took horse and
rode into the park at eight o'clock in the morning, " where
was a delicate bowre prepared, under which were her
Highness' musicians placed ; and a cross-bow, by a nymph
with a sweet song, was delivered into her hands to shoot at
the deere ; about some thirty were put into a paddock, of
which number she killed three or four, and the Countess
of Kildare, one."*

* NicoU's Progresses vol. ii.

SPOBTSMAN'S PHILOSOPHY. 119

This is the exact thing for you, and I pray you not to
omit the nymph with the sweet song.

After all, we doubt not your resolution to attack the
stag, or any other fierce animal, for we have had a very
high opinion of the courage of a well-fed man ever since
we heard the story that Wilkes delighted to tell of
Alderman Sawbridge, which, for your satisfaction, wq will
recount.

The Alderman was induced to go a-hunting, a sport that
was novel to him ; and having some sort of indistinct idea
that danger was connected with it, he went forth in the
uniform of the city train bands, to which he belonged.
Being told that the hare was coming his way, he boldly
laid his hand on the hilt of his sword, and replied, with
perfect self-possession, " Is he sir ? let him come ! "

And now a word of advice to your well qualified sports-
man— I beseech you, good sir, to bear bad weather and
inauspicious winds with imperturbed philosophy. When
the adverse day comes, as come it will; when the dark
clouds gather round your desolate cottage, and the rain
comes lashing and hissing along the moor, and the heather
is uprooted by the blast, do not give way to despondency ;
but rest your toil-worn limbs, and be thankful tiiat you
have fire and shelter. Sit you down with your hand in
your mantle (that is, your plaid), with the composed
dignity of Aris tides.

It is totally unavailing to look sulky, and to pace up and
down the room, exclaiming at every step you take. What
horrid weather ! how very provoking! I never knew this
sort of thing have the least eflfect upon the elements : betray
not, I beseech you, the impotency of Xerxes, but fall back
upon your resources. Read some amusing or instructive
book, or if a book is apt to draw you to sleep (as it does
full many a sportsman), get a piece of canvas nicely
prepared by Mr. Browne of High Holborn, and paint your
men and your dogs if you can ; if you cannot, why then
clean the locks of your rifles, sort your fishing tackle, and
make flies ; or if you are of a self-complacent character,
you may summon your hill-men, and make it out, not in
direct terms (you know how to manage it, I dare sa^), but

120 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

by skilful inference, that you are, out of sight, the best
shot in Great Britain: pass round the whiskey, and you
may be certain of a ready acquiescence.

Then when the night closes in, you may call in George
Ritchie, the fiddler and wit, if he happens to be in your
train. Oh ! George, how well I remember your speaking
countenance — your capacious mouth — and your mighty
ears. You are a good fellow, George, and were a most
admirable deer driver to the lord of the forest, and for this
I honour thee; but thou didst play me many a slippery
trick by neglecting orders when thou wert wont to carry
home the dead deer ; for, instead of coming in behind my
cast as instructed, thou didst ever cut in before me, and
disturb all the ground in a most unsportsmanlike manner ;
and this thou didst transact most cannily, winding up a
hollow with thy sheltie, that mine eye might not visit thee ;
yet I kent well enough what was going on, George, by the
movement on the moor ; but alas ! poor George, you were
growing old, and had a right to favour yourself a little;
and then thou wert merry in hall, and thy quaint attitudes,
and quainter countenance (whilst thou didst worry the
strings of thy fiddle) did set the gillies in a roar: — for
these, thy most excellent qualities, I do recommend thy
presence to get up a Highland reel in a stormy evening.

I must now revert to you few, O happy mortals, " quos
ceqiius mnavit Jupiter," and I must candidly tell you, that
I cannot turn you loose on the mountains to go rambling
after your own inventions.

Enthusiasm you have, no doubt, else wherefore soar you
to the mountain top ? But this solitary qualification,
indispensable as it is, will not set you up entirely. You
must have extreme caution in certain situations, and at the
same time, prompt decision and execution: boldness also,
amounting to rashness in others ; always, indeed, a happy
mixture of the two in the same movement ; — in short, you
should be constituted something after the fashion of Sardus
Tigellius —

" Saepe velut qui
Currebat, fugiens hostem, persaepe velut qui
• Junonis sacra ferret."

CUBBENTS OF AIB. 121

I know nothino^ more beautiful than the runninoj of a
skilful deer-stalker, when the harts are in quick motion.
He dashes after, or parallel to them, in order to come in at
certain places ; but never blindly, never straight forward,
as if he could overtake them ; but winding, sweeping, and
lurching behind the ridges and hillocks, or down a narrow
chasm, or up the stony channel of a burn, just keeping sight
of the points of their horns ; stooping or rising, moderating
or increasing his pace according to circumstances, always
preserving the wind, and taking care never to commit
himself by coming upon such an open tract of ground as
would fairly expose him to view ; such blind rashness
would hurry on the herd, and give them a fresh start for
miles ; for even if he should discover a solitary hillock, or
block of granite, behind which he could find time to conceal
himself for the moment, still he could not advance from
this position, and he would be what is technically called
" locked in."

Every person, ? believe, who carries a rifle, is aware that
when deer are disturbed, they always move up wind. They
have an astonishing faculty of smelling the taint in the air
at an almost inconceivable distance ; being thus warned by
instinct, they are enabled to avoid an enemy in front, and
can go boldly forward over rugged ground and high points,
without being surprised by an ambush. It would appear,
then, at the first glance, that one's manoeuvres, so far as
relates to the wind, would be simple and easily conducted ;
but this is by no means the case, — the currents of air change
according to the disposition of the ground ; there are corries
so situated that the swells of wind come occasionally from
various quarters, and there are burns whose general tendency
is in a direct line, but in whose various curvatures, the
wind comes sometimes from the north, and at others from
the opposite quarter ; for it must be noted, that it always
blows up or down a glen, — never across it.

Thus, in particular situations, you cannot ascertain the
exact course of the wind without consulting that of the
clouds, to which a hill-man always looks ; but in all doubt-
ful points, when the sky is cloudless, and the air tolerably
still, a little tow dropped from your hand will indicate its
9

122 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

course. When a lesser glen or burn debouches into another
where the deer are on foot, and the current of air is one
point only against you, your wind will be carried down the
glen you pass, into the other at right angles to it, so that
you must let all the deer pass the point of connection be-
tween the two glens before you cross the one in question.

It is impossible to describe the various nice points and
wanes of the air that may occur in the course of the day ;
they can only be understood by long practice and observ-
ation ; and observe, my good friend, that the most extreme
caution is indispensable as to this point ; for, without mean-
ing any disrespect to you, you have such a 7)%auvaise odeur
about you, that the deer fancy you more formidable than
you are, and your taint will make them break out of your
cast : look not after them, I beseech you : it is vanity. By
the help of a good pair of wings you may possibly fly ;
Icarus and the XJlm tailor did so before you ; but those deer
shall you never command on that inauspicious day.

The hill-men who act at a distance from you must use
the same precaution with yourself in paying attention to
the wind, and shifting their ground in obedience to any
change that may take place in the course of the day.

There are some few cases when deer may be made to go
contrary to their usual custom ; thus in the forest of Atholl,
when a herd comes out of Glen Croinie (which is a preserve,
and may be called their home), they can readily be got back
by good management, even if the wind is unfavourable
— especially towards the evening, when they seek the
pastures.

Deer may likewise be got down wind by sending men to
take concealed positions in their front ; the taint in the air
will then turn them.

When there is a long line of deer on foot, in running
parallel to them you must be careful not to get too forward,
lest the tail ones get your wind ; if, indeed, the deer have
been pressed forward for a long distance, and are at all
fatigued, it would not be prudent to do so at any rate, as
in that case the fattest and heaviest harts always come
lumbering behind.

When you discover deer with the glass at a considerable

RANGE OF THE RIFLE. 123

distance, you may often approach the desired points
without the necessity of being concealed by inequalities of
ground. At what particular distance they will see you,
must depend upon the state of the atmosphere and the
nature of the ground you are traversing. If the point is
dubious, you should always select the dark heather and bog
to walk upon, and avoid the green sward, where you will
be more easily descried. Be careful to expose as small a
front as possible, walking rank and file, each file covering
the leading one. Sometimes it happens that there is a
small space only to be passed, in which you will evidently
be visible ; and in this case it is very difficult to elude the
vigilance of the sentinels of the moor. The best way is to
watch your opportunity when all are browsing, and then
dart forward rapidly with your bodies bent across this dan-
gerous point, one behind the other, as before described. I
have often done this successfully ; but it is a ticklish busi-
ness, and will never succeed when you are near the quarry.

In all cases of approach, when it is necessary to advance
in a stooping position, or to crawl, you had better keep a
-constant eye upon the men in the rear, for, believe me, no
man is implicitly to be trusted ; one will most unconscion-
ably put his head up because, forsooth, his back aches
insupportably ; another likes to have a peep at the deer ; a
third (and he is the most unpardonable of all) does not like
to have the burn water enter the bosom of his shirt, which
is very inconsiderate, as nothing tends to keep a man more
•cool and comfortable than a well-applied streamlet of this
description. So, look back constantly to the rear, that every
gilly may do his duty, and observe that no man has a right
to see the deer in approaching to get a quiet shot, except
the stalker. In fact, after a certain distance is gained, no
one but he and his Achates, who holds the spare rifles,
should come forward at all.

The most perfect shots and celebrated sportsmen never
succeed in killing deer without practice; indeed, at first,
they are quite sure to miss the fairest running shots. This
arises, I think, from their firing at distances to which they
have been wholly unaccustomed, and is no reflection upon
their skill. It is seldom that you fire at a less distance than

124 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

a hundred yards, and this is as near as I would wish to get.
The usual range will be between this and two hundred
yards, beyond which, as a general rule, I never think it
prudent to fire, lest I should hit the wrong animal — though
deer may be killed at a much greater distance.

Now the sportsman who has been accustomed to shot
guns, is apt to fire with the same sort of aim that he takes
at a grouse or any other common game ; thus, he invariably
fires behind the quarry ; for he does not consider that the
ball, having three, four, or perhaps five times the distance to
travel that his shot has, will not arrive at its destination
nearly so soon ; consequently, in a cross shot, he must keep
his rifle more in advance. The exact degree (as he well
knows) will depend upon the pace and remoteness of the
object.

Deer go much faster than they appear to do, and their
pace is not uniform like the flying of a bird ; but they pitch
in running, and this pitch must be calculated upon.

Firing at a target is a very necessary practice in the
first instance, partly to gain steadiness and confidence, but
principally to ascertain the shooting of your rifles at all
distances. You can make no use of a change of elevation
in your sights when deer are running ; the best way, there-
fore, is to have one sight alone slightly elevated, the less the
better, and to make the variation depend upon your aim.
Having once become a fair shot at the target, I would
advise no one to continue the practice. It is apt to make
one slow and indecisive. One step often brings you into
sight of the deer, consequently one spring makes them
vanish from it, so that you must frequently take snap shots.
Indeed, it is quite wonderful (as any experienced person
can bear witness) how suddenly and unexpectedly they
disappear, either by sinking under a hill, or running amongst
the deep channels of a moss, or by a hundred means of
concealment that the rugged nature of the ground aflfords
them.

In firing down hill you must be very careful to keep
your face low down to the sight, which sportsmen do not
pay sufiicient attention to ; and think, therefore, that the
ball mounts, which is a great mistake. When your head is

A TYBO'S DISTBESS. 125

too high, the line of vision does not follow the line of the
barrel, but crosses it, and has a downward tendency, whilst
the barrel perseveres in a more horizontal direction : and
this is the doctrine of elevated sights.

You will often have to stop suddenly, and fire in the
midst of a sharp run ; or when you are dead blown ; stand
as steadily as you can, and be at once collected ; practice
alone can give you this power ; and it will give it, for I
myself was as sure at these sort of shots as at any other,
provided the deer were running. I found it more difficult
to take a quiet shot while lying on my stomach in the
heather.

Sometimes the wind is so tempestuous that you have no
power over the direction of your rifle. There are no means
to counteract this, and you had better go home ; but if it be
not too violent, you can kneel on one knee, and get a rest
by supporting your left elbow on the other.

Take care that the ramrods to your rifles be large and
strong; they will otherwise be broken in the hurry of
loading. I recommend you, moreover, to make one of your
hill-men carry a very long and stout one in his hand, having
a mark made in it at the length of your barrel, that you
may ascertain the exact load. I used no other when this
was at hand.

As for the sport itself, that no one can have a proper
perception of till he is chief in command, and able to stalk
the deer himself; and this he cannot do without long
practice, close observation, and a thorough knowledge of
the ground and habits of the animal. As an instance of
this, one of the best shots in a rifle regiment was appointed
some years ago to the office of forester in the Ben-Ormin
Forest, in Sutherland ; but being a stranger to the country,
devoid of assistance, and without the means of good instruc-
tion in the craft, he was only able to kill one hart during
two years of apprenticeship, and at length resigned his
situation in despair. Novices, therefore, have necessarily a
deer-stalker allotted to them from the forest, who very
properly keeps the devoted rifleman in due subjection ; he
will not permit him to show a hair of his head above the
heather on certain ticklish occasions, and the miserable

126 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

youth is always totally unconscious of what is going on ; he
creeps and meanders through the black and miry channels
of a bog, quite ignorant of the dire necessity for such a
pastime; lies down to hand like a pointer, and runs till he
is as breathless as an immerged oyster diver, he knows not
why or wherefore. Thus the wretched felicity-hunter
follows as best he may —

"O'er rocks, caves, fens, bogs, dens, and shades of death,
A universe of death."

One while his leg is wedged in amongst tenacious stony
fragments, and at another he comes suddenly upon a deep
chasm that fills his soul with unaffected apprehension.
Meanwhile the deer-stalker goes on at a persevering killing
pace, saying, " This way, this way, sir ;" and never looking
behind him to ascertain whether his patient is in his good
ground or not ; his words die away amongst the winds, and
never reach mortal ear. Then, behold, when the deer come
suddenly in view, he tells the staggering and breathless^
sportsman to shoot, always running forward himself, and
placing his proper body (to say nothing of his flowing kilt)
precisely in a mathematical straight line between the rifle
and the harts, which he expects you to kill. Pleasant this
to you ; and, if in the excitement of the moment you obey
his command, awkward enough for him ! In getting a
quiet shot, things may possibly be managed better, as to
one part of the transaction ; for if your adjutant will place
himself between you and the deer (as right certainly he
will), you may pull him back by the heel; or if you be not
sufficiently powerful to make a good drag of him, you may
admonish him in a friendly way, by a gentle insinuation of
your gun-picker into the calf of his leg. You are not
permitted to speak ; and what else can you do ?

You must by no means conclude, however, that your
attendant means you anything but the most cordial kind-
ness,— his zeal and fidelity in favour of those whom he has
charge of is his great object; he means to take care of you
as if you were his only son, — the remaining prop of his
family. Anxious to give you every possible chance, he
creeps, runs, and wades, — unmindful only that he is a son

JOHN SELWYN. 127

of the mountains, whilst you, perhaps, were born in the
Lincolnshire fens, — that his is the speed of the roe, and
yours the pace of a frog ; thus, whilst you are in such an
exhausted state as to require the kindest and most un-
remitting attentions of the humane society, he is perfectly
convinced that you are enjoying the highest degree of human
felicity, unbroken in wind, and undecayed in strength.

In this dilemma what is to be done ? I agree with you,
that it is a thousand pities so fine a youth should perish
prematurely ; still I cannot allow you to speak of your
distress ; though that, indeed, you could not conveniently
do, for want of breath, and if you could, you would only
frighten the deer, without bettering your own condition.

You are at your last gasp, that is evident : perhaps, then,
you had better do as the fat knight did, when the hot and
termagant Scot was about to pay him " Scot and lot too,"
namely, to fall prostrate, and feign to be extinct, leaving
Donald to speak a dirge over you in his most harmonious
Gaelic.

" Death has not slain so fat a deer to-day."

Now, after all this, perhaps you will tell me that I have
undervalued your powers. I dare say I have ; there is not,
indeed, the least doubt of it. To speak fairly, I think our
young sportsmen from the south (I mean the most active of
them) are fully as quick, and perhaps more so, than a High-
lander, for a short distance ; but when it comes to a trial of
wind and endurance, your well-built, sinewy native will
generally be found to be the best man.

In times of yore, however, we Sassenachs have produced
huntsmen able and skilful in killinsf the stao-. Not to
mention the feats of Robin Hood and Little John, or the
other unlicensed deer slayers " of merrie Sherwood," we are
told that, " In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, John Selwyn,
under-keeper at the park at Oatlands, in Surrey, was
extremely famous for his strength, agility, and skill in
horsemanship ; specimens of which he exhibited before the
Queen at a grand stag hunt at that park ; where, attending,
as was the duty of his office, he, in the heat of the chase,
suddenly leaped from his horse upon the back of the stag
(both running at the same time at their utmost speed), and

128 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

not only kept his seat gracefully, in spite of every effort of
the afFriorhted beast, but drawino- his sword, with it o-uided
him towar<ls the Queen, and coming near her presence,
plunged it in his throat, so that the animal fell dead at
her feet. This was thought sufficiently wonderful to be
chronicled on his monument, which is still to be seen in
the chancel of the church of Walton upon Thames, in the
county of Surrey. He is there represented on an engraved
brass-plate, sitting on the back of a deer at full gallop,
and at the same time stabbino: him in the neck with his
sword."*

This feat of John Selwyn has been paralleled very lately
by one recorded in another page of this work ; and in still
earlier days, perhaps, was equalled in jockeyship, by Merlin
Sylvester, the Wild, as mentioned by GeofFery of Mon-
mouth.

" Merlin had fled to the forest in a state of distraction ;
and looking upon the stars one clear evening, he discovered,
from his astroloo^ical knowledo:e, that his wife Guendolen
had resolved upon the next morning to take another
husband. As he had presaged to her that this would
happen, and had promised her a nuptial gift (cautioning
her, however, to keep the bridegroom out of his sight), he
now resolved to make sjood his word. Accordinolv he col-
lected all the stages and lesser orame in the neiofhbourhood,
and having seated himself upon a hart, drove the herd
before him to the capital of Cumberland, where Guendolen
resided ; but her lover's curiosity leading him to inspect too
nearly this extraordinary cavalcade. Merlin's rage was awak-
ened, and he slew him with the stroke of an antler of the
stag."

Formerly, it seems, the hunters went to the chase armed
at all points, like the redoubted Alderman Sawbridge.
Wilson, the historian, records an escape that befel him in
the hazardous sport, whilst a youth and a follower of the
Earl of Essex.

" Sir Peter Lee, of Lime, in Cheshire, invited my lord,
one summer, to hunt the stagg ; and having a great stagg in

* Antiquarian Repertory.

MOCK HEBOISM. 129

chase, and many gentlemen in pursuit, the stagg took So^de ;
and divers, whereof I was one, alighted, and stood, with
swordes drawn, to have a cut at him at his coming out of
the water; the stagg then being wonderfully tierce and
dangerous, made us youths more eager to be at him, but he
escaped us all ; and it was my misfortune to be hindered of
my coming nere him (the way being sliperie) by a fall ;
which gave occasion to some, who did not know mee, to
speak as if I had falne for fear ; which being told mee, I
left the stagg, and followed that gentleman, who first spake
it ; but I found him of that cold temper, that it seems his
words made an escape from him, as by his denial and repent-
ance it appeared.

" But this made mee more violent in pursuit of the stagg,
to recover my reputation ; and I happened to be the only
horseman in, when the dogs sett him up at bay, and
approaching nere him on horsebacke, hee broke through the
dogs, and run at mee, and tore my horse's side with his
homes, close by my thigh. Then I quitted my horse, and
grew more cunning (for the dogs had set him up again) ;
stealing behind him, with my sworde I cut his ham-strings,
and then got upon his back, and cut his throat ; which as I
was doing the company came in, and blamed my rashness
for running such a hazard." *

Rashness ! what rashness ? Here's a fellow for you now ;
armed with a long sword, and probably in the uniform of
the city train bands, he sneaks behind a stag at bay with
fifty hounds fighting at his front, — fifty hounds and an
historian are fearful odds. He then cuts his ham-strinofs in
a dastardly manner, and puts an end to the brave animal's
existence without doubt, by poking the end of his toledo,
as Master Mathewhas it, into the point of junction between
the head and neck, precisely in the same manner in which
the Laps kill their domesticated reindeer. As for his
cutting the throat, I do not believe a word of it; he was of
too cold a temper, and did no such thing, depend upon it, —
he dared not so much as to look at his throat, beinof too

fearful of his own.

* Quoted iu the notes to the " Lady of the Lake.

130 . DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

This, however, was all mighty well for a young historian*
We blame not his caution. We are circumspect ourselves.
But we object to his bragging, — most decidedly object to it.
The whole affair was a paltry one. Thy histories, great
shade, I never read : — they may live like the great pyramids,
or go to the tomb of all the Capulets, — it imports me not,
— but shame on thy bragging of such a deed ; shame on
thee, I say, " thou chronicler of small beer."

Not thus was the bearing of the stout Glengarry, when
he confronted the stag in the rugged pass of Glendulachan.
Setting at nought the red glance of his eye, and unappalled
by his tremendous means of defence, in rushed the gallant
chief full at his front, and buried the sharp skene-dhu in
his chest.

CHAPTER V.

A Scotch mist.— Visions of auld lang syne.— Retrospect.— The mist clears.— How to carry
the spare rifles.— Storm in the mountains.— Sportsmen struck by a thunderbolt. —
Willie Robertson's lament.— Macintyre's death. — Deer seen on the move. — Vamped-
up courage. — Making a dash. — Unexpected success. — Dogs fighting.

Stay, huntsman, stay ; a lurid gloom

Hangs threatening o'er your head ;
The rain comes lashing o'er the moor,

The thunderbolt is sped.

And mirk and mirker grows the hill,

And fiercer sweeps the blast :
The heavens declare His wondrous power

Who made the mountains fast.

The night has been dark and stormy, and the morning
broke over the mountains in flames of red and amber ; thin
wreaths of mist were ascending from the Vale of Tay, and
went twisting and flickering up the hill sides ; there were
no dark frowning clouds in the sky, but a sort of aqueous
appearance about the light itself, that occasioned certain
gloomy forebodings in the breast of our sportsman. True
it is that he passed rapidly over the moor, as he was wont,
and ate his usual slender meal with tolerable resignation.
But to say that he enjoyed any thing like elevation of
spirits would be an absolute perversion of the case, for the

A SCOTCH MIST. 131

red flusliin<x of the morning was ominous, and, if I must
speak the truth, it put him into that state of mind which
the world have combined to call most abominably disa-
greeable. As he strode up Ben Derig nothing went right. —
" Davy, you are always striking the dogs with the spare
ramrod. How the deuce can you be so awkward ? There
now, don't pull them along in that manner ; they w^ill be
weary before they get half way up the mountain. Jamieson,
I dare say you have left the water-proof rifle-cases at home."

" No, I have them all with me."

" Well, I did you wrong to suppose so, for I never knew
you to forget any thing of consequence."

" What the de'il maks the maister so crabbed the day ? "

" Crabbed, aye, and reason eneuch. The mists are rising
heavier and heavier in the haugh ; and though Ben Derig
shimmers now, won't he be all mirk afore we can win f orrat
to our cast ? "

And scarcely had they gained this destined point, before
a great volume of mist came sailing over the lower grounds,
and jostled against the huge shoulder of Ben-y-chait ; then,
breaking and spreading widely abroad, all around at once
became dim and dubious. This was the beginning of the
evil ; but worse remained behind. Cloud after cloud came
drivinor alonof, till the whole face of nature, mountain, rock,
and glen, was smothered in the reeking vapour.

Scarcely may you discern your neighbour sitting upon
the dripping heather beside you. These clouds of mist are
sure to last some hours, or may continue the whole morning,
and finally terminate in a deluge of everlasting rain. Some-
times, indeed, they would clear away pretty suddenly, but
more often would they rise gradually. None but those
who know the joys of deer stalking can tell with what an
intent gaze the rifleman's eyes were fixed upon the space
below him. At times the heather grew evidently clearer ;
then it was distinctly seen, and his hopes began to rise.
The gleam was brief and delusive : again and again the
huge volumes came breaking on the hill tops, and all was
more sullen than ever. As for patient resignation, no
sportsman knows what it means ; he might possibly have
read of such a thing, as Magnus Troil had of the nightingale,

132 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

but certainly coald not put faith in its actual existence.
Once taint him with this sort of philosophy, and you ruin
him for life ; he is a lost man to all intents and purposes.
An eager sportsman, I can understand ; the phrase is apt ;
but who ever heard of a patient sportsman ? Such a fellow
would take snufF when he ought to take a snap shot ; and
you would see him pnvganterifh leniter ungues, when he
should be sweeping down a precipice like an eagle. But of
such as these discourse we no farther.

Turn we now to Tortoise. Silent and abstracted he sat
on the grey stone, and, passing his hand across his brows,
began to brood over the scenes of his early days ; again he
roams over the rock-bound coast of Mull, and along the
desolate shores of lona ; again he chases the roe amongst
the slaty mountains and rude wildernesses of the Isle of
Mist ; once more he traverses the heathy Morven, and winds
his solitary way amidst the rocks and hoarse cataracts of
Glencoe. Here, in this birth-place of Ossian, rise up before
him, in his visionary mood, the heroes of other days, the
hunters of deer ; and thus again he muses on that blood-
stained pass : —

Was it thy form, Fingal, that on the cloud

Strode on as the autumnal gust blew loud,

Deep'ning amid these rocks and glens forlorn ?

Was it the echo of thy distant horn ?

Or heard we his wild harp who drew his breath

In the dark pass, dark as the frown of death !

Where Cona, '■' creeping through the mossy stones.

Along his gloomy way, forsaken moans.

As if remembering still the mighty dead.

Or mourning the fell deed that dyed his current red ? f

'Twas not, Fingal, the winding of thy horn ;

'Twas not thy shade wrapt in the mists of morn ;

'Twas not, oh Ossian ! thy sad minstrelsy,

Heard o'er the mountains as the dead passed by ;

But here, as on the scene renown'd we gaze,

Where strode the awful chiefs of other days.

Wild fancy wakes. — Sudden before our eyes.

As to the lonely seer that dreaming lies.

Pale shadowy maids, and phantom chiefs, arise ;

* A river in the pass,
t Massacre by the soldiers of William III.

THE MIST CLEABS. 133

Dim floats the sombrous imagery sublime,
Thy lone harp mingles sad its sweetest chime,
The aged rocks seem listening to the song,
On clouds of mist the spectre warriors throng.
Whilst the low gale sighs, o'er their mossy bed,
Peace to the shadows of the mighty dead ! '-

Break off — break off. Gone, long since gone, is that
beautiful day-spring of life — alas ! how fleeting — when for
the time we wandered alonof the rude wastes and soundinor
shores of the stormy Hebrides, looking forward to some
undefined pleasure, radiant with hope, and glowing with
enthusiasm; — departed are those day-dreams of the romantic
fancy ; — and, the illusive veil at length drawn aside, nought
is now before us but the stern realities of life.

The everlasting mist still rolls on, and although slightly
ascending at times, it gives a glimpse of the dripping
heather, yet another and another volume drives along, each
pressing on like the waves of a troubled sea. But behold a
broad white light expanding in the heavens. It is the path
of the glorious sun wading in the dim expanse, and strug-
gling with the vapour. Now it fades away, and hope dies
with it: — dark — dark — dark. Oh that some blast would
sweep across the moor, and scatter these lazy volumes to
the four corners of the earth !

" But it will clear ! I see it is clearing. Mark how the
mist is gathering together, and forming in more compact
masses. By heavens, it rises ! How beautifully it climbs
the silvery heights of Ben-y-venie ! See how it courses
before the sun, and how blue it is getting to the leeward !

" Shake the dew drops from your flanks, Peter ; we shall
start in ten minutes."

" Will you please to tak' a glass of whiskey ?"

" Will I ? you shall see. Out with your bottle, my good
fellow : but I do you wrong, for I see it has been constantly
in your hands. I only hope that it has a better smack with
it than the mountain dew we have been inhaling for the
last three hours. There, pass it round with wishes for

* The author printed these lines, such as they are, many years ago ; but
circumstances happened which prevented the continuance of the work in
which they were included, and consequently their circulation.

134 DAYS OF DEEB'STALKING.

success, and do not ' spill the good creature,' for in such a
morning as this, believe me, it is most salubrious ; manifold
indeed are its virtues. What trade does it not quicken ?
It is a good carpenter, a good mason, a good road-maker,
and a most capital deer-driver, provided it be moderately
and discreetly dealt with, just as you deal with it,
gentlemen."

" It is all this, sure eneuch ; and I have often thought,
yer honour, that the gauger who gangs intill the poor body's
shieling, and taks awa his wee bit still, cannot be right at
heart. It is a foul raid, and he can be no Christian. As
for government whiskey, it is poor unhalesome stuff, and I
wish the gangers may stick to it ; they will be sooner out
of the way of honest men. But our home-made is a comfort
the morn and the even, and a warm side to us o'er the
moor."

" Thou art a perfect oracle, Peter ; and of course thou
sayest true. But it has killed many a tall fellow for all
that, and taken some of your best hill companions to their
last home. So now wipe my glass — no, not the whiskey
glass, man, but the prospect, as you call it : one of DoUond's
best it is, but you see there's a blear on it. And now let us
start, for the glens are lit up, the sun rides high, and the
day is far on. Nay, look not for deer on these heights,
they will be all low down. It is useless to put off time ; so
forward, my lads — a good hill-man's step, long, quick, and
lasting. No better way of walking when time presses.
And don't be drinking out of every burn. Carry the rifles
with their muzzles to the rear, and- then you will not drill
me with one of my own balls, as Sandy Macintosh there
was near doing the other day."

*' Not so near, either, for the ball didna pass within half
a f ut o' ye, and I didna pull the trigger, — so it wasna me
that was to blame ; I joost took up the gun by the neb, as
she lay on the ground ahint you, and as I pulled her alang,
the heather caught the wee bit trigger, and somehow or
anither, she banged aff ; so I couldna help it."

" Nothing can be more evident, Sandy ; but only just
keep the muzzle to the rear in future, and fight like the
wily Parthian."

STORM IN THE MOUNTAINS, 135

" Why, the same thing chanced to Glengarry, and he said
naething ava anent it."

" Very likely, Sandy ; but you see I am of a more talka-
tive disposition ; hut I must tell you, that in bygone times,
when a warrior came into a strange country, if he kept the
point of his spear forward, he was supposed to come as an
enemy, and was treated as such ; but if he kept the point
behind him, it was a token of friendship, and they feasted
him, and gave him venison and whiskey."

" I ken that was when I was a callan, for I didn't hear
aething anent it ; but as the neb of the rifle is ahint, and as
there is nae venison, I must tak' aff the Loch Rannoch with-
out it."

" As in duty bound ; very well, Sandy, I find thee apt."

A considerable space of ground had now been traversed
without any appearance of deer, in spite of the quick and
sagacious glance of the hill-man ; the air had turned hot
and close, and the weather was brewing up dark and heavy.
Each man raised his eyes to the south and to the east, but
still in silence.

" Whish — whish — down — low — I had a gliff of them in
the sun blink ; — hey, now the shadow is come ower : draw
ahint a wee bit, we shall spy them again in the clearing ; —
Ou, what a dunner ! They wunna bide there lang."

The clouds were now advancing in dark volumes, with
their hard masses rent, as it were, from top to bottom : the
thunder travelled sullenly amongst the distant chain of
mountains ; darker and darker still grew the huge form of
Ben-y-gloe ; slowly, determined, but still onward came the
solemn mass ; for a while it seemed to rest behind the
heights of Cairn-marnoc, whilst the sun cast a last grim
smile on its heathery braes.

" I am thinking we shall have a blad of weet."

" I have a slight suspicion of that myself, Maclaren, so we
may as well go to Cairn Derig Beg, where the hill is steep,
and we shall be more in the beild."

The rising wind came rustling on with a mournful sound ;
then, as it swelled into a rao^inor blast, down at once fell the
drenching torrent; and the big drops lashing along the
moor, gave back a spray like the dashing of a waterfall :

136 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

louder and louder the thunder echoed from hill to hill, till
it died far away on the rugged peak of Schehalien.

" I ken this Beg is no fit place for Christian men in the
fire-flaught. The day is mischancy, and sure as daith some-
thing will happen, for I heard the lament sung yesterday in
the gloaming, and well I ken it came from no living
mouth."

" Did you see your taishe, Peter."

" I munna tell what I saw ; but it was that I wudna like
to see again ; and sin' I hae trod the hills, I never saw sic
fire as this."

The storm was indeed awful. Tortoise was sitting under
the hill, — Peter Fraser was on his left, — Maclaren and
Jamieson were close to his right and front, and Sandy
Macintosh was with the hounds at a little distance.

The thunder clouds were now vertical; no interval
between the fire and the crash, but both instantaneous,
like the volleying of heavy ordnance : — another vivid flash,
and a loud, piercing, and protracted shriek was heard from
Fraser. The men were driven abroad, as if an engine of
war had burst amongst them : each had received a violent
shock — all of them in the legs ; but, providentially, no one
had sustained a serious injury. When the first surprise
was over, they began to try their powers of moving. Fraser
limped like Vulcan ; but after certain moans, and a little
rubbing of their legs, and skipping .about to try their
powers, all were soon sensible that they were as sound as
ever.

It was evident, from their yelling, that the dogs had
received a violent shock also.

The hurricane now bore away, raging and driving onward
to the west. The peals were longer, but less loud. Then
came down the rear storm in one continuous sheet of water,
and soon the awful voice died away in distant murmurs.
The weather gleam began faintly to appear behind Ben-y-
srloe, orrowinof more vivid as the dark mass rolled onward :
at last, the sun broke forth once more — the winds were at
rest — and all around looked serene and fair as in the
morning. You would not have known that this thing had
been, but for the small pools, or lappies, as they are called.

MACINTYBE'8 DEATH. 137

which now glittered in the sun, and the streams working
their way rapidly through the bogs, and coursing down to
the burns. Those burns which but a short hour ago crept
lazily through the mossy stones, were now filled with a
raging, turbid torrent, rolling onwards, irresistible in its
course, as the lava-streams of a volcano ; — all then is passed,
and the moor is still again.

"You're no thinking of the taishe now, Peter."

" Ou 1 but I'm thinking my legs are all arred, and that
the fireflaught is in them still, and will be no be out of
them the nicht ; and do you no ken that yon point from
which the storm came, is Cairn-na-gour, and that it wa-s
frae that vera tapmost hill that Willie Robertson, the auld
forester, him that used to kill the outlying deer by Gaig,
sung the lament ? It was foreby that Beg he stood, and
showed John Crerer the taps of a' the high hills from Aber-
deenshire to Inverness-shire, and ca'd them by name, begin-
ning at TarfF Forest in Atholl, and passing on to the taps
of the Argyleshire hills, to those of Lochaber, Inverness,
and Aberdeenshire, where he said he had spent mony a
pleasant day. He turned round the tap of the hill, and
disappeared. Crerer turned round a wee whilie after, and
spied him nearly a mile aff on his way hame ; he followed
and owertook him, and found him sorrowful, and the tears
fallinor from his een. He said, * I shall never see agrain what
I hae seen the day;' and troth, he never did. He died at
the great age of ninety-two."

" Ah, poor fellow, and loath, very loath was he to leave
his dear hills ; for when Stewart, the ground officer, asked
him if he thouojht himself in dancjer, he said that he knew
he was dying, and that he had little chance of ever seeing
the Duke again in this world ; but he hoped that when his
Grace was taken away also, he would meet him at heaven's
gate, and welcome him in. He then began praying; and,
in the middle of his prayer, asked Stewart, * if it was true
that his Grace was going to make a road up Glen Mark and
Glen Dirrie.' Stewart told him 'that was only a joke.'
William answered, 'that making the road would be no
joke.'

" But he enjoyed a long and happy life, and I hope you
10

138 DAYS OF DEEB- STALKING.

will not sing your coronach at an earlier age. It is a cus-
tom, I believe, which all the old foresters have observed.
I was near hearing poor gallant Macintyre sini( his : you
may remember when he was lying ill at Forest Lodge, and
I had my quarters there, how, in the midst of his fever, he
would rave about the deer ; how his spirit was ever on the
hills, whilst his body was lying on a sick bed ; how wildly
he talked of Ben-y-gloe, Craig-chrochie, Glen Croinie, and
all the glens and mountains that had so often echoed to the
crack of his rifle ; you may bear in mind how near he then
was to the grave of his fathers. It chanced I did him some
little common act of kindness, such as no one but an honest-
hearted Highlander would have thought about for a moment.
He wished, he said, he might get well, that he might have
the pleasure of taking me into the deer — how fine he would
do it ! These were the last words I ever heard from his
mouth, and surely they were kind ones. Poor fellow ! on
that day I sent him down to Blair, in an easy carriage, to
be nearer the doctor : he lived but a short space afterwards.
Long before this, however, he was aware that his life was
ebbing; for when Mr. Landseer painted his portrait, he
looked at it sorrowfully, and said, ' An' if that's like Macin-
tyre, he's no long for this world.' Too truly did he pro-
phesy,— peace be with him.

" And now we will see if we can kill a hart in honour of
his memory ; and we will pour over the best libations of
right Loch Rannoch, the fumes whereof will be grateful to
his shade."

Peter Fraser (touching his cap), " That would be shamef u'
waste, yer honour ; Macintyre himsel' aye poured it intill
his weem, and I'm thinking his ghaist would like to see us
pit it in the same gait, and not gie it to a dead beastie, who
will no ken whether it be lowland stuff or richt Loch Ran-
noch." (Then laying his arm upon Tortoise), " Hist, hist,
sir ; some fashious body has disturbit the moor. Look to
yon deer ; they are coming ower from the east by the green
knowes, and ganging on slowly to Crag Urrard. What shall
we do ? We maun lie doun on the heather, for we are lockit
in, and canna win forrat a fut the noo. The banks of the
Banavie are steep, and the pass to Crag Urrard is narrow ;

WEATHER AGAIN UNPBOPITIOUS. 139

but we are ower far awa' to rin intill them at ony gait ;
but your honour gangs wi' lang strides doun the brae, and
je may mak a push for it when they are ower the hill ; but
ye maun gang your best."

" They are going slowly, Peter, and I do not alt ogether
<iespair ; it is a long run, but we have no other chance at
any rate. The worst of it is, that this long heather, which
appears so even, is full of large grey stones, that lie hid in
it on purpose to break honest hillmen's legs, and yours are
all arred with the fire-flaught, you know, Peter. But we
will not heed a sprained ankle or broken leg or two in such
a cause, though the chance be a wild one."

Tortoise now began to measure with his eye the long
distance to the pass, which seemed to be about a mile and
a-half, and then to consider how long the deer would pro-
bably be in crossing, after they had sunk down the hill out
of siorht of the stalkers ; it would be a race aofainst time,
and his calculation was an unfavourable one.

In the midst of this anxiety they had not observed that
the weather was again brewing up in the south ; and the
rain began to fall thick and heavy: they now judged that
the deer had not been disturbed by any traveller, but were
slowly shifting their ground to get under the hill to the
leeward, for they did not look back to the point from which
they came, or show any jealousy; neither were they in any
hurry, but walked slowly, stopping occasionally to feed.
During this tedious time the rain fell heavily, and came
trickling through the bonnets of the recumbents. Could
they have been posted in concealment one short half-mile
nearer, all this they would have borne patiently, as they
had borne it many a time and oft. But now that the
chance was almost nothing, — cold, rheumatism, and all the
ills that flesh is heir to, appeared in sad and hideous array
before Tortoise's imagination; and, as the cast was now
nearly ended, the base thought of going homeward, without
waiting for the chance, came across his mind.

Hear it not, O noble shade of stout Glengarry ; you who
would lie abroad in cavern or in moss for nio^hts too^ether,
the grey stone or the drifted snow your pillow ; you who
would swim through lakes and flooded rivers, alike heedless

140 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

of the tempest and all the barriers that rugged nature threw
across your course — hear not, I beseech you, the recreant
thought that came across our mind. Alas, had not your
generous spirit departed prematurely ; had not the mournful
sound of your coronach been borne on the hollow blast
through your rocky glens and mountains, lamented as you
were by many a true heart and brave clansman ; oh, had
you still lived, buoyant in all your strength and national
spirit, I would have sung lo Pceans to your triumphs ;.
though, after this confession, candid as it is, your heart
never would have warmed towards me again, which you
once told me it did, as being the descendant of a borderer.

The thought of going to the halls of Blair, however, with
the deer in view, was transient as it was degenerate ; and,,
to do ourselves justice, never would have occurred to us for
a moment, had not the cast been nearly finished, the chance
almost as nothing, and had not visions of warm fires, hospi-
tality, and happiness floated invitingly around the old
towers of the castle, already in view ; in other words, had
we not at that moment been somewhat of a milksop. A blush
came over our storm-beaten cheeks ; we vamped up our wet
courage, and were determined to await the event.

Long, very long, did the party remain under the wrath
of Jupiter Pluvius ; for the pasture was good, and the deer
were in no hurry to quit it ; and, as the men were locked
in, they could not move till the deer did. At length they
began to draw on slowly over the hill ; two or three dis-
appeared, others followed, but more lagged behind.

" Will they never go ? Yes, yes, they seem to be all
drawing on ; and now, by Jove, they are all fairly over,,
(except that jealous hind. Fix your glass steadily upon her,
Peter, and do not speak till she shall be clearly out of sight
when we are standing up ; try it first oh your knees, and
raise yourself slowly."

Fraser looked awhile, then shut up his glass rapidly, say-
ing, " Noo's yer time, she is clean awa'."

Up they sprung, and away they went at high speed,,
steeped and drenched as they were with the rain, which
had never ceased for a moment. Sometimes they stuck
a' most knee deep in old heather, amidst large blocks of

UNEXPECTED SUCCESS. 141

■stone : these they sprang upon, or twisted their ankles
between, as it happened ; for such a swinging pace down
hill precluded their arresting their steps for a moment.
Soon they come to the great declivity, and look anxiously
to the opposite steeps of the Banavie. The deer w^ere not
going up : they had them below then ; but the descent was
long, and they might still be baulked. Down — down they
rush behind a ridge of ground, stooping and peeping just
to the north of the spot where the deer had passed. — " And
now they cannot escape us ; we must have them, for good
or for evil."

The tops of their antlers were just in sight ; and down
■dropped the men at once, motionless, in the heather.

The deer now advanced through the burn : Tortoise
singled out the best harts, keeping his eye steadily upon
them, and marking their precise course ; but, as yet, moved
not his rifle. They dashed, and splashed, and shifted places
in such a manner, that he jude^ed it most prudent to w^ait
till they were ascending the steep. He then had nearly
their whole backs presented to his aim. When they were
in this position, up at once he sprung, and discharged his
three rifles in succession.

At the first shot, a magnificent hart sunk down upon his
hind quarters, staggered, and rolled back lifeless into the
burn : the ball of the second rifle passed down through the
shoulders of another splendid fellow ; he fell forward, and
was instantly dead. The last shot was fired too high, and
only cracked against a stag's horn, which stunned him for
a moment, but he soon recovered, and went off' with the rest
-as well as ever.

Nothing could surpass the joy of the party at this almost
unhoped-for success : they canvassed the thing over and
over again. It was a wonderful distance to come in from ;
they never ran so well in all their lives ; — in short, they
were prodigiously fond of themselves, — especially as they
had anticipated a blank day. They never chose to consider
that the deer (who had not seen them till the last) were
going very leisurely.

" Out now with the whiskey bottle, man, and we will

142 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

make our promised libations in favour of the good old
forester,"

Whilst honest Davy was extracting this desideratum
from his pocket, one of the dogs slipped his collar, and
seized the throat of the hart, which the men were lifting
out from the burn, with savage ferocity ; being choked off
when they gained the banks, he turned his wrath towards
his friend in the leash, and these two bloodthirsty villains
flew furiously at each other, and were parted at some risk
and difficulty. This sort of conflict was, indeed, a very
common occurrence ; it began with a low growl, then a
grinning, and exposition of certain white teeth ; then a
setting up of bristles, a sudden spring, and war to the knife.

" Now, then, all hands to work, and let us see if the fat
of this fine fellow is bruised by the fall. No, I am sure it
is not ; he feels quite firm and sound. Davy, you rogue,
put the quaigh in your pocket, and gralloch the other deer,
whilst we attend to this."

The harts fell near the pine woods of Blair : a smart walk,,
varied with an occasional run, put in practice when their
late feat came vividly over them, soon brought them to
Blair. They no longer heeded the rain and the blast, but
now rather rejoiced in it.

*' Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit."

CHAPTER VI.

The Forest of Atholl.— Probable number of deer, and their size.— Cumyn's cairn. — Highland
vengeance. — Fatal accident. — Principal glens. — Glen Tilt. — Marble quarries. —Roe
deer.— Lakes and lodges. — Merry foresters.— Forest song.— Cuirn-Mamich. — Last
execution at Blair. —Arrest of a murderer.— Royal feasting and hunting.— Palace in
the forest, and Highland cheer. — Burning of the palace. — Kilmavonaig beer. —
Cumyn's death.— Belief in witchcraft.— M. G. Lewis's legendary tale of the Witclv
of Ben-y-gloe.

*• There's the dae, the rae, the hart, the hynde,
And of a' wild beastis great plentie ;
There's a fair castell of lyme, and stane,
0 gif it stands not pleasauntlie !"

Minstrelsy of the Border.

The celebrated forest of Atholl comprehends a vast tract of
moor and mountain, extending, by hillman's computation^

FOREST OF ATHOLL.

143

from the north-east point joining Aberdeenshire, to the
south-west point joining Gaig Forest, about forty miles in
length. The extreme breadth, from the top of Skarsaeh,
north side of Tarff, to Craig TJrrard, Mr. John Crerer thinks
cannot be less than 18 miles, but it diminishes in breadth at
the extremities. It measures 135,451 imperial acres.

The following table will show how it is divided and
appropriated : —

Contents of the Atholl Deer Forest, <^c.

Imperial Measure.

Forest Ground.

Grouse Ground.

Acres.

Acres.

1. Glenfernate -

2. Felaar and Tarff -

3. Glentilt, Benygloe, and Loch

Valligan - - - -,

4. Eiecblachrie and Benychatt -

5. Glenbruar - - - -'

6. Glen-Crombie and Kyrachan

7. Aldvoulin and Cluns

8. Dalnacardoch and Wood Sheal

9. Dalnaspidal and Mealnale-

trocli - - -
10. Bohespick and Strathtummel

10,089-46760

26,484-85245

10,089-46760

5,044-73380

-

10,720-15387
11,350-65105

5,044-73380

7,567-10070
7,567-10070
8,828-28415
6,936-50897

18,287-16000
7,440-98235

Total -

51,708-52145

83,742-58959

Total I

Forest Ground 51,708-521
\ Grouse Ground 83,742-589

135,451-110.-

The part of the forest which is kept for deer-stalking, it
will be remarked, is 51,708 imperial acres, and is bounded
chiefly on the west by Craig Urrard and the river Bruar ;
on the north by the Tarff"; on the east by the Felaar grouse
ground ; and on the south by the cultivated grounds and
woods of Blair. Deer, however, are occasionally to be found
beyond these limits — particularly hinds : in a north wind,
indeed, an inexpert or rash deer-stalker would send vast
numbers out of this ground, and if they were still pursued
and followed with pertinacity, they might be driven into
other forests and remain there some time.

The names of the various hill tops are given in the Appendix.

144 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING,

All this vast tract is reserved exclusively for deer, with
a slight exception as to Glen Tilt, where sheep are occa-
sionally permitted to pasture. In 1786, the sheep were
removed from the north side of Glen Tilt, and from the
south, or Ben-y-gloe side, about ten years afterwards. In
the year 1776, when Mr. John Crerer went to Blair, the
number of deer in all the forest did not probably exceed
100 ; though some small herds have wandered in it from
time immemorial. The great increase took place in the
year above mentioned, when Forest Lodge was built; the
sheep and cattle were removed, and the hills were thus kept
free from disturbance. Favoured and protected as they
now were, the increase became very rapid ; so that of late
years their numbers were computed at about seven thous-
and ; but I always thought this an exaggerated statement ;
for I once saw on the same day all the deer driven down
from the east, and a second drive also from Glen Crinie ;
I then fell back north before the deer had crossed Glen
Tilt, and came to Blair by the western cast and the lower
grounds ; so that, with the exception of such as happened
to be on Ben-y-gloe, I must have then seen almost all that
the forest comprehended, as the wind was full south ; mak-
ing all allowances, I should estimate the number at between
five and six thousand. On this day I killed seven fine harts.
The hinds are of course far more numerous than the harts,
as none but yeld hinds are killed, except by accident. It
must be allowed, however, that these accidents happen
pretty often, and indeed, in almost every deer-drive ; for
young sportsmen will fire at all hazards when they have
rifles in their hands — aye, and old ones too, sometimes.

It is thought that the harts in Atholl Forest are inferior
in point of size to those in other districts ; and from the
weight of stags killed elsewhere, an account of which has
been sent to me, I am forced to come to the same conclu-
sion. As the pastures are excellent almost everywhere,
and particularly rich on the north brae of Ben-y-gloe, this
inferiority in point of size cannot be attributed to the inca-
pacity of the ground to produce larger animals. It arises,
I think, from a very obvious cause : Blair being in the high
road to the north, almost every sportsman that came from

CUMYN'S CAIRN. 145

England profited of its hospitality, and participated in its
amusements ; thus there never was a day in the season when
the wind was favourable, in which the deer were not dis-
turbed to the utmost limit that the forest would admit of.
Some of the best harts were killed off, to the number of 100
or 130, or perhaps more, in each season ; and many others,
I imagine (and these the largest), found their position so
unquiet, that they sought the forests of Gaig and Braemar,
and deserted that of Atholl, where they were continually
driven, and kept in a state of perpetual alarm. It is evident
that no animal could arrive at his proper dimensions under
such harassing circumstances.

But many people were deceived as to the actual size of
the Atholl harts, from the custom of reckoning by Dutch
weight, whilst others used the imperial. Now as Dutch
weight is seventeen ounces and a half to the pound, and
sixteen pounds to the stone, the difference is most material.
The weight, too, was given not as the deer stood, but after
he had been gralloched.

But if the pastures are fine, the ground also is in all
other respects the most favourable that can be imagined for
a forest. Mountains of various altitude, open sunny corries,
deep glens and ravines, holes for solitary harts to hide in,
and numerous rolling pools, burns also and rivers, and large
pine woods to shelter them during the inclement season.

The two highest mountains in the forest are Ben-y-gloe
and Ben Dairg, or the Bed Mountain. Ben-y-gloe is of vast
magnitude, and comprehends a little territory within itself,
stretching its huge limbs far and wide. It is computed to
be twenty-four Scotch miles in circumference, and it con-
tains twenty-four corries ; these corries are separated from
each other by such high ridges, that a person standing in
one of them could not hear a shot fired in the next. The
highest point of the mountain is Cairn-na-gowr, or the
Goat's Hill, which is 3725 feet above the level of the sea.
On the eastern side of Ben-y-gloe lies Loch Loch, abounding
in char and trout ; and near it stands Cumyn's Cairn, con-
cerning which tradition has given us the following story : —
About the beginning of the thirteenth century the autho-
rity of the district was divided between the family of

146 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

Cumyn Earl of Badenoch, and M'Intosh of Tirinie. The
latter had presented Cumyn's lady with a present of twelve
cows and a bull ; but this substantial donation, so far from
exciting the gratitude of the chief, only raised his envy and
cupidity, and he resolved to strip his neighbour of his
opulence. He surrounded M'Intosh's castle of Tomafour,
situated about a mile from his own castle of Blair Atholl,
and in the silence of midnight massacred the whole family.
Near M'Intosh's seat lived an old man who held a piece of
land of him, for which he only paid the rent of a bonnet
yearly ; and he always got his master's bonnet back again.
This man was the first who entered the castle after the
murder, and casting his eyes round on the scene of death,
fortunately discovered an infant sleeping in its cradle. He
carried away the child to its nearest relative, Campbell of
Achnabreck, in Argyleshire, and there the boy was nur-
tured, unconscious of the melancholy story of his parents.
It was judged prudent to conceal his birth for some time,
as the Cumyns were a powerful race, whom it was perilous
to offend. The boy grew, and became an excellent bowman;
his aged conductor used to go occasionally to see him, and
perceiving his dexterity in hitting the mark, said one day,
* The grey breast of the man who killed your father is
broader than that target.' This led to a recital of the
whole transaction. Even the young laird burned for re-
venge ; and he succeeded in obtaining a select band of clans-
men to share in his feelings. They went to Cumyn's castle,
and assailed him with a shower of arrows. His followers were
scattered, and the guilty chief fled to Loch Rannoch, Glen
Firnat, and thence to Glen Tilt, hotly pursued by his much
injured adversary. At length, as he raised his hand to
wipe the sweat from his forehead, he was struck with an
arrow, and fell by the side of a small lake at the foot of
Ben-y-gloe, where a cairn was raised to perpetuate his crime
and its punishment.

The above story is yet current in the country, and the
remains of M'Intosh's castle may still be seen. There is a
rock in the Tilt called M'Intosh's Chair, where he held his
court, his people standing round him ; happily he could only
do so when the water was very low, as he hung a man

FATAL ACCIDENT. 147

every time. It is still a bye-word in the country that " It
is not every day M'Intosh can hold his court."

A fatal accident happened at Craigantsuidh, near Poll
Tarf, about sixty or seventy years ago ; and here follow the
particulars, as I have received them : —

Alexander Macgregor, a resident in Glen Tilt, was
travelling with two companions on the face of Craigant-
suidh, which is very rugged and precipitous. It was at
that time covered with snow, and sheets of ice were found
in various places, which frequently conducted to the ledge
of a precipice. In an evil hour Macgregor, unconscious of
the danger, placed his foot on one of these perilous spots,
which conveyed his body over a deep precipice, and his sovil
to eternity.

His two companions took his corpse into a shepherd's
hut, where they proposed leaving it that night, until they
procured assistance.

The one said to the other, " Will you go to Felaar for
assistance, or remain all night with the body ?" He replied
he would go to Felaar for assistance. The Camerons were
there at this time in the capacity of foresters. He was
scarcely gone, ere the man, who remained with the body,
was pelted with stones and turf, and other missiles, till he
was provoked to go out and see from what direction they
were thrown. On his going out they ceased ; but the
moment he re-entered, they began again with such increased
violence that he would have been stoned to death had he
not left the house.

The country people attributed this attack to the omission
of leaving the door of the hut open to give a free passage to
the departing spirit. People will form their own con-
clusions on this and similar stories. I mention them as
evidence of the superstitious feeling that still pervades some
secluded spots in the north.

In the year 1804, one Duncan Robinson had a narrow
escape from the fall of an avalanche on Ben-y-gloe, but
(more fortunate than Macgregor) he saw the impending
mass of snow tottering above him, and threw himself under
a rock that was providentially by his side ; the vast volume
passed over him, and his life was thus spared ; but his dog
perished.

148 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

The principal glens in that part of the forest, which is
.set apart for deer, are the celebrated Glen Tilt, Glen
Croinie,* Glen Mark, Glen Dirie, and Glen Bruar, — all
bearing the names of the rivers that run through them ;
and all which rivers (save the Tilt) run from north to south
nearly in a parallel direction.

The Dirie falls into the Mark ; the Mark rushes into
the Tilt ; and the waters of the Bruar lose themselves in
those of the Garry. The Garry itself may also be con-
.sidered as within the precincts of the forest. Towards the
north is the Tartf, which runs nearly from west to east
with a bearing towards the south ; and it falls into the
Tilt at the head of the glen. The Croinie also falls into the
.same river. There is likewise a lesser stream, called " Auld
Banavie," on the western side of the forest, which runs
beneath Craig Urrard ; the latter part of its course is full of
wild and picturesque character : it is swallowed up in the
waters of the Garry.

Salmon come up the Tilt in full waters, and are taken
with the fly ; and all the other rivers are so full of small
trout, that any one who pleases may catch as many dozens
in a day as he can conveniently carry. These streams work
their way in solitude through dreary mosses, and come
winding down the glens sometimes in comparative tran-
quillity, and at others bursting and rooting up every thing
about them; the mighty force with which they descend
may be read in the vast rocks and fragments of wreck
which they heap up as monuments of their power.

Supplied by such numerous forces, the Tilt becomes
powerful in its infancy. Born in rugged regions, it cleaves
its way, at the base of impending mountains and rocky
precipices, in a dark, deep, and narrow trench. Arrived
at the green pastures of Ben-y-gloe, its bed begins to
expand, and the waters pass down in a freer course ; still
however they come racing and flashing along with over-
whelming violence.

A little lower its wrath is tempered with all the orna-
ment that art and nature can bestow. First of all a few
straggling trees deck its margin ; then groups of birch

♦This is usually pronounced Glen Criiiie.

SCENE BY OF GLEN TILT. 149

stand airy and light, displaying their glossy stems upon
the knolls, or shelving down the sides of the great moun-
tain, vivid as it here is with luxuriant pasture. The woods
now skirt the braes in larger masses, winding on the hill
sides and conforming* themselves to the varied undulations
of the surface. They press closely on the river where the
valley is contracted, and their branches wave over it, and
shed the sear leaf in the stream. Some of the masses are
dense ; others admit the sunbeam, striking on the scarlet
berries of the mountain ash, and bringing out the rich
autumnal tint of the brachen which grows beneath them.
All soon uniting in mass, gather into larch and pine forest,
and at lenofth mino^le with the woods of Blair.

The pass itself is barred in by the grim mountains that
heave their dun backs about it, and send down many a
torrent from their riven ribs. A good road winds alonor the
braes, catching and losing the waters as it pierces the
gloom of the woods, or breaks forth into light and expanse.
Picturesque bridges are thrown across the river, and every
thing has been done that consummate judgment could effect
to temper the wild scene with beauty and convenience ; to
temper, but not to destroy it ; that indeed, if advisable,
were almost beyond the power of man. Stern and indomit-
able as the wrath of Achilles, the Tilt ever holds its mood,
and comes raging on, wheeling in eddies, rushing in cata-
racts, or spreading into pools, bearing along with it at
times huge fragments of rock that form uncouth islands in
its channel, upon which the stricken deer stands dominant
at bay ; still ceaseless it races onward, fretting and foaming,
till at length its mad career is arrested in the less turbulent
waters of the Garry.

After the storm this river speaks in a voice of thunder,
and quells every noise around it ; but when the winds are
hushed, and the weather gleam streaks the sky from afar,
and the rain-drops glitter in the sunshine, some sylvan
sounds may occasionally be heard — the solitary croak of the
raven's voice as he sits boding on the crags, the distant
bellow of the hart, or the scream of the eagle falling faintly
on the ear from the skies above. In a grey day the moun-
tains around are stern and dark, and there is gloom all up

150 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

the glen ; so that when the eye travels to the small opening
at the distant gorge, you look out at the bright light of
heaven as from the mouth of a cavern.

But it is in the clear day of autumn that this scene is
most enjoyable, when the air is invigorating, and when the
sunbeams strike down the summits, and the light falls on
the glossy stems of the birchen grove, warms the grey rock
and the greensward, and brings forth all the rich hues of
<lecaying foliage. Yet even in the broad evidence of a
meridian sun, whilst the light leaves tremble and sparkle in
its beams, and countless objects stand prominent, luminous,
and defined, there are vast masses of dark pines unrevealed
and impervious to its genial influence, and deep flat shadows
that leave much in mystery and obscurity.

The whole of this glen, in a scientific point of view, is
interestint^ in the hio-hest degree ; to a geolos^ist there is
none more so throughout Scotland. A quarry has been
opened above Marble Lodge, which contains immense blocks
of marble, varying from grass green into one of a yellower
cast, and intermixed with grey. The best blocks take a
good polish ; and it surpasses in beauty all analogous subjects
of British origin. The transportation of such a heavy material
however is not easy, as the Tay is not navigable above Perth.

There is also a beautiful yellow marble to be obtained,
which is mottled with white ; as likewise a coarse sort of
white marble polluted with grey streaks.

In the forest there are four mineral springs : I am not
aware that they have been analysed, but many an incau-
tious hill-man can attest their efficacy. One of them issues
at the side of Loch Mark, one at Dualdan, north from Felaar
House, and two at the top of the burn, at Inverslanie. The
two last are named Duke James's Wells.

There are a great many roe deer in the forest, which feed
chiefly in the woods, or on the moor immediately adjoining
them, but are never seen far out on the hills. They do not
unite in herds, but live in separate families. In favourable
seasons, about one roe out of five or six will produce
two fawns.* As a singular proof of their attachment to

* Various writers make the proportion of twins much greater, but this is
Mr. John Crerer's calculation.

ROE DEER. 151

their young, I here transcribe an occurrence that has
been obligingly sent me by my eminent friend, Sir David
Brewster.

"Near Belleville, in Inverness-shire, there is a finely
wooded range of rocks, containing Borlam's* Cave ; the
haunt of the last Highland cateran, who was proprietor of
Belleville. In cutting a path to this cave, one of the party
of Highland labourers, whom I took with me for that pur-
pose, asked me if I had seen the spaning (weaning) tree of
the roe deer, and pointed out one close by us, which, but for
this notification, would have fallen under the axe. This
tree was a small birch one, that stood nearly in the middle
of a regular oval ring, formed and trodden down with the
feet of the roe deer, who run round and round the tree,
followed by their young, in order to amuse them at the
time when they are weaned. My informant assured me
that he had seen the deer engaged in this sport, and I have
myself seen and shown to others the footmarks of the old
and young deer in different parts of the ring round the
birch tree ; at one end of the ring there was a small oval,
giving the whole the appearance of the figure 00 .

These beautiful animals, however, who for the most part
lead such a tranquil and domestic life, are animated with
fury like the red deer during the season of rutting. In the
summer of 1820, two roebucks were discovered in a deep
hollow, one above the other, most firmly united in the
following singular manner : — The horns of the uppermost
one were twisted in the skin behind the shoulders of the
one beneath, and those of the latter were twisted in a
similar manner in the shoulders of the buck above him.
Both were found dead in this dreadful position.

There are seven lakes in the forest — Loch Tilt, Loch
Mark, Loch Garry, Loch Hone, Loch Dhu, Loch Maligan,
and Loch Loch ; the last abounds in char, and on its banks
stands Cumyn s Cairn.

* Tradition says, that, whilst this ruthless villain was in the act of bury-
ing a man whom he had robbed and murdered, he was discovered by a
clansman, who rebuked him. Afraid of legal retribution, he struck the
intruder down with his spade, jammed him at once into the earth, and
buried both bodies in the same grave.

152 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

There are two hunting lodo^es in Glen Tilt — Forest
Lodge, and Marble Lodge. The latter is a mere station ;
the former was built in 1776, and has lately been much
enlarged. It is constructed without affectation of orna-
ment, and consists of two tenements united by a stone
screen surmounted by stag's horns, and in which there is
an archway for carriages to pass. One of these tenements
serves for the lord of the forest and his friends, and the
other for his retinue. The foresters and gillies, however,
are so numerous, that I have often wondered by what
means so many human beings could be packed together in
so close a space. So it is, however : and instead of com-
plaining of inconvenience, every man is as happy as if he
were sole possessor of the great bed at Ware. As a proof
of this good feeling, and the general spirit that pervades
the hill-men, I transcribe a song made by Alexander, an
old and faithful servant of the late Duke of Atholl, who
lived with him eighteen years, and now lies buried in the
cathedral at Dunkeld. This composition was sung every
night at Forest Lodge w^hen Maddy was there ; and,
whatever may be thought of the poetry, is as good an
evidence of the sort of thing going on as I can possibly
give. Here it is in its pure doggerel state. I have not
attempted to spoil its character by the alteration of a single
word : —

ON SEEING LORD GATHCART ARRIVE AT BLAIR
ONE MORNING EARL^.

0, Campbell*, man, I muckle dtead

That we shall have a tramp ;
The Commander in Chief f so soon a stear,

I fear we must flit our camp.

But if to Felaar we do march off,

As I muckle dread we may ;
Some Athole brose before we go

Campbell and I shall ha'e.

» Campbell was cook in the Atholl family upwards of sixty years ; but
for several years before he died acted as hill cook only.

t Lord Cathcart was commander of the forces in Scotland at that time.

FOREST SONG. 153

The journey's long and rugged too,

Some waters for to cross ;
Some bills to climb — but worst of all —

Is trougbing tbrough tbe moss.

When at Felaar we do arrive,

How pleasing 'tis to see
At nigbt tbe harts and birds come home.

In dozens twa or three.

John Crerer he spies out the harts.
My Lord Duke does shoot them ;

Curly ■''- he does bring them home,
And Campbell he does cook them.

Tho' Campbell carries nothing there

But just a pan and brander.
He can soon cook a dinner rare

For the Duke or Alexander.

And when our kites is a' weel cramm'd

Wi' ilka thing that's rare,
Then to the toddy we sit doun

Each man to drink his share.

Lang life to you Campbell,

To stear about the toddy ;
Of a' the friends I ever ken't

Ye are a dainty body.

Next to bed we do prepare

The best way we are able ;
There is twenty lies upon the floor,

And Maddy on the table.

From wa' to wa', all in a row

Like herring on a plate ;
The man that durst our camp attack

My faith he'll no be blate.

Such a regiment of Highland men,
The Duke and Lord Cathcart';

I am convinced they would defy
The devil and Buonaparte.

* John Forbes, christened "Curly" by the Duke, from his hair being
much curled, attended his Grace upwards of twenty years to the hill with
two horses, to bring home the dead deer to Blair. This man knew every
part of the forest, and could be directed to find the dead deer, though lying
twenty miles distant from Blair. He died about the year 1825, aged
about seventy.

11

154 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

Ben Dairg, or Derig, as it is usually pronounced, the
mountain next in consequence to Ben-y-gloe, is 3,550 feet
in height. It lies about ten miles north from Blair ; its
summit is covered with immense blocks of gneiss and
granite of a reddish colour, from whence it derives its
name of the Red Mountain. This chaos of huge fragments
is the favourite haunt of the ptarmigan and white hare,
though the perilous den of the fox and wild cat is there
also, and the eagle preys around it.

The south side of this mountain forms a vast crescent,
the horns lying west and east.

I must not omit to mention more particularly another
mountain which lies between Glen Mark and Glen Croinie :
it is called Cuirn-Marnich ; cuirn is the plural of cairn, and
marnich of maronach — " the cairns of the Braemar people."
These cairns are sixteen in number, and were raised by the
AthoU men to commemorate a victory they obtained over
the Braemar people, whom they here overtook and slew to
the number of sixteen, as they were returning home with
plunder from their country. Tradition says little about
this foray, which, indeed, was but upon a small scale. It is a
boast of the men of Atholl, that they never were beaten by
their neighbours in open fight, such having always proved
fatal to their adversaries ; so that the only loss they ever
suffered was by stealth and stratagem.

This they are still proud of. Alexander Gon, from Blair,
was once in Braemar, when the company he was with began
to banter the Atholl men for lack of courage. Up he started
on his legs, and striking the table with his clenched knuckles,
exclaimed, in the stern spirit of a clansman, " Remember,
lads, who have the Cuirn-Marnich." This effectually silenced
the banterers.

Turning from such lawless proceedings, I will now give
an account of the last public judicial execution that took
place at Blair.

About the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Earl of
Atholl had two foresters named Stewart and Macintosh ;
the former resided at Auchgoul, and the latter at Dalnachie,
both in Glen Tilt. Macintosh had also a bothy at Coirre-
renich on Ben-y-gloe, where he occasionally slept.

LAST EXECUTION AT BLAIR. 155

One day after shooting together, they resolved to sleep
at this bothy. They had only a gilly, or servant, with them
belonging to Macintosh. The two foresters slept in one bed,
and the gilly in another. Whilst Macintosh slept, Stewart
stabbed him with his skiandubh; and, going to the gilly's bed,
stabbed him also, and put him on Macintosh, that it might
be supposed one had killed the other. He left them both
for dead, and made the best of his way home.

Soon after his departure, the gilly began to recover a
little from the wound he had received, and contrived to
-crawl on his hands and knees to Dalnachie, which he reached
next morning, and gave information of the murder of his
master. When Stewart heard that the gilly had escaped
with life, and that the murder was discovered, he fled to
Lord Reay's country in Sutherland, which had the privilege
in those days of protecting criminals from justice.

In the meantime the Earl of Atholl, beins: informed of
what had had taken place, was determined to bring Stewart
to justice, and sent a man named Macadie, who knew Stewart
well, dressed as a beggar, to discover if he was still in
Sutherland. He soon returned with intelligence of Stewart's
being there, and the Earl sent a strong party with Macadie
(still disguised as a beggar) with instructions to bring back
the murderer dead or alive.

On the arrival of the party at Lord Reay's country, hear-
ing that Stewart was to attend a wedding on a certain day,
they agreed to surround the house where the ceremony was
to take place, pretty late at night. Macadie was to enter
and drink Stewart's health ; and this was to be the sig-
nal that the person they sought for was within. This
being settled, Macadie entered, and drank Stewart's health,
who, finding he was discovered, bolted out of the house,
and was immediately surrounded and secured by the party
stationed without, who took him to Logierait, where he was
confined some time, and finally condemned to be hung and
gibbeted. The sentence was carried into execution at Blair ;
and this man was the last person who was hung there.

The motive for this foul act did not transpire ; but it
was supposed that it was perpetrated for the sake of in-
volving the murderer with the sort of horrid consequence

156 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

that was attached in those days to the most daring delin-
quents. An obelisk was placed on the spot where the
execution took place, by Duke James, in 1735 ; and the
mound is still called " The Hangman's Mount."

The forest of Atholl seems to have been celebrated for
the sports it afforded for many ages.

King Malcolm, called Cean-Mohr (great head), who reigned
in Scotland from 1056 to 1093, frequently hunted in it ;
and many places in the forest are named after him, such as
the King's Cairn, etc.

The Lord of Atholl Forest has the privilege of hunting
over the Lude property ; and the proprietor of the latter is
obliged to keep his ground clear of cattle and sheep for the
space of three weeks previous to a grand hunt, if desired
to do so. This right was kept up for a considerable period^
but has not been exercised of late years.

In Piscottie there is a description of an entertainment
given to royalty by the third Earl of Atholl, which, how-
ever well known, is of so splendid and unusual a character,
and so directly to the purpose, that I cannot, I think, omit
it with propriety.

"In 1529, King James the Fifth passed to the Highlands
to hunt in Athole, and took with him his mother Margaret,
Queen of Scotland, and an ambassador of the pope, who
was in Scotland for the time. The Earl of Athole hearing
of the king's coming, made great provision for him in all
things pertaining to a prince ; that he was well served and
eased with all things necessary to his estate, as he had been
in his own palace of Edinburgh. For I heard say this
noble earl gart make a curious palace to the king, to his
mother, and to the ambassador, where they were so honour-
ably eased and lodged, as they had been in England, France,
Italy, or Spain, concerning the time, and equivalent for
their hunting and pastime ; which was builded in the midst
of a fair meadow, a fair palace of green timber, wind (1)
with green birks (2) that were green both under and above,
which was fashioned in four quarters, and in every quarter

1 " Wind," Wound, or bound.

2 " Birks," Birch trees.

HIGHLAND CHEER. 157

.and nutre thereof a great round, as it had been a block-
house which was lofted and geisted the space of three
house-heights (3) ; the floors laid with green scharets (4) and
spreats (5), medwarts (6) and flowers, that no man knew
whereon he zeid (7) but as he had been in a garden. Fur-
ther, there were two great rounds in ilk side of the gate,
and a great portcullies of tree falling down with the manner
of a barrace (8), with a draw-bridge, and a great stank of
water of sixteen feet deep, and thirty feet of breadth : and
a,lso the palace within was hung with fine tapestry, and
arrasses of silk, and lighted with fine glass windows in all
airths (9) ; that this palace was as pleasantly decored with
all necessaries pertaining to a prince, as it had been in his
own palace-royal at home. Further, this earl gart make
such provision for the king, and his mother, and the ambas-
sador, that they had all manner of meats, drinks, and deli-
cates, that were to be gotten at that time in all Scotland,
either in burgh or land ; that is to say, all kind of drink,
as ale, beer, wine, both white and claret, malvasy (10),
muskadel, hippocras, and aquavitse. Further, there was of
meats, wheat bread, mainbread, and gingerbread; with
fleshes, beef, mutton, lamb, veal, venison, goose, grice (11),
€apon, coney, cran, swan, partridge, plover, duck, drake,
brisset cock (12), and pawnies (13), black cock, muirfowl,
and capercailies. And also the stanks that were round
about the palace were full of all delicate fish, as salmonds,
trouts, pearches, pikes, eels, and all other kinds of delicate
fish that could be gotten in fresh water, and all ready for
the banquet; syne were there proper stewards, cunning
baxters (14), excellent cooks and potingars (15), with con-

3 "Three house-height," Three storeys high.

4 *' Scharets," Green turfs.

5 "Spreats," Eushes.

6 " Medwarts," Meadow-sweet.

7 "Zeid," Sat.

8 " Barrace," Barrier, an outwork at the gate of a castle.

9 "Airths," Quarter of the heaven; point of the compass.

10 " Malvasy," Malmsey wine.

11 " Grice, or Gyrce," A young wild boar.

12 " Brisset Cock," Turkey.

13 " Pawnies," Peacock.

14 " Baxters," Bakers.

15 "Potingars," Cooks who prepared herbs.

158 DAYS OF DBEB-STALKING.

fections and drugs for their desert. And the halls and
chambers were prepared with costly bedding, vessels, and
napry, according for a king ; so that he wanted none of his
orders more than he had been at home in his own palace.
The king remained in this wilderness at the hunting the
space of three days and three nights, and his company, as I
have shown. I heard men say it cost the Earl of Athole
every day in expenses a thousand pounds.

" The ambassador of the pope, seeing this great banquet
and triumph which was made in a wilderness where there
was no town near by twenty miles, thought it a great
marvel that such a thing could be in Scotland, considering
how bleak and barren it was thought by other countries,,
and that there should be such honesty and policy in it, and
especially in the Highland where there was but wood and
wilderness. But most of all, this ambassador marvelled to
see when the king departed, and all his men took their
leave, the Highlandmen set all this fair place on a fire, that
the king and the ambassador might see it.

" Then the ambassador said to the king, ' I marvel, sir,
that you should thole (IG) yon fair place to be burnt that
your Grace hath been so well lodged in!' Then the king
answered the ambassador, and said, ' It is the use of our
Highlandmen, though they be never so well lodged, to burn
their lodgings when they depart.' This being done, the
king returned to Dunkeld that night. I heard say that
the king, at that time in the bounds of Athole and Strath-
erne, slew thirty score of harts and hynd, w^th other small
beasts, as roe and roebuck, wolf and fox, and wild cats."

In the description of the Badenoch country I have
recounted a story of Walter Gumming, who was killed by
a fall from his horse the day previous to an infamous,
exhibition which he meditated. The story is given pre-
cisely according to the belief of that district. I have since
received more particulars of that event from the Atholl
country, and from a source wholly unconnected with the
previous one. The Badenoch authority says that Gumming
was absent on some business in Atholl.

16 " Thole," To bear with, not to oppose.

CUMMING'S DEATH. 159

The tradition is that he way attempting to make a road
between Blair, Atholl, and Badenoch. And the cause of
his undertaking so enterprising a work is thus given,
though probably his real reason was of a predatory-
nature : —

Gumming and his wife (who were from Buthven, or
Buairm, in Badenoch) were passing through Atholl, and on
their arrival at Kilmavonaig, they went to a public-house
to take some refreshment. On their entrance they called
for some beer, which was then the chief drink of the High-
lands ; and being exceedingly pleased with it, were anxious
to know where the several ingredients could be procured.
The landlord, who, like Boniface, was loud in commendation
of his own beer, told them he received the malt from Perth,
and the water from Aldnehearlain (a small rivulet which
runs through Kilmavonaig), which is the best known for
beer.

Gumming then resolved in his own mind in what manner
he miofht sret the same inorredients from Badenoch over the
pathless hills which lie between the two countries ; as there
was no road, it seemed tedious, nay, almost impossible, to
procure a ready and continued supply. Upon surveying
the ground, he thought it might be practicable to make a
road, and he resolved upon the arduous undertaking. He
drew a line from Kilmavonaig through the woods of Graig
Urrard, crossed the Bruar by Riechlachrie, and so on almost
in a straight line till it reached Gaig in Badenoch. He
hired men, and made a road as far as Gum-na-feur, where
the work was terminated in the following singular
manner : —

There was a man at Ard Ghaith at Moulin named
Mac Gonnoig, whose wife was a witch, and she resolved,
with the assistance of another witch who lived in Groc
Barrodh, a small village near her, to put a stop to Gumming's
Road by their infernal magic ; they metamorphosed them-
selves into the form of eagles ; for those who are in familiar
alliance with Glootie obtain from him the power of trans-
formation. The Atholl tradition says, "it is not known
whether Gumming ever injured them, or whether they bore
him any malice or ill will." But the Badenoch history

160 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

declares that these eagles were the transformed mothers of
the girls whom he had commanded to reap stark naked on
the following day.

Whatever they were, however, they took their flight till
they came to Cumming's workmen, and by some charm
they dispersed the men, and put the horses and oxen to
flight, till they were driven over a great precipice, which
was then called Cum-na-feur, or the Cart's Precipice.

Gumming, affrighted at the catastrophe, took to flight
and galloped off, pursued by the two winged witches ; he
did not, however, acquit himself as well as Tarn O'Shanter,
for his body was torn from his horse by the eagles, the
flesh stripped off, and nothing remained in the stirrup but
one of his legs. The horse stopped for a space on the banks
of the Tarfi*; and the spot where he paused is still called
Lechois (one foot).

Thus terminated, according to tradition, the extravagant
speculation with which Gumming was to supply Badenoch
with Kilmavonaig beer ; the length he proceeded with his
work may be easily discerned at the present day ; no person
doubts that there was a road.

The belief in witches, fairies, and other supernatural
powers has very much decreased of late years in Scotland ;
but it is a great mistake to consider it as wholly extirpated.
Those who come in contact with passing strangers will
naturally be reluctant to confess any superstition, for fear
of being derided ; but such as live in the country, and have
free intercourse with the cottagers, well know with what
deep reverence they relate such stories as these. They
have descended from their ancestors, and they regard them
as part of their creed. In a family in Atholl where there
is now an old man residing, many of the long winter nights
are spent in telling stories about ghosts, fairies, witches,
warlocks, etc., which are solemnly listened to, and most
religiously believed ; and should any one of the company
attempt to discredit these stories, or to try to account for
them on natural principles, the hoary sage would treat such
incredulity with ridicule, and regard the person as a most
infatuated sceptic.

There is great talk of a witch that still haunts Ben-y-

WITCH OF BEN-Y-GLOE. IGl

gloe. She is represented as of a very mischievous and
malevolent disposition, driving cattle into morasses, where
they perish, and riding the forest horses by night, till
covered with mire and sweat, they drop down from fatigue
and exhaustion. She has the power of taking the shape of
an eagle, raven, hind, or any other animal that may suit
her purpose. She destroys bridges, and allures people to
the margin of the flood, by exhibiting a semblance of
floating treasures, which they lose their lives in grasping at.
This very formidable person, in conjunction with the
hunt given to James the Fifth, gave rise to the following
legendary tale, which was given me in manuscript at Blair.
It was written by the late M. G. Lewis during his visit
there, and I am not aware that it has ever appeared in
print : —

THE WITCH OF BEN-Y-GLOE.

I call thee ! I charm thee ! wing hither thy way !
By the laws below that the fiends obey !
By the groans which shall rise at the Judgment- day,
I call thee ! I charm thee ! wing hither thy way !

She heard him on her mount of stone,
Where on snakes alive she was feeding alone ;
And straight her limbs she anointed all
With basilisk's blood and viper's gall.

But seeing, before away she sped
That her snakes half-eaten, were not yet dead,
She crush'd their heads with fiendish spite.
But had not the mercy to kill them quite.

Oh ! then she mounted the back of the blast.

And sail'd o'er woods and waters fast ;

She stopped on a rock awhile to rest.

And she throttled the young in an eagle's nest.

And now again her flight she takes

O'er rocks and muirs — o'er hills and lakes :

She saw below her the harvest swell,

And she groan'd to see that it promised so well.

She stops for a moment to curse the grain.
Then away on the wind she hurries amain ;
Now she flies high — now she flies low —
And she lights on the summit of huge Ben-y-gloe.

162 D^Y>Sf OF DEERSTALKING.

Thither had call'd her a woful wight
With many a spell and mystic rite ;
But when he saw the witch appear,
That woful wight he quiver'd with fear.

" Woful wight, now tell me true.
What hast thou summon'd me hither to do ?
Woful wight, thy answer make ;
I must be gone ere morning break."

*' My son was a robber so stout and so bold —
Lo, where he Ues pale, bloody, and cold ; —
Revenge ! rev.enge I ask of thee ;
Oh ! grant that Lord Atholl as cold may be.

" Atholl's earl, whose cup I bear.
Slew this morn my son so fair ;
Though a robber he was, he was dear to me, —
So revenge I revenge I ask of thee."

" Now, woful wight, my counsel take,
And Atholl's blood thy wrath shall slake ;
To work him harm three spells I know.
But more than three I may not show.

" These herbs of maddening power must feed
Ere dawn of day his favourite steed ;
Then soon as Lord Atholl shall touch the reins,
Shall the steed dash out his master's brams.

" And if any one hears and dares betray
My secret ere St. Andrew's Day,
I'll drink his blood and crack each bone,
And turn the strings of his heart to stone.

" This cup did fiends at midnight make
By the heat of the burning brimstone lake ;
In this Lord Atholl's liquor pour.
And if once he drinks, he'll never drink more.

" And if any one hears and dares betray
My secret ere St. Andrew's Day,
I'll drink his blood and crack each bone.
And turn the strings of his heart to stone.

" And should your foe these spells evade,
Then be the third and last essay'd ;
Nor doubt I'll glut your vengeful spite
With blood, ere ends to-morrow night.

jm

THE V/ITCH OF BEN-T-GLOE

THE THBEE SPELLS. 163

" For I'll hide you in Lord Atlioll's room,
And wrap your form in magic gloom,
Till near his bed you can softly creep,
When your dirk may stab him while buried in sleep.

" And if any one hears and dares betray
My secret ere St. Andrew's Day,
I'll drink his blood and crack each bone.
And turn the strings of his heart to stone."

Sighing with sorrow, and burning with rage,

All this had heard Lord AthoU's page ;

Who, curious, had follow'd the woful wight

When he sought the mountain's snow-crowned height.

Home he sped with heavy cheer,
" Oh how shall I save my master dear ?
Oh how shall I manage the truth to tell.
Yet avoid myself the beldame's spell ? "

Thus mourned the page till broke the mom.
But he sprang from bed when he heard the horn,
The jolly horn which, loud and clear.
Summoned King Jamie to chase the deer.

For now two days with Lord Atholl had been
King Jamie the Fifth, and his mother the Queen ;
With lords and with ladies, a goodly show,
And all were lodged on Ben-y-gloe.

And there to welcome guests so great,
Lord Atholl had built a palace of state,
And all without 'twas covered with green,
And all within with silken sheen.

And there were all fashions of exquisite fare,
And tanks full of delicate fish were there ;
And the King and his nobles had all as good
As had they been still at proud Holyrood.

Each day that King Jamie had passed on his grounds
Had cost Lord Atholl a thousand pounds,
Yet ordered Lord Atholl (his splendour was such),
That the third should cost full thrice as much.

The Earl he rose with the morning light.
And soon he met with the woful wight.
Who proffered a draught of cordial power,
To cheer his heart ere he left his bower.

164 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

Sweet Willie the page was at hand — the bowl
He knew, and terror seized his soul ;
For he saw the Earl accept the gift,
And soon to his Hps the cordial Uft.

But ere they touched the goblet's side.
Sweet Willie the page, "Hold! hold!" he cried,
"And before you drink, to the Virgin pray
That her blessing may fall on your sport to-day."

The Earl then he sank on his bended knee,
" Mother of God, now hear," prayed he,
But scarce the words his lips could pass,
When in fragments flew the mystic glass.

Startled Lord Atholl in fear and surprise,

On the woful wight he fixed his eyes,

But his doubts to clear he may not stay.

For the monarch was mounted, and called him away.

" Sweet Willie, run, sweet Willie, speed.
And bid them bring my favourite steed."
His mouth all foam, his eyes all flame,
Snorting and prancing the black steed came.

But ere on his back Lord Atholl could bound.
He heard sweet Willie's bowstring sound ;
Whizzing flew the trusty dart.
Nor stopped ere it pierced the black steed's heart.

Lord Atholl, his face was black with rage.
He struck to the earth sweet Willie the page ;
" Now pardon, dear master," did Willie exclaim,
** I shot at an eagle, and erred in my aim."

Again Lord Atholl smote him sore.

And bade him see his face no more.

Till the Queen-mother prayed him his wrath to assuage.

And forced him to pardon sweet Willie the page.

Gay was the chase — all hearts were light.

Save Willie's, who dreaded the coming of night ;

Gay was the feast, and gay each guest.

Save Willie, whose soul sad thoughts oppress'd.

When he heard his master laugh with glee.
Ah ! little his danger he knows, thought he ;
When he saw him wine in his goblet pour,
He wept lest his lord should never drink more.

ENGLISH FORAY. 165

But hark ! what horn so loud doth blow

That it shakes the green palace of high Ben-y-gloe ;

At the gate now stops a herald his steed,

And towards the King's table he passes with speed.

*' To horse, King Jamie ! to horse and away !
For the English are coming in martial array ;
Your lands they waste, your people they slay,
Then to horse. King Jamie, to horse and away ! "

Up started King Jamie, and summoned his court —
*' Thou hast shown me. Earl, right princely sport ;
But what thou hast heard the herald tell,
Commands me this moment to bid thee farewell.

*' But thou. Lord Atholl, till morn must wait,
Then marshal your vassals and follow me straight.
Mount ! mount ! my nobles, for I'll away.
Though dark be the night, nor wait for day."

King Jamie is gone through mist and gloom,
And the Earl now seeks that fatal room,
Where the Witch, with blood to glut his spite.
Already had hid the woful wight.

But when on the lock was the Earl's hand laid,
" Alas ! that the King," sweet Willie thus said,
" Exposed to the dangers of darkness should go,
But if I were Lord Atholl it should not be so ;

" For rather of these towers I'd make
A bonfire for my Sovereign's sake.
Which, spreading wide its friendly light,
Should guide him safe through the dangers of night."

Lord Atholl, his head was hot with wine.
He heard and adopted sweet Willie's design.
He bade his vassals the palace forsake,
And each in his hand a firebrand take.

And he burnt the palace so stately and fair,

With hangings so rich and pictures so rare.

And with vessels of silver and vessels of gold,

And swift through the chambers the bright flames rolled.

But hark ! who shrieks in pain and fright ?

The fire has seized on the woful wight.

Who close in his master's room did he,

And whom none had warned from the flames to fly.

166 X>^YS OF DEER-STALKING.

And lo ! while his life the miscreant ends,
On a column of smoke what fiend ascends ?
'T is the Witch, who in curses vents her ire.
As scorch'd she flies from the raging fire.

All view'd the Witch in strange surprise,
But what she was could none devise,
Till St. Andrew's Day had come and flown.
Then made sweet Willie the secret known.

And he told, how thrice he had managed to save
His Lord, when he stood on the brink of the Grave ;
And he told how his Lord had paid him with blows
For snatching his life from deadly foes.

Lord AthoU, he gave sweet Willie his hand,
And he gave him gold, and he gave him land,
And he gave him a wife, who was fit to be queen,
'T was his lovely daughter Gallantine.

Now if lords and if ladies are curious to know
What became of the Witch when she left Ben-y-gloe,
'T is right to inform them, for fear of mistakes,
That home she went, and finish'd her snakes.

CHAPTER VII.

Deer-drive to Glen Tilt.— Anticipated sport.— The deer-stalker's rhymes. — The start from
Bruar Lodge.— Combat of stag's.— Cautious exploring.— Stalking the great Braemar
hart. — The shot and bay,— Preparation for driving the deer.— Dahiacardoc chamois.
— A French sportsman.— The ambuscade, skirmish, and slaughter.— Shot at the
black deer. — The party assembled.— The last hart brought to bay.— The bay broken.
— The death-shot.— A carpet knight.— Condoling with a victim.— The Count's adven-
ture.— Chase and capture of a poacher. — A quiet shot. — Granting a favour. — Ter-
mination of the day's sjK)rt.

" Ye shall be set at such a tryst,
That hart and hind shall come to your f yst. "

Squyer oflowe Degre.

The lord of the forest had now determined upon having a
grand deer-drive to Glen Tilt, and Lightfoot was invited
to make one of the party ; thus, in a short time, this for-
tunate sportsman had an opportunity of seeing every
variety and description of this interesting chase. That the
show of deer might be as ample as possible, Tortoise had

DEEB-DBIVING. 167

instructions to commence his cast at the remote parts of the
forest, kill what he could, and get forward as many deer as
he was able : he therefore dispatched all his men to Bruar
Lodge over night, that they might be fresh and ready for
the morrow's sport ; a time was fixed for his meeting the
foresters from Glen Tilt on Sroin-a-cro, when he and his
men were to take the command of the right wing of the
drive.

This animating sport was always enjoyed by anticipa-
tion ; and you might easily read in the happy countenances
of the guests at Blair, that something highly pleasurable
and exciting was about to take place. When John Crerer
and the foresters were summoned to the corridor over night
curiosity rose to the highest pitch. Something positively
awful was going on — was Glen Croinie to be driven,
and would any one be suffered to go with the drivers ?
This great mystery was seldom solved over night ; nor
could it be so with certainty, as a change of wind must
necessarily cause a change of operations. But on the
destined morning each sportsman had clear and distinct
instructions, and his proper station allotted to him ; some
of the old ones, however, who were knowing as to the
currents of the air, and acquainted with the passes, were
apt to finesse a little, and ingratiate themselves into the
most favourable positions. These gentlemen might be seen,
at the dawn of day, walking about the castle, and noting
the precise direction of the clouds.

Modern hunting-parties in Glen Tilt, although not on so
extensive a scale as those in days of yore, when nobles
went forth with all their retinue, and the whole scene had
as much the appearance of a military display as of a hunting
excursion, were yet of a liberal, exciting, and lordly char-
acter. Parties of hill-men were sent forth, at a stated time,
to form a semicircular line on the mountains, and press the
deer down the crags into Glen Tilt, which they usually
crossed, and then went forward, reeking and steaming, up
the heights of Ben-y-gioe.

There were several stations in the glen, in which the
various sportsmen were concealed, and from these no one
was permitted to stir till the deer had fairly passed them.

168 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

These drives took place only when the wind was favourable,
and, at such a time it was pretty easy to calculate at what
hour the deer would come in sight.

It was not unusual for the drivers to collect a herd of
five or six hundred head ; and, occasionally, when they
came down into the glen, broke into parcels, and turned
back upon the drivers, the scene was splendid and ani-
mated, and the firing became very general ; after the shots,
dogs were turned loose, for the chance of bringing some of
the fat sluggards to bay, and an excellent one it was.

Sportsmen, whose discretion and forbearance could be
relied upon, were occasionally sent with the drivers, one at
each wing, but it was their duty to consult the general
sport, and not to get forward and fire, unless deer broke
fairly out, lest they should turn the whole herd.

A scene so full of novel interest caused many a fluttering
heart on the previous day, and many a feverish dream at
night. Visions of deer, perhaps, came and vanished amidst
broken slumbers; then the restless sleeper was lost and
bewildered amongst mountains and torrents ; then came a
sudden start, as if falling from a precipice ; lastly, and, oh,
worst of all ! an attempt to pull the trigger at a monstrous
hart, without being able to effect the explosion of the rifle.

At length the shades of night pass away, and the morning
breaks forth fair and beautiful.

THE DEEE-STALKEB'S EHYMES.

By the Hon. T. H. Liddell.

Awake and be stirring, — the daylight's appearing,
The wind's in the south, and the mountains are clearing ;
A thousand wild deer in the forest are feeding,
And many a hart before night shall lie bleeding.

Make ready both rifles — the old and the new —

And sharpen the edge of the rusted skene-dhu !

Let your telescopes gleam in the rising sun ;

"We'll have need of them all ere the day's work be done.

The laddie was off before light to Glen Tilt,
And Fascally's laird has just tied on his kilt ;
And Peter and Charhe are waiting below
The cloud-mantled summits of huge Ben-y-gloe.

DEEB-STALKEB'S BHYME8. 169

Then spur on your ponies, and haste to the slaughter,
Where the Tilt and the Tarff mix their eddying water ;
The ravens have spied us, and croak as they wheel
O'er the antler'd heads of their destined meal.

Now brace up your sinews, give play to your lungs,
Keep open your eyes, and keep silent your tongues ;
And follow with cautious and stealthy tread
The forester's footsteps wherever they lead.

Here pause we a moment, while yonder slope
He surveys with the balanced telescope :
By heavens ! he sees them — just under the hill
The pride of the forest He browsing and still.

" Yon moss must be past ere we gain our shot, —
'T is full five hundred yards to the fatal spot."
So near has he reckon'd — that, as we crawl by,
Lo ! the points of their horns on the line of the sky.

We have travers'd the flat, and we lurk behind
A rock, to recover our nerve and our wind : —
Hist ! the calves are belling ; and, snuffing the air,
Two jealous old hinds to the front repair.

See the herd is alarm'd, and o'er the height
The leading hinds have advanc'd into sight :
" Hold 1 hold your hand till the antlers appear.
For the heaviest harts are still in the rear."

Crack, crack ! go the rifles, — for either shot
A noble hart, bleeding, sinks on the spot ;
The third ball has miss'd, — but the hindmost stag
Was struck by the fourth as he topped the crag.

" Uncouple the lurchers ! " — right onward they fly,
With out-stretching limb, and with fire-flashing eye :
On the track of his blood they are winging their way ;
They gain on his traces, — he stands at bay !

Magnificent creature ! lo reach thee I strain
Through forest and glen, over mountain and plain ;
Yet, now thou art fallen, thy fate I deplore.
And lament that the reign of thy greatness is o'er.

Where now is that courage, late bounding so high,
That acuteness of scent, and that brilliance of eye ;
That fleetness of foot, which, out-speeding the wind,
Has so often left death and destruction behind.
12

170 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

Thine heart's blood is streaming, thy vigour gone by,
Thy fleet foot is palsied, and glazed is thine eye : —
The last hard convulsion of death has come o'er thee, —
Magnificent creature ! who would not deplore thee ?

Coir-na-Minghie has rung to the rifle's first crack,
And the heights of Cairn-chlamain shall echo it back ;
Glen Croinie's wild caverns the yelling shall hear
Of the blood-hound that traces the fugitive deer.

By the gods, 't is a gallant beginning : — Hurra !
Diana has smiled on the hunters to-day !
In the sports of the morning come, goddess, and share,
And Bacchus shall welcome thee homeward to Blair.

The first who started for the sport were Tortoise and his
men, of whom Jamieson was the chief — a fine, straight,
sinewy, well-favoured man he was, with as good wind, as
cool judgment, and as quick an eye for deer as any man on
the hills. They had slept, as has been noted, at Bruar
Lodge, about nine miles north of Blair, that they might
begin at the outskirts of the preserved part of the forest.
As soon as the morning mist was dispersed, they were
breathing the fresh air on the summit of Ben Dairg, sitting
upon the red stones, and prying with their glasses into
every part of the vast forest that lay expanded before
them, — more especially and minutely examining those
places that were under the wind, the warm corries, and the
best pastures. They had hitherto seen nothing but hinds ;
but, as such gear only spoil sport, they took care to give
them their wind, and send them out north, that they might
at once get rid of them.

It was now far on towards the rutting season ; and, as
the party advanced, and looked over the Elrich, they saw a
parcel of hinds with a master hart, who had made this very
Turkish collection for his sole individual gratification ;
these were to be kept, as they were obtained, by the strong
antler. Like the Athenians in their prosperity, these mar-
tial fellows acknowledged no law but that of force.

Whilst the hart was walking proudly with the hinds, a
hoarse roar comes over the ridge of the hill ; it is the
menace of w^ar — nearer and louder it falls upon the ear;
and, lo ! the angry rival appears on the sky-line. He halts

COMBAT OF STAGS. 171

upon a projecting crag, swelling, jutting out his neck, and
drawing himself up to his full proportions. Having now
screwed up his courage to the sticking-place, he turns aside,
and winds down the moss, bellowing and tossing abroad
the heather with his antlers, his wrath seeming to increase
as he moves onwards ; his dauntless adversary sends back a
loud defiance, and rushes forth to meet him in fair combat.
The hinds wheel their ranks, and stand, with curious gaze
and erect ears, to witness the joust, — and now the com-
batants meet brow to brow, butting and goring each other
with great fury, till at length their antlers are fairly locked
together. After some violent struggles they extricate
themselves ; and, being well matched, and quite exhausted,
both sink upon their knees, and rest a space in that posture,
still antler to antler. Somewhat revived by this brief cess-
ation, they set to again, till the intruder, being at length
forced backwards to the edge of a precipice, and feeling
himself worsted, turns quickly aside, and fairly takes to
flight, but runs in circles round the hinds, as reluctant to
leave them. The victor follows close at his heels, goring
him in the haunches ; ever as he is touched he starts aside,
till at length, beaten and jaded, he fairly gives up the con-
test, and gallops away, still hotly pursued.

Whilst this chase after the fugitive was continuing, in
<jomes another hart from the opposite quarter ; but no sooner
had the victor heard his bellowing, than he returned to
secure his hinds, and quickly drove this gay gentleman
away, who took to his heels incontinently, being a beast of
no mark or likelihood.'''

After this amusing spectacle was over, these deer, being
of no service to the drive, were suffered to go into Glen
Dirie.

The party, now having ascended to the summit of Coir-
na-miseach, crept forward cautiously behind a ridge of
ground, and got a view of that immense basin called the
Culreach. Instantly, as they looked below, there was a
whisper of caution ; they crawled back on their hands and

* This law of detur fortiori" is an admirable provision of nature for keep-
ing the stock from degenerating.

172 T)AYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

knees, sunk the hill again, and posted themselves on safe
ground. They had seen the deer, which were scattered up
and down the hill sides, some grazing, others basking in
the morning sunbeam, fat and lazy, whilst the jealous hinds^
were so disposed as to prevent any sudden inroad upon
their position. Some of them kept to the wind, and others
were continually looking towards those points from which
they could not profit by it.

Jamieson now went back to take a minute inspection of
the whole herd. He soon returned with an expression of
eager excitement, — " There are several good harts," he said,
" in the herd on the eastern face of the hill ; but," added
he, " there is a small parcel below us, and, as sure as deid,
the great Braemar hart is among them — there is him and a
small hart and five hinds a' thegither, and I'm thinking
that he is so high up on the face o' the hill, that he may be
pit over, and ye may hae a chance at him at last."

" Capital news, Thomas, and a glorious thing it will be
if it should turn out so, for he is a hart of a thousand ; but
are you sure it is the muckle deer after all ? The Braemar
hart, who has foiled us twice, has a very sleek body, with
high horns, not widely spread, and only eight points. You
should know him well — are you sure it is him ?"

" I could pick him out from a' the harts in the forest,
and gie evidence against him, for he is a wary beast, and
we have had sair work wi' him, he has led us mony a mile !"
Dispositions were now made for getting the herd forward
into Glen Croinie ; this was easily done, though it took up
some time, for it was necessary to place a man towards the
east, and another to the north, the sportsmen remaining on
the western hill. These men soon arrived at their stations,
and came forward at the concerted moment, working well
together. So distant were they, that they could scarcely
be discerned through the telescope. The herd soon took
the alarm, and began to put themselves in motion. They
drew closer together, the hinds gazed around them, and the
harts, rising up from their lair, tossed up their antlers, and
stood erect in their full proportion. As the hill-men ad-
vanced slowly and cautiously, the deer closed, and went
forward leisurely ; they then made a halt on. the face of the

STALKING THE GEE AT DEEB. 173

hill, and formed into a beautiful group ; but, as the drivers
persevered, they drew out into a long string, and went at
^n easy pace up the steep towards Glen Croinie ; arrived at
the summit, they mended their pace, and each deer galloped
over the scalp of the hill as if all the rifles of Atholl were
at his heels, so that, in a few moments more, the whole
herd were fairly in the glen.

There never had been the slightest doubt of the success
of this operation : all Tortoise's anxiety leaned towards the
small parcel which contained the great Braemar deer. When
the general alarm took place these stood and gazed like the
rest, and advanced some way as if to join them ; till at
length, when they made off", the proud leader stopped for a
space, tossed up his antlers, and, disdaining to follow the
servile herd, turned up the western face of the hill where
Tortoise was lying : as he went forward the rifleman ad-
vanced also, preserving the wind, and just keeping sight of
the points of his horns from over the brow of the hill.

The hill-men, seeing the favourable course he was likely
to take, did their utmost to make him persevere in it.
Every thing looked propitious ; but still it was uncertain
whether he would come out from the hollow at a favour-
able point of the hill, or go over the easy swell, where it
would be impossible, from the nature of the ground, to come
within distance of him ; indeed, he seemed inclined to do
the latter. What an anxious moment was this for the rifle-
man ! who can tell what hopes, and what dire apprehen-
sions shot rapidly across his mind, when he saw the pride of
the forest almost within his reach ? forward he came, bound-
ing and pitching up the hill, casting his broad shadow on
the green-sward, and followed closely by his companions.
As yet, his course is dubious ; — now he bears more to the
west, and races along, as it seems, rather in sport than in
fear ; — by heavens ! he nears the rifleman : — on for your
life and make your push ! With bent body, but with rapid
steps. Tortoise ducked down, slipped suddenly back behind
the eminence, and then went forward at the top of his
speed. The horns, which he never lost sight of, are seen
approaching the hill-top — down again crouched the rifle-
man for a moment, till the course of the deer was decided

174 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

then another swift movement below the hill brought him
within distance, just as the magniJScent fellow had passed
the summit, and was descending into the opposite glen.

Tortoise's breast had been in a tumult, but it was lulled
in a moment —

*' Che sue virtuti accolse,
Tutte in quel punto, ed in guardia al cor le mise."

He stopped suddenly, like a bolt that had hit the mark ;
—stood firm — clapped his rifle rapidly to his shoulder, and
fired just as the hart was disappearing from his view.

" Habet, — he has it — he has it, Jamieson ; I heard the
smack of the ball true enough."

" Hurra, he lags behind ! Now, then, let go Tarfl': quick
— quick, Sandy ; lose not a moment ; quick, for your life,
man ; we cannot wait till he falls out : come here, Jamieson ;
I, and my men must join the general drive, or the deer will
break out ; so take you one of the rifles, and finish that fine
fellow as he goes to bay in Glen Mark : you will have no
time to return, so do not attempt to come back up Sroin-a-
cro or Cairn-Marnoch ; you will be more useful in the glen
by keeping the deer in on that side. You can come in at
Auk-mark-moor. Away with you."

And away went the stout hill-man, bounding over moss
and hillock, till in a few minutes he sunk down from the
view.

" Hark ! I hear the baying of the hound : now it dies
away : — Do you hear it now, Sandy ?"

" No, I did not ; I heard naething but the corbie."

" Look with your glass, then, whilst I load."

" Hey ! what a sight ; I never kent the like o' it afore."

" Why, what do you see, man ?"

" "Why, sure the deer is chasing Tarfl" all ow'r the moss,,
and Tarfl* is rinnin awa' joost ahead o' him ; — I never kent
the like. Now the hart stops — now Tarfl* is at him again :
ah, take care, Tarfl"! — Now the deer has beaten him afl", and
is rinnin after him again."

" I see it all myself, Sandy, with the glass ; and I see,
too, that one dog, be he what he may, can never manage
that deer ; so let go Derig, for he has heard the bay, and

THE BAY. 175

will soon be up with him." And so, indeed, he was : glen
and mountain now resounded with the raging of the deep-
mouthed hounds, till at length the vexed quarry broke
down the river Mark, and then, turning aside and skirting
the Brae, stood before a huge mass of rock that was
anchored on the mountain side : thus posted, he boldly
faced his antagonists. Thrice did the ferocious Derig
spring aloft in the air, and fly ravenously at his throat, and
thrice was he driven back with unmitigated fury. Madden-
ing with rage, the fine animal rushed forward, raking and
stabbing with his antlers, and gave chase, in his turn, to
his enemies. It was a novel sight to see the noble beast
act on the offensive. The war, when it ceased on the side
of the stag, was again renewed by the hounds, who, although
wounded and bleeding, ever returned stoutly to the charge.
In vain was the rifle at hand, for the dogs were ever
springing at the throat, in the way of the ball. And now,
see, the bay is again broken, and away they go, right up
the steeps of Ben-y-venie.

" Here we can tarry no longer, for the Duke's men are
approaching ; but it matters not, for Jamieson will inevit-
ably bring that noble fellow down, though he will give him
some trouble, and perhaps occasion the death of my good
hounds.

" Well, Peter Fraser, here you are at last : when are we
to start the deer ?"

" At one o'clock exactly ; and a' the men are round
towards the east, under Charlie Crerer's command : then
there's George Ritchie the fiddler at Cairn-y-chlamain ; and
Macpherson will gang doun Glen Croinie. The Duke trusts
to you and yer men to pit ower the deer from the wast."

" Well, Peter, this is all as it should be, and the left wincr
cannot be under better command than that of Charlie
Crerer ; for, besides being a very clever fellow, he is as
active as the beasts themselves, and always zealous to do
his duty : a great regard I have for him, for he was my
first instructor, and many a pleasant day we have had
together in bye-gone times. As for the main body of the
deer breaking on our side, we will so deal with them, that
they shall not have that crime to answer for ; if a few harts

176 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

alone take such a fancy, my nature is not so cruel as to
baulk them of their intent, since in that case I shall get a
shot or two without prejudice to the general sport ; if there-
fore this should happen, we will conduct ourselves with
liberality, and suffer them to take their own pleasure with-
out let or hindrance ; and now, whilst we are waiting here,
you may as well tell me what sport there has been at
Dalnaspiedel.'

"I didna hear aething anent the moor-fowl at Dalna-
spiedel; but I heard that the English gentlemen killed
^YQ deer at Dalnacardoch."

" Five deer ! Deer at Dalnacardoch ? How could they
possibly come into deer in such ground as thafc ? — What
clever fellows they must be!"

" And clever chiels they were sure eneuch, for they got
intill them without fashing themselves much aboot the
matter ; but the gentlemen, some gait or anither, had not
studied nature, so that when they brought hame the beasties,
the guidman at the inn couldna agree wi' them in opinion,
though he is a very civil man too; for Sandy said that the
five deer were five goats, whilst the gentlemen said that the
^YQ goats were fi.YQ deer; but, sure eneuch, they had all
beards, were wee beasties, and smelt like goats all over."
" Well, Peter, and how did all this end ? "
" Why at last, then, they (that 's the deer-stalkers) began
to think that Sandy was richt, and that the deer were goats;
so they behaved very handsome, and gave the farmer a
hantle o' siller for their day's sport, being sorry for the
mistake they had made : and it's mair the pity they didna
prove to be deer ; but it's no that easy to turn the like of
an old goat into a fine hart."

" Well, Peter, I do not think that the sport was so bad
after all ; for I believe that the chamois, in chase of which
the Swiss risk their lives, and are out for days together on
mountains of eternal ice and snow, is little better than a
great goat after all."

" I didna hear of sic a beast mysel ; but I ken, by yer
honour's account, he is no worth the speering at."

The moment had now arrived for starting the deer ; and
the signal was given, that every one might go on in good

THE AMBUSCADE. 177

order, and act according to the movements of the quarry.
Macpherson,who was to go down Glen Croinie,was instructed
to keep in the rear till the deer were on the eastern face of
the hill above the glen ; — prudently did he hold back, for
they were endeavouring to break out on the west : Tortoise
and his men, however, turned them without difficulty ; and,
after some hard running and considerable manoeuvring, they
took precisely the desired direction.

But the drive, upon the whole, did not proceed with the
usual alacrity ; there was a sportsman (so called by courtesy)
upon whose pace the hill-men on the east waited, and it
was unfortunately a slow one ; he had several shots, which
were so injudiciously taken, that the success of the general
sport seemed to be in jeopardy : the deer, I believe, were in
none at all.

"Why, now, Peter, what in Heaven's name can that
apparition be ? Take your glass, and see what like it is."

" I see the man plain eneuch, for it is nae wraith ; but 1
canna joost say what like he is, for I never kent the like o'
him afore ; he's nae Scotchman, and he hasna the tread of
an English, for he aye gangs forrat on his toes wi' a wee
bit jerk. Haw, haw, haw, I never saw sic a dress on the
hills : do tak a glifF o' him through the prospect, yer
honour."

" Ah, I see him, Peter, and I guess he is a Frenchman ;
but, with all his capering, he is as slow as a soldier marking
time. Merciful he is, for not a beast has he touched as far
as I can see. Surely he must be firing with blank cartridge;
but the deer are going right in spite of him, so I hope he
enjoys himself ; but, at any rate, if he spoils sport in one
way, I am sure he shows enough in another. I wonder
what he thinks he is doinsr ?"

o

And now the stately herd began to crown the summits,
and were soon descried from the glen, hanging on the sky-
line in long array. Those in the van gaze steadily on all
sides, — onward move the others in succession, their horns
and bodies looming large against the sky. Heavens ! what
a noble sight ; how beautiful, how picturesque ! See how
they wind down the crags, with slow and measured steps ;
now hidden, and now reappearing from behind impending

178 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

masses of rock : now the prudent leader halts his forces and
closes up his files ; those in advance are scrutinising the
glen, whilst the rear-guard, wary and circumspect, are
watching the motions of the persevering drivers. As the
men come forward in a vast semicircle, the herd begin to
mend their pace, — calves, hinds, and harts, come belling
along, and wind down the oblique paths of the steep, putting
in motion innumerable loose stones, that fall clatterinor over
the crags.

The glen wore the appearance of utter solitude ; but the
sportsmen were lying in ambush in various parts of it,
under the impending banks of the Tilt, behind fragments
of rock, or in some cleft or position which screened them
from the gaze of the deer.

And now how many bosoms were throbbing at this
splendid vspectacle, and what fitful changes from hope to
despair agitated individual sportsmen, as the herd ap-
pr(jached, or deviated from their particular position.

Beset upon their flanks and upon their rear, and seeing
no obstruction in the wild forest before them, after long and
deep misgivings, they take their desperate resolution : down
they sweep in gallant array, — dash furiously across the
meadow, and plunge right into the flashing waters of the
Tilt. Hark hov/ their hoofs clatter on its stony channel I
Onward they rush, — the moss-stained waters flying around
them, and are fast gaining the opposite bank.

Their course being thus decidedly taken, the lurking
rifle-men spring up at once, like Clan Alpine's warriors,
and rush forward on all sides.

Those who were fortunate enough to be near the spot of
crossing had fair chances ; for though some of the herd
were cut off" and turned back to the west, yet so long a
string passed across the glen, that they had time to fire, and
load, and fire again.

Many rifle-men came in, breathless, from more distant
stations; some in time, and others all too late. Several
shots were fired in distance, and out of distance, with
various success; and the skirmish for a short space was
pretty brisk on all sides. The herd, having fairly crossed
the rocky channel of the Tilt, scampered away at a pro-

THE SLAUGHTER. 179

digious rate, and went forward, reeking and steaming, right
up the face of the great mountain.

" Quick, quick, uncouple the hirchers."

The dogs spring from the leash, strive and press for-
wards ; but are half blown before they come up with them.
The herd now collect into a dense mass, each deer wedging
himself into it as he finds he is the particular object of
attack. Not a single hart fell out; and the hounds at
length returned, with slinking countenances and drooping
sterns, — lolling out their tongues, they lie panting on the
greensward.

The sport however had been excellent; the Duke of
AthoU (always the most skilful and successful of the
party) killed three first-rate harts ; our friend Lightfoofc
two, decidedly : two more were killed, as your rustic
grammarian has it, somewhat promiscuously ; and the old
sportsmen also did considerable execution, selecting their
harts with great tact. Moreover there were slain three
hinds, that nobody would own to, and an exceedingly pro-
mising young fawn, repudiated also by all.* The French
Count, whom we noticed on the mountains, distinoruished
himself in his own particular manner : but his high achieve-
ments well merit a separate history ; and that they shall
have.

And now let us go back to Tortoise, and see if he was
idle all this time. No, not so ; for a few harts and hinds
broke over to the west, and, as the general sport was already
secured, he used his pleasure with them. He had only two
rifles, the third having been given to Jamieson to kill the
deer at bay ; he came well in. to them, and, at the first shot,
slew a noble hart ; but there was another in the parcel still
superior, which had been running on the opposite side : as
the men got forward, the little herd came sweeping round
over the open ground, towards Clashtyne, describing the
segment of a circle.

* It was considered a disgrace, as has been elsewhere intimated, to kill
hinds and fawns ; a stranger, not aware of this, wrote to thank the late
Duke of Gordon for a day's deer-shooting in Gawick ; intimating how
happy his Grace would be to hear of his success, for that he had wounded
a hind, and killed an exceedingly promising young fawn.

180 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

" Lord ! Lord ! that black deer :* hey, what a deer ! There,
there, that black deer ! Ou, he is ower far."

The words were scarcely out of Peter Eraser's mouth, ere
the shot resounded in the hills. The hart was runnino*
swiftly, at about one hundred and fifty yards distance, or
" by 'r Lady," somewhat more, but quite clear, and the ball
seemed to smack against the centre of his body.

" Sandy, Sandy, the dogs, the dogs, — quick, quick, man 1
Lord, will ye never come forrat ? Let go Shuloch. Here,
Shuloch, Shuloch."

Away went the gallant old hound, upon his traces.

" And now he is safe enough ; and we will leave him to
Jamieson, who will meet with him at bay, as he comes
down Glen Mark, where he will assuredly go. So leave
Sandy to gralloch and bleed the other deer; and let us
keep on down the hill, in case the great herd should be
turned, and endeavour to come back over Auk-mark moor.
They went over the ridge, however, in beautiful style, their
backs all reddening in the sunshine ; and they must, and
will, cross the glen if every one keeps concealed till the
right moment. Hark, I hear a shot I Another, and another,
— ^glorious ! Come along, Peter, skim down the mountain
like a swallow : surely some of the herd will turn back upon
us. There, there — Charlie, Crerer is running like an ostrich.
Ah, Charlie, Charlie, it winna do ; they are fairly past you,
and you will pass us too, but not without a shot."

One rifle, in fact, was discharged by Tortoise as they swept
by, and one more hart lay plunging in the heather.

" Now, then, let go Percy and Douglas after the others ;
and we shall send down a deer or two to the Tilt, which
will make a noble day's sport.

" Bravo, Percy, bravo! See, he has taken out one hart,
and Douglas another ; they are sinking the hill, right down
to the Tilt. Sit down whilst I load, and listen to the bay.
I hear it sure enough now; it is Percy's bay. How he
makes the valley ring; I should know his deep tongue
from a thousand. He must be just above the marble quarry.
Hark ! that is his death-shot, and from the Duke ; for no

* Black from rolling in the mire.

THE PARTY ASSEMBLED. 181

one else would fire at a deer at bay whilst his Grace was in
the glen. We shall soon know this, for a few minutes will
bring us within sight."

And now, as they bounded down the brae, the whole line
of carriages, gillies, and sportsmen, broke full upon their
view. That glen, heretofore so still and silent, awoke at
once into life and animation. A large party had collected
round Marble Lodge, and made a most picturesque appear-
ance. Here a successful sportsman came, triumphantly
galloping upon a mountain pony ; and, far in his rear,
riding at a dejected pace, loitered some unhappy wight,
whose balls had been somewhat too busy with the heather.
The wild gillies, soiled and heated with toil, were running
to and fro in their blue bonnets and plaided kilts, some
leading the good deer-hounds in the leash, with panting
sides and flagging sterns ; others, with fresh dogs, trotting
lightly along, and looking up the mountain to the right and
left, with keen gaze and half elevated ears. Nobles and
kerns were mixed, and talking together with that good
fellowship and equality, which a common interest in an
animated pursuit so generally and so happily occasions. Or,
if there was any ascendancy (always setting aside the Lord
of the Forest), it was vested in John Crerer ; so true it is,
that " it is place that lessens and sets off." He was the
Belarius, to whom the noble sportsmen looked up with
deference and respect.

Three stout ponies, with redundant manes and shaggy
coats, came slowly winding down the glen, each with a
magnificent deer corded on his back. Tortoise had gone
rapidly forward, with a fresh dog and a hill-man, in quest
of Douglas and the deer : faintly he has heard the bay;
now it peals louder and louder, as he rounds the wooded
promontory.

"Now, speed thee, speed thee, Sandy; quick to the
Duke, and tell him we have a noble hart at bay ; this
torrent and these clifis he himself cannot gain, but say I
will break the bay, and get him down to the Tilt, where he
shall surely die the death. Lose not a moment, for time
presses. Nay, never go round by the bridge, man, — the
river, though swollen, is still fordable here, and will not

182 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING,

wet you above your waist ; plunge through at once. Well
done, stout Sandy, you bear yourself like a true man."

" Time, indeed, was waning fast, for it was long since the
birch in-leaves had trembled and glittered in the sunbeams,
and the golden splendour, which so lately slept upon the
mountain-top, had already died away, consigning it to its
own stern and rugged nature. The air was coming up the
glen, dank and chill ; hill, brae, wood, and precipice were
beginning to mingle in one universal melancholy mass.

The hart had got into the river Mark, just above the
spot where it comes brawling into the Tilt ; it was one of
those deep chasms where the sunbeam never enters; in
most places the rocks dropped steep, smooth, and shelving
down to the flood. There were huge blocks of granite in the
channel, and it seemed wonderful how the vexed animal could
have got into the dark chasm in which he stood. But there
he was — the torrent at his feet, and the long bony arm of a
blasted birch stretched over him. Douglas stood baying at
the point of a rock above, venting his vain wrath, and
making stoops as if he would plunge down from that " bad
eminence," but, sensible of his danger, he as often drew
back; various were the attempts he made to come in at
some other place, but still he was obliged to return to his
first position. Tortoise now came up with Croinie ; she
was a most sagacious animal, and it was her custom to do
the thing as coolly as possible, always running before the
deer till she came to a convenient part of the river, when
she turned in and headed him. This method she took in
the present instance, and was soon swimming before his
antlers.

But the stout animal would probably have remained im-
moveable in his position till the hound perished with cold
and fatigue, had he seen no other enemies — indeed, he seemed
to hold both dogs in thorough contempt ; but when Tortoise
stood before him, for a moment he raised up his stately
crest, and waved his broad antlers to the right and left,
gazing restlessly around him, then plunged at once down
the torrent, trampled upon the hound, and bounded out far
below, gaining the open birch-copse that skirted the banks
of the Tilt. The hounds kept on their course, following

THE DEATH-SHOT. 183

him through all his windings. Arrived at length at the
steep banks of the river, with one brave bound he gains the
centre of the stream ; and there he stands majestic and firm,
and in ready act to do battle. The hounds dash after him
as best they may ; fain would they attack him, but in vain
they stretch their powerless limbs: lightly does the hart
regard them, as they are swept to and fro by the rapids, and
can scarely hold their own. But when he finds the taint in
the air, and discovers sterner foes, he looks forward to the
free mountains before him, and again, breasting the flood,
strives every nerve to gain the heights of Ben-y-gloe. But,
alas ! it may not be, Douglas and Croinie gain fast upon his
traces ; and, after a rapid wheel, he plunges again into the
Tilt, and stops not, rests not, but down, down he goes,
through pool and over cataract, swimming, wading, and
rushing onward through the divided waters. The dogs,
close upon him, are borne down at times by the weight of
the flood, but rise up again to the surface, undaunted and
eager in the pursuit.

At length, and almost at the departure of daylight, the
Duke comes forward with his good rifle ; one shot from that
unerring hand, an echo dying away through the mountains,
and see the fleet limbs fall powerless, and the dun carcase
goes floating down the stream, welling out the life-blood.
The current bears it onward rapidly, jostling against the
rocks, and wheeling in the eddies. In dash the kilted
foresters in gallant style, stemming the flood, and stretching
forth their arms in vain; their daring was perilous, girt
round and oppressed as they were with the waters ; but still
the deer bore past them, always just beyond their reach.

But who is this coming forward with the ropes and
grappling-hooks ? Who but the excellent and trusty
M'Millan,* mounted on his sheltie, " and charming the
glen with fair feats of horsemanship." Gently now, my

* John M'Millan entered the Duke of Atholl's service in 1791, as assistant-
fisherman to Duncan Kennedy. When Duncan died he became the principal
fisherman. He was a powerful man, and a most valuable and attached
servant ; but never could acquire skill in the ways of the deer. He rode
so awkwardly that he seldom mounted a pony without getting a fall. He
was unfortunately drowned in the Tay, near his own house, in January 7,
1836, at the age of 71 years.

184 DAYS OF DEERSTALKING.

feathered Mercury, I pray and beseeech you not to swerve
so undecidedly to the north and to the south, but resolve
me at once towards which point of the compass you mean
to make your summerset; for your pony, mark me, is a
recusant, and, sooth to say, I never saw any animal less
solicitous of another, than that beastie is of his rider. There
now, — hope you're not hurt. Pick him up, Charlie, and
take on the grappling-hooks to yon pool ; you will get the
hart out easily there, for he will sweep round in the cheek
of the stream.

Out he was taken triumphantly, and there he lay on the
green sward, bausy and sleek, " the admired of all admirers."
Some praised his beautiful form, and held up his wide-
spreading antlers ; whilst others (not oblivious of currant-
jelly) began to handle him after the fashion of Parson
Trulliber. Certain it is he enjoyed great posthumous fame.
But here comes Jamieson, hurried and heated with toil.

" Well, Thomas,* have you finished that great devil ?"-|-

" Yes, I got him on Ben-y-venie, where he went last to
bay. But both dogs are wounded : Tarff not much ; but
Derig, you see, is stabbed badly in four places ; and I doubt
he may not recover."

" Ah, poor fellow, what terrible wounds he has in his
chest and loins ; that in his side is not so bad, for I see the
horn has only passed between his skin and his ribs. Well, my
brave Derig, you shall go home in the cart, and be carefully
looked after. And the great black deer, Jamieson, that
Shuloch took into Glen Mark ; did you get him ?"

" Quite easy ; he was shot through the body, and made
but a poor bay."

" Capital ; we have made clean work of it, then, at last."

"Joy, joy to you, Lightf oot ; they say you have killed
two first-rate harts : what a happy mortal you must be !
But do, pray, tell me who that smart foreigner is who so
nearly spoiled all our sport."

* Thomas Jamieson lived formerly at Abbotsford, and came into the
author's service many years ago with Sir Walter Scott's permission. He
now acts as principal gamekeeper, and is in every way a most valuable
servant,

t The author has kept the horns of this deer, which are splintered at the
points, by coming in contact with the rocks when the dogs escaped from
the thrust.

A CABPET KNIGHT. 185

" Most readily will I give you his history, partly collected
from the hill-men, and partly from my own observation ;
for when his grand affair took place I heard and saw all."

" He is a French noble, who has had the merit of bring-
ing himself into notice as a famous shot ; not, as I conceive,
from any feats of skill that he has actually performed, but
simply from his excellent soi disant qualities. He is, as
you see, beautifully equipped ; that, indeed, no one can
deny; dressed, too, in the most elaborate style. See how
knowingly his rifle is slung in the German fashion. I
assure you that, what with his gay good humour, and
foreign singularity, he has attracted a considerable degree
of observation : ' His discourse is sweet and voluble ;' but
aged ears by no means ' played truant with his tales ;' for
John Crerer and the older sportsmen discovered properties
in him quite adequate, they said, to destroy the sport of a
whole season. What was to be done ? If he remained in
the glen, it was imperative on him to be totally silent :
singing French airs was out of the question. The deer,
said the Duke, were not to be had as in the time of Orpheus;
on the contrary, it was more becoming to be mute, and to
lie concealed like Marius in the marshes of Minturnse, and
somewhat better. But it seemed quite evident that nothing
short of the combined powers of laudanum and a strait-
waistcoat could effect any restraint upon our gentleman.
These were not at hand, and, if they had been so, it might
perhaps have been thought somewhat inhospitable to have
used them; so that idea was dropped at once. In this
dilemma it was deemed advisable to send him up with the
drivers, to plague you : in short, it was resolved that he
should evacuate the glen. He started joyfully, for he was
a famous walker — out of all sight the best in France ;
indeed no one of any nation was equal to him. But the
hill-men asserted that this was not his particular walking-
day ; so that, I am told, he soon became most deplorably
exhausted, and, according to all accounts, delayed the drive
at least an hour or so. Fortune bounteously gave him
many fair shots ; but, alas, what she distributed with one
hand, she took away with the other ; for he missed them
clean every one."
13

186 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

" 3Iais cest etonnant celd. I who never make the miss!"
" Perhaps your honour forgot to put in the ball."
" Ah ! voild ce que cest, vous Vavez trouve, 'inon ami.
Le moyen de tuer sans halle ! Now, then, I put in the
powder of cannon, and there goes de ball upon the top of it
mort de ma vie ! I now kill all the stag in Scotland, except
a leetle, and you shall surproise much."

He was a bad prophet, for he still went on, missing as
before, amongst winking hill-men and grinning gillies. At
length, however, the sun of his glory (which had been so
long eclipsed) shone forth in amazing splendour. " For-
tune," says Fluellen, " is painted upon a wheel, to signify
to you (which is the moral of it) that she is turning and
inconstant, and mutabilities and variations :" and the turn
was now in the Count's favour, for she directed his unwill-
ing rifle right towards the middle of a herd of deer, which
stood " thick as the autumnal leaves that strew the brooks
of Vallombrosa." Everything was propitious : circumstance,
situation, and effect ; for he was descending the mountain
in full view of our whole assemblage of sportsmen. A fine
stag, in the midst of the herd, fell to the crack of his rifle.
" Hah, hah !" forward ran the Count, and sat upon the pros-
trate deer triumphing. " He hien, mon am^i, vous etes mort
done ! Moi je fais toujours des coups sllrs. Ah! pauvre
enfant !" He then patted the sides of the animal in pure
wantonness, and looked east, west, north, and south for
applause, the happiest of the happy ; finally he extracted a
Mosaic snuff*-box from his pocket, and, with an air that
nature has denied to all save the French nation, he held a
pinch to the deer's nose : " Prends, mon ami, prends done."
This operation had scarcely been performed, when the hart,
who had only been stunned, or perhaps shot through the
loins, sprang up suddenly, overturned the Count, ran fairly
away, and was never seen again.

"Arrete toi, traitre, arrete, onon enfant. Ah, cest un
enfant perdu I Allez done a tous les diahles."

Thus ended the Count's chasse. Everybody was very
sorry, and nobody laughed, of course ; as for me, by my
troth, I will never follow Frenchman's fashion in deer-
stalking.

CHASE AFTER A POACHER. 187

" Capital ! our Parisian friend beats the Italian gentleman,
who exhibited in the forest of Glengarry, all to fits ; though
this latter noble was also of a joyous turn, and a complete
•contemner of Harpocrates. He was posted, as I have
heard, at a deer-drive in one of the best passes, with strict
injunctions as to concealment ; unfortunately, he made a
slight mistake between the letter and spirit of the law. It
is true he hid his own person very skilfully, but placed his
bonnet aloft on a birch branch (the weather being hot), in
rather a commanding situation ; at length, feeling somewhat
solitary, he began to awaken the echoes by singing Italian
airs —

" Eurydice, the woods, Eurydice, the floods,
Eurydice the rocks and hollow mountains rung."

It is needless to tell you that his Excellency had what is
termed " a blank day."

Althouofh a numerous herd of deer had been brouo^ht
down, something had evidently gone wrong towards the
east. The Count had for some time the merit of this fail-
ure ; indeed, if he did not totally spoil the drive it was not
his fault. There was another hero, however, who shared
the honours with him. It was evident that a large parcel
of deer, which ouo^ht to have come down, had s^ot the wind
of some one on the moor; the point and manner of their
starting was marked by the hill-men, and two of them,
suspecting foul play, went forward to examine the ground.
One of these men held a lurcher in the leash. After explor-
ing the moor for some time, they came to a deep ravine.
Still they saw no one. But, in following its course a little
way, the lurcher held back, stretched forth his neck, and
gave a low growl. At this unequivocal sign, one of the
men clambered down, and discovered a hind that was newly
killed ; and, as he was advancing under a projecting mass
of rock, out bolted a kilted man with a gun in his hand :
hot pursuit immediately commenced. The poacher went
right up the chasm, down which fell a considerable quantity
of water ; the man, who had ascended, followed after him,
whilst the other who held the dog remained at top, ready
to cap him when he came out. The pursuit was close and
hot ; the poacher cutting out good work ; the pace, however

188 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

(owing to the nature of the ground), was a bad one in
itself. But who can make rapid way up a stony cataract ?
They scrambled and splashed, and fell forward on their
hands, and cut their shins, climbing over masses of rock
that were lying in the channel, and jumping from them
into the water-course, till, at length, the Duke's man got
hold of the delinquent's foot as he was just springing from
a rock above him.

" Haud him fast, Donald, man — dinna lowse him — dinna
let him gang aw^a at ony gait."

" Nae fear ava. The de'il a man ever got frae me when
it aince cam' to close grups."

He was completely mistaken, however, for the fugitive
slipped out his foot, and left his shoe only prisoner, which
the wrathful hill-man sent at his head, accompanied by
some thundering Gaelic anathema. And now the poacher
dropped his gun ; perhaps he meant it as a lure, like the
fabled golden apple ; or, perhaps, it was done to favour his
speed. However this may be, he certainly made much
better play w^ithout it.

When Donald, who was on the banks of the ravine, saw
how things were going on, he took the advantage of the
even ground, headed him, and then came down into the
chasm in front of him, so that our worthy friend was placed
between two fires.

Thus have I seen two cunning terriers hem in a poaching
fox : they rage and press closely upon him, whilst the woods
and mountains ring with their shrill clamour. Meanwhile
the insulted beast, fixed in a position from which he sees no
escape, bears his brush against a rock, shows his white
teeth, and commences gallant defensive warfare. Not so
our hero ; he thought little of deeds of arms ; — of fine and
imprisonment much. The spectre turnkey was before him,
and ugly visions of high grated walls and solitary dungeons
made him desperate. With the vault of Grimaldi he seized
hold of an impending branch of birch, swung himself aloft
by strength of arm, and fairly escaped from the abyss,
leaving his enemies gazing up from below. He got a capital
start, for the hill-men could not extricate themselves with
the same alacrity.

A QUIET SHOT. 189

The bay being now broken, they had a beautiful race
•over the moor ; but the light-limbed foresters gained ground ;
the fugitive's pace became worse and worse ; he laboured
and floundered, and was at length seized, all breathless and
exhausted.

" Why, how dare the like of ye to come intill his Grace's
forest, and steal his deer ; ye shall pay the lawin, man ?"

" Hout-tout ! I'm nae thief ava ; it's joost for my ain
diversion ; but ye hae bin owre muckle wi' the Southrons ;
and the like o' thae chiels aye ca' liftin', stealing."

" I think I ha heard that afore," says Donald. " What !
my friend the Gown-cromb of Badenoch ? will no the
Lias-mor, or great Garden o' Eden content the man ? must
he come stalkin', and feeling the deer in the braes o'
Atholl ?"

The notorious blacksmith was soon taken down to Glen
Tilt, and brought into presence of the Duke of Atholl : after
a sharp remonstrance, his Grace asked him whether he would
go to Perth gaol for three months, or stand a shot from his
rifle at a hundred paces.

The man said he would stand the shot.

" Very well ; — John Crerer, step out a hundred yards."

The ground was measured.

" Now post the man with his front right towards me, and
give me my best rifle, John."

The gun was given, and raised slowly, whilst the hill-men
stood by in a group in breathless suspense ; the direction of
their eyes changing alternately from his Grace to the man.
A long and steady aim was taken — it was an awful moment,
but the blacksmith neither flinched nor stirred; at length
the cap of the rifle only exploded.

" Pshaw ! Give me another rifle, John, and take care that
it be better loaded."

The second rifle missed fire also, as well it might, it
having been of course arranged that there should be no
<iharge in it.

" Well, you are a lucky fellow, for I see your time is not
yet come. Give the man his fill of whiskey, John ; he does
not lack couraore : but mark me, Master Gown-cromb, if ever
you come after my deer again, my rifle will not miss fire;

190 I>AY8 OF DEEB-STALKING.

and if it does, the gaol at Perth is large enough to hold
you, and all the poachers in Badenoch, though ye are a
numerous progeny."

" I winna say that I will gang entirely wi'out my sport,
for I canna aye be wanting venison ; but yer Grace shall
never find me in yer forest again. There's mony a stoot
hart in Glenfiddock, and mony a yell hind in the pine woods
of Braemar, let alone Gaig and Glen Feshie ; and I will
leave the braes of Atholl for yer Grace to tak yer pleasure
in, and never fash them more since ye request the favour."

Thus ended a deer hunt, fit for the recreation of King
Jamie ; and although stags were not slain by hundreds, as
Lesley has chronicled, or by scores, as the water poet has.
recounted — both of which accounts I hold to be gross
exaggerations — yet the sport probably was quite as ample
in proportion to the numbers engaged in it, and the small
space of time that was occupied in bringing down the deer.

The glen, too, as in times of yore, was graced by the
presence of many a fair and noble dame who had been
waiting the termination of the drive in the mountain lodges ;
indeed, it is recorded that ladies of high station have not
only felt a great inclination towards this noble sport, but
have actually engaged in it.

" Her Majesty" (Queen Elizabeth), says a courtier, writing
to Sir Robert Sidney, " is well and excellently disposed to
hunting; for every second day she is on horseback, and
continues the sport long." At this time she was in her
seventy-seventh year, and was then at her palace at Oat-
lands.*

The party now proceeded to the hospitable halls of Blair ;
where we will leave them, amidst cultivated society and
high-born beauty.

" To fight their battles o'er again,
And thrice to slav the slain."

♦There are various other notices of the delight this Queen took in the
diversion of killing the stag.

POACHEBS AND FBEEBOOTEBS. 191

CHAPTER VIII.

OF POACHERS AND FREEBOOTERS.

Forest Contracts. — Wandering Poachers. - English Vagabonds. — Adventure at Felaar. —
Highland Vampire.— Peter Breck's Backsliding. —Trap Baited with Whiskey.— The
Gaig Pet Stolen.— Poacher's Adventure.— Desolate Situation.— A Highland Witch.—
Chisholm's Cave. — Freebooter's Life. — John More. — Sutherland Monster.— A Priest
in Jeopardy. — Highland Robin Hood. — Ourna-kelig. — The Widow's Hospitality. —
Rival Poachers in Atholl.— Adventure in Glen Tilt.— Rob Doun.—Curious Trial for
Murder. — A Polyglot Ghost. — Ghost no Lawyer.

** Donald Caird can wire a maukin' ;
Kens the wiles o' dun deer staukin' ;
Liters kippers, makes a shift
To shoot a moor-fowl in a drift.
Water-bailiffs, rangers, keepers,
He can wauk whiles they are sleepers ;
Nor for bountith or reward,
Dare you mell wi' Donald Caird."

Sir W. Scott.

The passion for hunting v^ild animals is probably one of
the most powerful affections of the mind where it has once
taken root. It is the recreation of nobles and of kings, the
solace of the gentry, and the allurement of the paradise of
wild nations. After death, the Indian of the West believes
that he shall ascend the' Rocky Mountains, "and there
among the crags, and snows, and tumbling torrents ; and,
after many moons of painful toil, he will reach the summit,
from whence he will have a view over the land of souls :
there he will see the happy hunting-grounds, with the spirits
of the brave and the good, living in tents in the green mea-
dows, by bright running streams ; or hunting the herds
of buffalo, and elk.s, and deer, which have been slain on
earth." '''

If we look back to remote periods in our own country,
we shall find that the most severe laws — mutilation, and
even the penalty of death itself, have not had sufficient ter-
rors to arrest the course of unlawful depredators. Deer-
killing by poachers was formerly carried on to such an

* Adventures of Captain Bonneville, by W. Irving, Esq.

192 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

extent, that the proprietors of forests found it necessary to
combine in order to protect their mutual interests. In the
" Collectanea de rebus Albanicis" of the lona Club, there is
a contract, dated November 3, 1628, between several of the
principal Highland lairds " for the preservation of deer and
roe on their respective estates, and the punishment of tres-
passers ; mutually binding themselves to respect each other's
forests, and cause them to be respected by their retainers,
under special penalties, according to the rank of the person
transgressing : a hundred merks for a gentleman, with for-
feiture of the hagbute or bow ; £40 for a tenant ; and, in
case of a common man, " his body to be punishit according
as pleises the superior of the forest : ane witness sufficient."
They appear to have had a sort of jury trial for poachers.

There are several old Acts of the Scottish Parliament
" anent steilors of hart, hynd, roe, and doe, to be punishit as
thift, and anent shuitteries at Thame ; quhilk is appointed
to be punishit with death, and escheit of their gudes move-
able." These laws have been reckoned barbarous, but they
are not more severe than those which, in former times, were
in force against sheep-stealers, taking likewise into consi-
deration, that sheep are of infinitely less value than deer.
If it be true that deer wander from one forest to another, so
that no laird can claim a certain property in them, it is also
obvious that the common poacher can have no right in any
case, and must steal from some one or another. The claim
can rest with the landed proprietors only. It is a fair give
and take business according to the direction of the wind ;
your third man, however, steps in, and I think enjoys the
sport much more than those who are privileged to follow it.
In the "History of Badenoch," it is mentioned that Cluny
Macpherson deprived a man of his arm, and of one of his
eyes, who killed deer afterwards in this mutilated condition.
I do not mean to defend the lawless proceedings of poachers,
but I cannot help confessing that there is something so
adventurous, and so full of picturesque character in these
rough fellows — so much skill exhibited by them, and such
endurance of climate and fatigue, as may in some degree be
admitted as extenuating qualities ; and I would not, as
Shakspeare's town-clerk says, "condemn them to everlasting

ENGLISH VAGABONDS. 198

redemption for this;" I would simply transpor^ om to the
wilds of America, where they could enjoy the sport with-
out injury to any one, and we might carry on a trade of
furs and skins with such free trappers.

Deer-poaching is carried on in two distinct methods. In
the one case, by a man who belongs more or less to the
spot, and who hovers about the moors, watching the keepers,
and seizing his opportunity ; and in the other, by gangs of
marauders who go from forest to forest, as the wind serves,
and act in concert. These latter men take possession of
some deserted bothy, or even of the shooting-lodges, if they
are left unoccupied. There was a bothy on Tarff side so
frequented by them, that it was thought necessary to pull
it down altogether. These poachers commence their opera-
tions chiefly at the termination of the regular season, so
that the harts are entirely rank and useless. The yeld
hinds, however, come in at that period, and are very fine
venison; and all the other hinds make the best possible
soup, and are very good hill-man's eating, though they are
totally devoid of fat.

Such poachers as go about in gangs are rough, pictur-
esque-looking fellows, able to face any weather ; and they
act, as I have said, in concert. Being a stronger force, they
can remove the deer which they kill, without much incon-
venience, and can readily dispose of it in the country.
During the time of their depredations, they subsist upon
w^hat is not saleable ; and with this, and their whiskey and
tobacco, they must pass a very pleasant wandering life. It
is extremely difficult for keepers to apprehend these foragers,
as all of them have glasses, and cannot easily be surprised
in the open country. The best way is to attack the bothy
by night, and a fine animating scene it would be. I do not
think that the men would endeavour to save themselves by
the commission of murder. They have still a high rever-
ence for their chieftains, which would restrain them from
-committing bloody excesses upon their lawful agents. In
the Highlands, one never hears of such ruffians as infest
the preserves in England ; men who screw up their courage
at the beer-houses, asserting with imprecations that they
will shoot any keeper rather than be taken. A vicious set

194 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

they are, bringing up their families in idleness and profli-
gacy ; proceeding from crime to crime^ till at last their
career ends either on the gallows, or in transportation. I
have fined and imprisoned scores of these vagabonds, soma
of them two or three times over, and I never yet heard of
one that was reclaimed. They are absolute thieves, for
there can be no sport in taking a hare out of a wire, or
shooting a pheasant on his perch by night.

Your Gael, on the contrary, has a fine rough sort of sense
of honour about him — peculiar enough to be sure — thus,
" the man who refused thirty thousand pounds for betray-
ing his prince, was hanged at last for stealing a cow." It
was not long since a poacher was taken in the forest of
Braemar : having some good points in his character, the
nobleman who rents the ground very generously told him,
that if he would promise never to poach again in that district,
his gun, which had been taken from him, should be restored,
and he himself should be set at liberty. He very coolly
replied that he wished to have an hour to consider of the
matter ; at the expiration of that time he stepped forward
and said, " Ye may tak' my gun, and me too, for I will no
gie the promise."

Occasionally some superstitious dread will do more to
prevent deer-stealing than the most rigid legal enactments.
An instance having such a tendency occurred some years
ago in the forest of Atholl.

There is a shooting lodge built at Felaar, which lying
between the Atholl and Braemar country, has often aflPorded
a warm night's rest to travellers overtaken by darkness in
that bleak and rugged country ; when left unoccupied, it
has frequently been taken possession of by poachers. Two
such characters arrived there some few years ago after a
pretty successful foray, and finding the door resist their
eflforts, they broke open the window, and thus having
gained admittance, they kindled a fire, and began to con-
sider themselves quite at home. Their first object was to
prepare their supper, but having no water in the house, one
of them undertook to fetch some ; for this purpose he was
obliged to get out of the window. Having put forth his
leofs first, he was restinfj his arms on the window-sill, with

HIGHLAND VAMPIRE. 195

his face fronted to the interior of the cottage. Whilst in
this position, he began to scream with all his might, roaring
out that some fiend had hold of his leg, and was tearing it
and sucking his blood. At length, by a violent struggle, he
extricated himself, and gained the ground, still in great
fright and pain. In searching round he could see neither
man nor beast, nor any living thing. But he very gravely
asserted that he saw some white objects and some faint blue
lights at a distance, which continually shifted their situa-
tions, and at length vanished entirely.

Having procured water, he did not venture to return
through the window ; but the door was broken open by the
united efforts of himself and his companion. They spent the
night in a state of superstitious alarm, nor could they on
the following morn discover the track of man or beast about
the place; their own footsteps alone were visible. The
injury remained for a considerable period; the man, indeed,
bore the marks of it all his life, as many people now living
at Blair can testify. This occurrence, remaining unac-
counted for^ had such an effect, that no poacher took up
his quarters at Felaar Cottage in after times.

Men of this description usually set forth at night when
the keepers have retired, that they may be on the desired
ground betimes in the morning ; thus they gain some hours
upon them. If the wind serves, their first manoeuvre is to
get the deer out of the forest, which is very easily done ;
and when they have them there, they keep them as long
as they can ; but unless they go clear away to another forest
they generally return by a circuit with a side wind at night.
The only method to defeat these lawless proceedings, is to
throw up peat bothies near the outskirts of the forest at
proper intervals, and place keepers in them. Such men
must be constant in their residence, or the poachers will
exchange places with them.

I will now relate a story which shows that the keepers
themselves had not in former times a very nice perception
of equity : —

In the month of July, 1783, the Duke of AthoU sum-
moned his three principal foresters, John Crerer, Moon, and
Peter Robertson, and promised a handsome reward to him

196 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

who should kill the fattest hart within the allotted period
of two days, which was meant as a present to the king
{George III.) Crerer and Moon set forward on the follow-
ing morning before daybreak, each attended by a hill-man,
and provided with a horse. Not so Peter Robertson, better
known by the name of Peter Breck (from his being pitted
with the small-pox). He had revolved a scheme in his
mind which required privacy and craft worthy of the best
times of Johnny Armstrong. A sort of raid it was, or lift-
ing from his neighbours' grounds — that is to say from the
lands of Gaig.* These lands were at the time possessed by
Stewart, of Garth (the late General Stewart's father), and
another gentleman ; they kept their sheep in Gaig all the
summer and during the harvest, and on a low farm in the
winter and spring. Alexander MacDougall and Archibald
MacDermid were shepherds in Gaig for many years ; and
they had taken a fawn,*!* which they tamed, and brought
up with two milch cows that were pastured in Gaig all the
summer ; and at the time I am now treating of, this pet
hart was five years old. He was taken to the low farm
during winter and spring, and .generally lodged every night
in the barn ; they fed him upon oats, hay, barley, or peas
in the straw, of which latter provender he was extrava-
gantly fond. By these means he became enormously fat,
and of a towering size, so that he probably exceeded in
weight any hart in the forest of Atholl. Now Peter Breck
was mindful of this bonny beast, and had often turned the
tail of his eye upon him ; but his virtue, or, it may be, the
manner in which the animal was guarded, had hitherto
borne him out against all temptations. That virtue, how-
•ever, so impregnable when little was to be gained, began to
succumb before the promised reward. Great allowances
must be made for our friend Breck's backsliding, for lifting
was not quite disgraceful in those days ; besides the animal
was fat, stupendous in size, and, in short, altogether unde-
niable. So Peter took his sheltie and attendant, slunk
away cannily in the gloaming, proceeded up Glenbruar, and

* Spelt also Gawick.
t Calf is the proper term, but both are used.

TBAP BATED WITH WHISKEY. 197

arrived, at the grey dawn of day, at the shepherd's lodge at
Gaig. He had previously left his attendant and his horse
and gun a considerable distance above the lodge, at a place
called Gargaig. He soon roused the shepherds from their
slumbers, and, pretending to be very drunk, laid himself
down upon one of the beds they had quitted. This was
all very natural, for Peter had no great character for
sobriety; loud and deep did he snore — never surely was
sleep so sound.

And now, as he was lying dormant, as it seemed, what
should the shepherds see but the black neck of a whiskey
bottle peeping out from one of his pockets. Why should
they not tak' it ? What for no ? the man was fou already,
and couldna want mair. Out it came then, and was soon
despatched. The said bottle was then filled with water,
and returned to the place from whence they extracted it.
Breck then turned restlessly on his other side, when, lo !
the neck of another bottle delighted the eyes of the fortunate
herdsmen ; this was treated precisely in the same manner as
the first had been, for Breck's snoring was awful, and they
were safe enough from interruption. As soon as this second
bottle had been filled with water and replaced in the pocket,.
Peter thought proper to awake. The shepherds now having
drunk a bottle of whiskey each, had little inclination to go
to the hill ; so they made a fire, and began to cook some
victuals ; Breck joined them as they were eating, and told
them he could help them to some good whiskey, which he
had in his pocket : this they thought it prudent to decline,
saying it was too early to drink ; but little suspecting that
he had been watching all their motions.

Both the herdsmen soon became heavy, and feeling
inclined to sleep, the one threw himself on the bed, and
the other slept on his seat by the fireside. Breck having
thus far accomplished his object, stole out of the bothy,
and seeing the cows and the stag browsing in the plain
below, he drove them slowly to Gargaig, where he had left
his rifle, horse, and attendant. The stag followed the cows,
as he was accustomed to do ; and now being fairly at too
great a distance from the lodge for his shot to be heard, he
levelled, and despatched the hart most deliberately. No-

198 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

time was lost in cording it on the horse, and off he went
homewards as fast as he could ; but the horse, although a
good Highland garron, had such difficulty in carrying his
heavy burthen, that they were obliged to rest at Glenbruar,
^nd it was dusk before they reached the castle of Blair.

Breck's arrival made no small sensation; the Duke
hastened out to see what he had brought home ; and being
surprised at the great size of the animal, which was brought
to the portal of the castle, asked where he had the good
fortune to kill it. " Not on your Grace's grounds," was the
reply, — "Where then?" inquired the Duke. "On the
Inverness-shire hills," replied Breck : " I have had this
hart in my eye for years, and have seen him frequently,
but never in the company of any other deer." On being
weighed, he was found to be nineteen stone, Dutch weight,
without the gralloch.

Breck got the reward, somewhat to the mortification of
Moon and of Crerer, who were better men. The truth,
however, soon broke out, and his competitors lost no time
in reporting to the Duke that Breck had stolen the Gaig
pet. His Grace sent for him, and demanded if it were true
that he had stolen it. Breck denied the theft lustily ; — he
'couldna say ' but that it was the Gaig pet, but declared that
he had got it from the shepherds for a Scotch pint of
whiskey, which is about two quarts. The Duke expressing
his surprise that they should part with it for such a trifle,
Breck explained to his Grace, that the shepherds were aware
that he (Breck) knew that they had got the stag, when a
fawn in the Atholl forest ; as well as that they frequently
poached both deer and moor-fowl there ; so that, under
these considerations, they gave up the pet for the Scotch
pint. Peter, however, had still to reckon with the
shepherds ; but he held their attack lightly, and told them,
that they were repaid tenfold by their depredations on the
Atholl forest, thanked them for the care they had taken of
his fawn, and advised them never to steal an honest man s
whiskey again, taking advantage of his being asleep.

In the year 1773, two poachers set forth from the
Braemar country in quest of deer ; the weather had been
lowering for some time, and when they arrived at Tarff

POACHERS' ADVENTURE. 199

"Side, they were avertaken by a snow storm ; it was not
however severe, and when it cleared up, the wind being
north, they soon got a parcel of deer out of the forest of
AthoU : these made a long start, as they always do when
the wind is in that quarter ; thus the men had them
quite away from the preserved part of the forest, and in
a situation where they were not likely to be interfered with.

After considerable manoeuvring, which occupied the
greater part of the day, they wounded a hind, and traced
her a long distance by her blood-drops on the snow. In
the meantime, as the day drew near a close, the wind rose,
and the snow-blast returned with greater violence ; and
havinor been intent on followinoj the traces of the wounded
deer, they had wandered about till they were completely
lost. In this condition they heaped up a few stones and
turfs, and having their plaids, and some oat-cake and
whiskey with them, passed the night without any very
serious inconvenience.

The dawn brought no alleviation to their anxiety ; the
winds howled, and the snow fell, so that no outline of
mountain or landmark could be seen. It was now no
longer a question of killing deer, but of saving their lives.
The wind, which continued north, was their only guide, and
by turning their back upon it, they avoided the brunt of
the storm, and had hopes of reaching Glen Tilt or the Strath
of the Tay. The snow had drifted in such masses, that
they were unable to pursue any decided line, and it was so
deep in all places where the wind had not acted upon it,
that their advance was very slow, and laborious.

The small stock of provisions which they took out with
them was exhausted ; the wind got more into the east — a
change they were not aware of — so that in turning their
backs upon it, they travelled towards the west instead of
towards the south, as they fancied they were doing.

At length, when night was setting in, they saw a deep
and unknown glen of joyless aspect before them ; they
descended into it, to avoid the bleak winds of the summits,
and had proposed to put up a few stones and turfs for
shelter during the dark hours. Whilst they were looking
for a convenient spot, to their great relief they discovered a

200 DAYS OF DEERSTALKING.

shieling, deserted, as they imagined, as buildings in such
remote places usually are in the winter. What, then, was
their surprise, when, upon approaching the door, it was at
once opened, even without their knocking. A woman pre-
sented herself, of a wild and haggard aspect ; told them she
had been expecting them, and that their supper and beds
were ready. Even so they found it — the pot was boiling,,
and bannocks and oat-cake were placed upon the table, and
also two plates, for the expected guests. There was some-
thing so extraordinary about this old woman, that it
operated as a sort of fascination, and the men's eyes were
continually turned upon her. She had large features, long^
lank hair, and small grey eyes, deeply sunk, and conveying
a striking expression of vice and cunning ; she halted on
one leg, and chaunted a wild song, in an unknown language,
while she was pouring out the kail.

Tired and exhausted as the men were, the whole thing^
appeared to their superstitious imaginations so much like
witchcraft, that, although half famished, they could scarcely
bring themselves -to eat. Fear came upon them, when she
waved her long sinewy arms, and darkly hinted that she
had power over the winds and the storm, muttering at
intervals some unintelligible sentences ; then at once holding^
up a rope, with three knots tied in it : " If," quoth she, " I
lowse the first, there shall blaw a fair wind, such as the deer
stalker may wish ; if I lowse the second, a stronger blast
shall sweep o'er the hills ; and if I lowse the third, sic a
storm will brack out, as neither man or beast can thole ; and
the blast shall yowl down the corries and the glens, and the
pines shall fa' crashin' into the torrents, and this bare arm
shall guide the course o' the storm, as I sit on my throne of
Cairn-Gower, on the tap of Ben-y-Gloe. Weel did ye ken
my po'er the day, when the wind was cauld and deidly,
and all was dimmed in snaw, — and ye see that ye was^
expectit here, and ye hae brought nae venison ; but if ye
mean to thrive, ye maun place a fat hart, or a yeld hind in
the braes of Atholl, by Eraser's cairn, at midnight, the first
Monday in every month, while the season lasts, — the laird's
ghaist will no meddle wi' it. If ye neglect this my bidding,
foul will befall ye, and the fate of Walter of Rhuairm shall

FBEEBOOTEBS' LIFE. 201

o'ertake ye ; ye shall surely perish on the waste ; the raven
shall croak your dirge ; and your banes shall be pickit by
the eagle."

Awed, superstitious, and depressed as they were by
fatigue, the poachers were not backward in giving the
promise, though it is not very probable that they ever per-
formed it. They passed the night in deep sleep, and it was
late before they rose from their beds of heather, when they
asserted that their hostess had vanished.

The snow storm having ceased, they found their way into
the track which led to Blair, and got into the strath of the
Tay. This is supposed to have been the last time that the
witch of Ben-y-gloe held converse with mortal man ; but
those who were less given to superstition believed that the
woman had been expecting her own friends, who were
probably also poachers detained by the storm, and that
she had made use of the above artifices in order to obtain
venison.

Chisholm's Cave, in Carn-Vaduc, in the Ben Klibreck
forest, in Sutherland, derives its name from a freebooter,
who passed his life in caverns, poaching and living upon
pillage. His early history cannot be traced satisfactorily ;
but it is probable that he became a recluse in consequence
of having: committed some atrocious crime ; and that he
selected the retired cave at the back of Klibreck, from his
love of a forest life. He was not a native of Sutherland,
nor had he, whilst there, been guilty of any heinous crime ;
but he scrupled not to make frequent nocturnal visits to the
inhabited parts of Strathnaver, and, on such occasions, to
carry off to his caverns, corn, and such other necessaries, as
were not to be procured around his desolate abode.

The large cave, which bears his name, is an extensive
winding cavity, or rather a succession of open spaces, or
holes of unusual size, such as BrobdiOTao- rabbits miMit be
supposed to haunt. In this dismal labyrinth, Chisholm
lived many years ; it is said he kept two cows underground,
and left venison in lieu of the hay and grain which he
plundered in the cultivated strath.

This sort of bartering gave little offence ; nay, some were
gratified by it, for Chisholm was dreaded as a lawless man,
14

202 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

whom it was dangerous to anger or molest : they considered
that a person who could live in the gloomy holes under
Carn-Vaduc, must be in the service of the powers of dark-
ness, and that it was not safe or canny to interfere with
him. Even the foresters used to shun him, though he was
never known to offer personal violence. He lived so much
apart from the rest of mankind, and was so seldom seen,
that his dress and appearance became latterly a matter of
doubt, and the manner and time of his death was never
known. He either removed privately from the country, or
expired in one of the remote chambers of the cavern, which
no person was hardy enough to explore,

A similar sj^stem of free living was adopted by a man
named John More, who lived in Durness about the same
time, and rented a small farm near the Dirrie-more. He
neither had, nor cared to have, permission to kill deer and
game ; but his whole time was devoted to poaching, and his
wild mode of life rendered him an uncouth but tolerated
plunderer of the forest.

Donald Lord Reay happening to pass near John More's
residence one summer morning, determined to call and
endeavour to reclaim him from his lawless propensities.
He left his attendants at some distance, that he might
ensure confidence on the part of his rude host. He found
John at home, and told him that he called to get some
breakfast. John was evidently proud of this visit, and
pleased with the frank manner in which he was accosted,
having been usually threatened by those in authority with
imprisonment and the gallows.

" Come in, Donald," said John, in Gaelic, " and sit on my
stool, and you will get to eat what cost me some trouble in
collecting."

His lordship entered the hut, and was soon seated in a
dismal corner ; but John opened a wooden shutter that had
filled up a hole in the wall, through which day-light entered,
and revealed a tall black-looking box, which was the only
article in the house that could be used as a table. John bustled
about with great activity, and, to his lordship's surprise,
pulled out from the box two or three beautifully white dinner
napkins. One of them was placed on the top of the box as

JOHN MORE. 203

a tablecloth, and the other spread on his lordship's knees.
The fire, which glimmered in the centre of the room, was
then roused, and made to burn more freely. This proceeding
denoted that John had some provisions to cook; — from a
dark mysterious recess he drew forth a fine grilse, already
split open and ready for being dressed. By means of two
long wooden spigots, which skewered the fish, and the points
of which were stuck into the earthen hearth, the grilse was
placed before the burning peats, and turned occasionally.
Soon after a suspicious-looking piece of meat was placed
•over the embers ; and when all was cooked, John placed it
upon the box before his chief, saying — " John Mores fattest
dish is ready :" — adding, that the salmon* was from one of
his lordship's rivers, and the meat the breast of a deer.
Lord Reay asked for a knife and some salt ; but John
replied — " that teeth and hands were of little use, if they
could not master dead fish and flesh ; that the deer seasoned
their flesh with salt on the hill, whilst the herring could not
do so in the sea ; and that the salmon, like the Durness
butter, was better without salt."

John produced, also, some smuggled brandy ; and pressed
his lordship to eat and drink heartily, making many remarks
on the manliness of eating a good breakfast.

The chief thought this a good opportunity to endeavour
to make a proper impression upon his lawless host ; and,
after having been handsomely regaled by plunder from his
own forest, determined to act with such generosity towards
More as would keep him within reasonable bounds in future,

" I am well pleased, John," said he " that although you
invade the property of others, you do not conceal the truth,
and that you have freely given me the best entertainment
that your depredations on my property have enabled you
to bestow. I will, therefore, allow you to go occasionally
to Fionavon in search of a deer, if you will engage not to
interfere with deer, or any sort of game, in any other part
in my forest."

More could never tolerate anj' restraint, and his answer
was begun almost before Lord Keay had finished his hand-
some offer.

*A grilse is supposed to be a young salmon.

204 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

" Donald," said he, " you may put Fionav^on in your
paunch, — for wherever the deer are, there will John More
be found."

This conversation was in Gaelic, in which lancruao^e the
peculiar phraseology is more piquant than can be rendered
in English.

Donald MacCurrochy Mac-Ean-More, who lived latterly
at Hope, was another very noted poacher in Sutherland.
Numerous anecdotes are told of this man ; but they refer
rather to the great enormities he was in the habit of com-
mitting, than to his lighter trespasses amongst the deer.
His acts of violence and injustice were so unusual and
savage, as to render him an object of universal abhorrence.

His family name was Macleod. He deliberately mur-
dered his nephew, that he might possess himself of the
adjoining lands of Eddrachilles ; and he afterwards put to
death several of his friends, whose revenge he anticipated.
He was an expert archer ; — so ruthless a villain, and so
ready to slay any one that offended him, — and, indeed, every
one whom he could attack, whether friend or foe, that, at
a period when the law was quite inoperative in the remote
corners of the Highlands, he became the terror of the entire
country. The greater part of his time was spent in the Dirrie-
more forest, where he was very successful with his long bow.
His nephew, when attacked by him, took refuge in a
straw-covered hut, in an island on an inland loch ; but
MacCurrochy tied burning pitch and tow to the head of an
arrow, and firing it into the roof, set the place in flames.
The young man endeavoured to escape by swimming, but an
arrow from the ruffian's bow pierced his heart just as he
was reaching the shore.

MacCurrochy 's shieling was without a door or window,
and he entered by a hole in the roof, from which he would
occasionally take a shot at a passing traveller. It is re-
ported of him, that when walking with his son, a mere boy,
on the banks of the river Hope, they saw a neighbouring
priest on the opposite side of the river ; young MacCurrochy
exclaimed —

" O, daddy, give me your bow that I may bring down the
priest."

A PRIEST IN DANGER. 205

" He is at too great a distance from you/' said the father,
■" and you would get us into trouble, if you attempted to
kill him without succeeding."

The priest, unconscious of his danger, approached nearer
the river, and seated himself on a projecting stone.

" Now, daddy," said the youngster, " give me the bow, as
I am certain I can hit him."

But the old man, still doubtful of his son's success, and
expecting to obtain a nearer aim, refused this second request
also. When the priest moved off, the boy insisted upon
being permitted to shoot at the stone upon which he had
been sitting ; and having hit it with an arrow the very first
trial, MacCurrochy complained bitterly of his want of judg-
ment in having resisted his son's desire, and d d himself

*' for vexing the boy's spirit."

MacCurrochy was master of a gun, which, along with his
bow, he is said to have thrown into a deep cavity amongst
the loose blocks of stone on the side of Craig-na-garbat,
which forms a shoulder of Ben-Hope, when he felt himself
dying. Many attempts have been made by the neigh-
bouring inhabitants to discover these relics, but without
success.

This ruthless villain was buried in a hole in the wall of
Durness church, by his own direction, to baulk the threat
of an old woman, who told him when he was dying that
she should soon have the pleasure of dancing over his grave.
There is a rude monument over his resting-place, on which
a grotesque figure of Donald is cut, in which he is repre-
sented as drawinor his bow and killinor a deer. There is
also an inscription, bearing date 1623, the year of his death.
It runs as follows : —

" Donald Makmarchor
Hier Ijds lo vas. il to his
Friend, Var to his Fo :
True : to his Maister in Veird
And Vo."

IVhich was probably meant to pass as rhyme, thus, —

Donald M'Marchow here lies low,

Was ill to his friend, war (worse) to his foe ;

True to his master in word and vow,

(Or in weal and woe).

206 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

Several of the forest anecdotes in Sutherland refer to a
person known by the name of Our-na-Kelig, who resided
in the parish of Loth, and who appears to have been not
only a most successful and constant hunter of deer, but also
a most stout and valiant clansman. His history is involved
in considerable mystery, but his memory does not appear to
have been tarnished with anything like secret assassination,
or other serious crime. His proper name is unknown ; that
of Our-na-Kelig, by which alone he is referred to in tradi-
tion, is, I am told, descriptive of the grey, or light colour
of his dress, and of his being a great eater of cod fish, or
often engaged in catching it.

In a bloody skirmish between some Strathnaver men and
those of the eastern coast of Sutherland, at Drumderg, in Glen
Loth, Our-na-Kelior enorafyed one of the Strathnaver men,
whose two sons also were present. He always laid about
him with a two-handed sword, swinging it around with
great fury, and letting it fall on his adversary with irresist-
ible violence; giving such a stroke as Ariosto describes,
when he says, " Gala un fendente ;" Anglice, — " Lets fall a.
cleaver." With this formidable weapon he soon despatched
the Strathnaver man, — whether or not he divided him from
head to foot into two equal parts, tradition does not say ;
but it relates that the sons of the slain man rushed instantly
on the victor with desperate rage, but only to meet the
death of their father.

The Strathnaver men were defeated ; and the fame pre-
viously acquired by Our-na-Kelig as a formidable swords-
man, was prodigiously increased by the slaughter of three
powerful men in open combat.

Soon after this onslauo^ht, Our-na-Kelio^ went into the
Ben Ormin forest to kill himself some venison, as he was
wont to do, without being very particular about the laws
of property.

" The good old rule

Sufficed him ; the simple plan,
That they should take who have the power,
And they should keep who can."

He bent the best and the stifFest bow in the country, killed
a deer when he was hungry, and would devour a whole

THE WIDOW'S HOSPITALITY. 207

limb of it, hastily roasted between two peat fires, lighted
for the purpose on the open heath. Well, he set forth in
quest of venison, nor had he been out long before he
wounded a hart, and sent his dog after him. The chase
led him far away over the hills, and he was overtaken by
a heavy snow-storm ; benumbed with cold, and weary with
floundering in the drift, his only hope for preserving his
life consisted, perhaps, in being able to reach one of the
shielings in Strathnaver. After long and painful toil — his
life-blood chilled, and in a state of dreadful exhaustion —
he arrived after nightfall at a small bothy during one of
the most bitter blasts of the storm; far different now in
plight than on that memorable day when he signalised
himself in combat, he humbly sued for shelter. The shiel-
ing was inhabited only by a woman and her daughter, who,
being intimidated, refused his request. He earnestly an-
swered that he was so worn out by struggling against the
storm, that he could go no farther, and that he must shortly
perish if refused admittance. The poor woman's kind
heart got the better of her fears, and she removed the
fastenings of the door ; then, as it was driven inwards by the
violence of the wind, and as the snow beat upon her careworn
face, she said in Gaelic, whilst the tear stood in her eye —

" That on such a night as this she could not refuse admis-
sion into her bothy even to Our-na-Kelig himself, should
he be wandering on the moor, although he had slain her
good-man and her two brave sons, and left her ill to do in
the world, and desolate."

Our-na-Kelig was not personally known to this poor
widow, and having obtained admittance and shelter, fore-
bore to distress her feelings by revealing his name to one
who had so much reason to dread and detest him. He ate
of her meal, and restored his benumbed limbs before her
peat-fire ; and it may be that his heart smote him as he felt
his vigour returning, and cast his eyes upon his wretched
preserver. He parted from her next morning with expres-
sions of gratitude ; and upon his return home, sent her
five bolls of meal from his rich corn farm in the parish of
Loth, and continued the same gratuity to her annually
durinor her life.

208 DAYS OF DEEB- STALKING.

The following account will prove the extent to which
poaching was occasionally carried on, even in the face of
honest and vigilant keepers.

One of the most notorious poachers in Atholl forest in
former days, was D S .* He resided in the dis-
trict, and is still living. He kept his masons upon venison
whilst they were building his house in 1812, and subsisted
his family on the same diet.

This D S , accompanied by C R and

A 0 e, went forth on a poaching excursion in

the forest of Atholl, when they knew that the regular
foresters w^ere upon distant duty. After having killed two

or three deer, which C R , as being the least skilful

shot of the party, was left to gralloch, night came on, and
they boldly made for the lodge of Ridorrach.f Early the
next morning the wind w^as to the north, and they saw a
long string of deer coming forward towards Ben Derig ;
judging from this that some one was coming up the glen,
they shifted their quarters without loss of time, crossed the
Bruar, and from an eminence on the west of the river, with
the help of their glasses, they spied Donald Macbeath, the
forester, who lived down the glen, at Richlachrie, and who
was coming up the water side.

Having the advantage of the ground, and the wind being
north, this did not impede their operations, and by one

o'clock D S had shot two hinds. In the midst of

this success they saw three men (who had probably been
stalking them for some time) running towards them at full
speed. They immediately took to flight, but having their
guns and other incumbrances with them, whilst their pur-
suers were empty-handed, they lost ground rapidly. Thus
they were reduced to the predicament either of surrender-
ing or giving battle. Things being in this state, O e

motioned to them with his hand to keep back, and told
them that if they did not mind his voice, he would send a
stronger and a more unwelcome messenger to them. They

* Some of these worthies being still in existence, their names are partly
suppressed according to promise.

1 1 am not quite clear as to the accuracy of this name, being unacquainted
with it myself.

ADVENTXJBE IN GLEN TILT. 209

paid no heed to this threat, and 0 e, actually putting

his co\Yardly threat into execution, levelled his piece and
fired. The ball struck the snow at the feet of one of the
party.

S and R , his comrades, were thunderstruck at

this mad act of 0 e, and peaceably awaited the coming

up of the other party, who proved to be poachers like them-
selves. The man fired at was outrao^eous, and he had ofood
reason to be so ; but after various threats on one side, and
submission on the other, matters at length took a pacific
turn.

These poachers who had given chase, finding that others
of the fraternity were before them, and were putting a com-
plete obstacle to their success, hid their guns, and endea-
voured, by passing for keepers, to drive them out of the
forest. The finesse, as has been seen, wanted but little of
ending in bloodshed.

When men went forth singly on these unlawful excur-
sions, they were sometimes placed in considerable difficulties
for want of efiicient assistance. A poacher had very lately
a desperate struggle in Glen Tilt, the particulars of which
I mention as they came from his own mouth, for he was
never discovered.

He set ofi* in the evening, that he might be on a deer-cast
by the grey of the morning : whilst it was dark he descried
the horns of a deer in a hollow very near him ; he had small
shot only in his gun, and was in such a position that he could
not change the charge without danger of disturbing the
stag. He crept, however, so close to him, that when he
sprung on his legs, he fell to the shot. Not a little surprised,
the poacher threw down his gun, dashed forward and seized
his victim by the hind leg ; but it was no easy matter to
hold him. In this struggle the man kept his grip firmly,
whilst the deer dragged him at a tearing pace amongst the
large stones and birch hags, till he was all over bruises, his
legs severely lacerated, and his clothes torn to shreds ; his
bonnet and plaid had entirely disappeared.

He now contrived to get hold of his knife, but it dropped
in the struggle ; and as the deer still sustained its vigour,
he had much ado to keep hold of the limb even with both

210 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

his hands. The darkness became deeper as the animal tore
and strained forward, through the skirts of a birch wood^
and both repeatedly fell together.

Breaking forth again into the open moor, he found his
weight was beginning to tell on the energy of the stag, so
that he had power to swing him from side to side, till at
length, just as they were re-entering the wood, this deter-
mined bull-dog of a fellow fairly laid him on his broadside,
and with such force, that the crash seemed to stun him.

Stripped almost naked as the man was, his shirt and kilt
torn to tatters, and his hose and brogues nearly gone, he
still contrived, by means of his garters and shot belt, to
secure the deer, by binding his hind leg to a birch tree.
Having accomplished this with great difficulty, he returned
for his Pun, and thus at lenorth secured his victim.

If that vast tract of land in the extreme north, designated
as " Lord Eeay's Country," has produced some wild and
ferocious characters, it has likewise tempered its romantic
district by giving birth to a man of no ordinary celebrity.
Eob Doun, or brown Robert, was born in the heart of it, at
Durness, in the year 1714 ; and although a distinguished
bard in his time, would probably have sunk into oblivion
had he not fortunately been rescued from it by a publication
of his Poems, and an Essay, prefixed to them, by the Rev.
Dr. Mackay, minister of Laggan. Rob could neither write
nor read ; nor was he much of a philosopher : there were no
academic groves in the wild land of his fathers. " But the
habits of oral recitation were in vigour all about him," and
being, by nature, endowed with a rich fancy, and a retentive
memory, his mind was stored with romantic legends and
superstitions, which, perhaps, abound more in that district
than in any other part of Scotland.

The follow^ing account of this northern bard I have
extracted from the Edinburgh Review, for July, 1831, wdth
some variation, however, for the sake of compression : —

" His witty sayings, his satires, his elegies, and, above all,
his love songs, had begun to make him famous not only in
his native glen, but wherever the herdsmen of a thousand
hills could carry a stanza or an anecdote. Donald Lord
Reay, a true-hearted chief, resident constantly amidst his

A POET POACHEB. 211

* children/ and participating in all their affections, presently
claimed for himself the care of the rising bard of Mackay ;
and Rob was invested with the office of homan, or head
cattle keeper, an employment which, at that time, carried
with it abundance of respect in the eyes of his fellow
mountaineers.

" Rob was an inveterate deer-stalker ; from earliest youth
it had been his delight to spend days, nights, and even
weeks among the wildernesses, in pursuit of this spirit-
stirring diversion ; and, among prouder titles to distinction,
his kinsmen honoured him as a marksman of the first order,
and a proficient in the mountain chase. In his boyish days
no one had ever dreamt of restraining indulgences of this
kind ; and though now law had been added to law, and
regulation to regulation, * honest theft is the spoil of the
wild deer' continued to be a proverb in every mouth, and
even the hovian of Lord Reay was a constant trespasser ;
often had he narrowly escaped the arm of the law, and yet
nothing seemed capable of converting him from his darling
error."

" He was more than once," says the writer of his memoirs,
"detected in the forbidden act, and in due time summoned
before the sheriff-substitute, when, in event of sufficient
evidence, the issue must have been banishment to the
Colonies, in terms of the statute. An anecdote on this
occasion, strongly characteristic of the bard, has been lately
related to us by his still surviving daughter. He set out to
attend the court early in the morning, attended by a neigh-
bour, one of his wonted hunting companions. The prospect
of transportation pressed heavily on his friend's spirit ; but
the bard remained seemingly quite tranquil. Not so his
wife, who, with lamentations and tears, could not be pre-
vented from accompanying her husband a part of the way.
The bard would not, even now, part with his favourite rifle,
but shouldered it at departing with his wonted glee. ' It
was,' said his dau^rhter, in recitinoj this anecdote in the
Gaelic ton^jue, ' Bha orunna caol, dubh, fada, mallaicht aifje,'
that is, a slender, black, long, wicked gun which he had.
They had not proceeded beyond a mile from home when
they came full upon a small herd of deer ; Rob was not to

212 BAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

be restrained. He fired and shot two of them dead upon
the spot. His wife, before in extreme consternation, was
not now to be pacified. She imagined that her husband
had just sealed his doom. He beseeched her to be silent.
' Go home/ said he, ' and send for them ; if I return not,
you shall have more need for them ;' but, saluting her, he
added, in kindlier terms, ' fear not, it shall go hard with
me if I am not soon with you again to have my share.'
The truth was, that, though threatened by the authorities,
there was scarcely one of the country gentlemen who would
not have gone any length to protect the bard from the
violence of the law."

This action, and some satirical ballads written by our
bard, created a coolness between Rob Doun and his chief ;
but he obtained protection afterwards in the family of
Colonel Mackay.

I conclude this notice with a short extract from one of
his translated songs, written after a lonor absence from the
object of his love, who eventually proved faithless : — " the
home-sickness it expresses appears to be almost as much
that of the deer-stalker, as of the loving swain."

"Oh, for the day for turning my face homeward,
That I may see the maiden of beauty : —
Joyful will it be to me with thee,
Fair girl with the long heavy locks I

Choice of all places for deer-hunting

Are the brindled rock and the ridge !
How sweet at evening, to be dragging the slain deer

Downwards along the Piper's Cairn !

Easy is my bed, — it is easy ;

But it is not to sleep that I incline :
The wind whistles northwards, northwards,

And my thoughts move with it."

To this account of poachers and freebooters, already I
fear too long, I venture only to add a notice of a very
singular trial which took place at Edinburgh, on the 10th
of June, 1754.

Duncan Teriof, alias Clerk, and Alexander Bain Mac-
donald, both notorious poachers, and reputed freebooters,

/
CUBIOUS TBIAL FOB MUBDEB. 213

were indicted at the instance of His Majesty's advocate, for
the murder of Arthur Davies, sergeant in General Guise's
regiment of foot, in the year 1749. The trial, though not
of an unprecedented nature, involves a very curious point
of evidence, and was printed in 1831, at the expense of Sir
Walter Scott, and presented by him to the members of the
Bannatyne Club. Its circulation being thus limited, I am
glad of an opportunity of inserting Sir Walter's remarks upon .
it, which are probably novel to the majority of the public.

" The cause of this trial," says Sir Walter, " bloody and
sad enouofh in its own nature, was one of the acts of
violence which were the natural consequences of the civil
war in 1745.

"It was about three years after the battle of Culloden,.
that this poor man. Sergeant Davies, was quartered with a
small military party, in an uncommonly wild part of the
Highlands, near the country of the Farquharsons, as it is
called, and adjacent to that which is now the property of
the Earl of Fife. A more waste tract of mountain and bog,
rocks and ravines, extending from Dubrach to Glenshee,^
without habitations of any kind, until you reach Glen-
Clunie, is scarcely to be met with in Scotland. A more fit
locality, therefore, for a deed of murder could hardly be
pointed out, nor one which could tend more to agitate
superstitious feelings. The hill of Christie, on which the
murder was actually committed, is a local name, which is
probably known in the country, though the Editor has been
unable to discover it more specially, but it certainly forms
part of the ridge to which the general description applies.
Davies was attached to the country where he had his
residence, by the great plenty of sport which it afforded ;
and when dispatched upon duty across these mountains, he
usually went at some distance from his men, and followed
his game, without regarding the hints thrown out about
danger from the country people. To this he was exposed,
not only from his being entrusted with the odious office of
depriving the people of their arms and national dress, but
still more, from his usually carrying about with him a stock
of money and valuables, considerable for the time and period,
and enough of itself to be a temptation to his murder.

214 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

" On the 28fch day of September the sergeant set forth,
along with a party which was to communicate with a
separate party of English soldiers at Glenshee ; but when
Davies's men came to the place of rendezvous, their com-
mander was not with them, and the privates could only say
that they had heard the report of his gun after he had
parted from them on his solitary sport. In short. Sergeant
Arthur Davies was seen no more in this life, and his remains
were long sought for in vain. At length a native of the
country, named M'Pherson, made it known to more than one
person, that the spirit of the unfortunate huntsman had
appeared to him, and told him he had been murdered by
two Highlanders, natives of the country, named Duncan
Terig, alias Clerk, and Alexander Bain Macdonald. Proofs
accumulated ; and a person was even found to bear witness,
that lying in concealment upon the hill of Christie (the
spot where poor Davies was killed), he and another man,
now dead, saw the crime committed with their own eyes.
A girl, whom Clerk afterwards married, was nearly at the
same time seen in possession of two valuable rings, which
the sergeant used to have about his person. Lastly, the
counsel and agents of the prisoners were convinced of their
guilt. Yet, notwithstanding all these suspicious circum-
stances, the panels were ultimately acquitted by the jury.

" This was chiefly owing to the ridicule thrown upon the
story by the incident of the ghost, which was enhanced
seemingly, if not in reality, by the ghost-seer stating the
spirit to have spoken as good Gaelic as he had ever heard
in Lochaber.

" ' Pretty well,' answered Mr. Macintosh, ' for the ghost
of an English sergeant 1' This was, indeed, no sound jest,
for there was nothing more ridiculous in a ghost speaking a
language which he did not understand when in the body,
than there was in his appearing at all. But still the counsel
had a right to seize upon whatever could benefit his client ;
and there is no doubt that this observation rendered the
evidence of the spectre yet more ridiculous ; in short, it is
probable that the ghost of Sergeant Davies, had he actually
been to devise how to prevent these two men from being
executed for his own murder, could hardly have contrived

BBO AD AWAKE. 215

a better mode than by the apparition in the manner which
was sworn to.

" The most rational supposition seems to be, that the
crime had come to MTherson's (the ghost-seer) knowledge,
by ordinary means, of which there is some evidence ; but
desiring: to have a reason for communicatinor it, which could
not be objected to by the people of the country, he had
invented this machinery of the ghost, whose commands,
according to Highland belief, were not to be disobeyed. If
such were his motives, his legend, though it seemed to set
his own tongue at liberty upon the. subject, yet impressed
on his evidence the fate of Cassandra's prophecies, that,
however true, it should not have the fortune to be
believed." *

CHAPTER IX.

Broad Awake. — Arrangements for the Day. — A Ticklish Point. — Serpentine Movements. —
Disappointment. — White Kid Gloves — Contest of Skill. — Escape of the Deer. — Good
Sport.— Close Combat.— A Ride on a Stag.— Remarkable Prowess. —Contest with a
Phoca. — The Drive Begins. — Shots and Untoward Accident. — Corrie's Sagacity and
Night-Watch. —The Coup d'Essai.— Past Deeds.— Eagles Killed by a Boy.— Driving
the Herd.— Legend of Eraser's Cairn.— The Lord of Lovat's Raid.— Strong Taint of
Deer. — Nervous Excitement. — Ambuscade at the Wood. — Noble Sport. — The Old
Blair Pony. — Return to the Castle.

" What is a gentleman without his recreations?"

Cornish Comedy.

" Jamieson desires me to tell you, sir, that there are three
fine harts feedinor on the swell of Ben Deris:, hiofh above
the cottage, and he thinks you had better get up, for it is
five o'clock."

" A goodly warning, John ; make ready our breakfast
immediately, and let the hill-men swallow theirs as quickly
-as possible. I will call Mr. Lightfoot myself,"

" What ho ! hillo, hillo, comrade 1 Up, up, and be stir-
ring !"

* The trial of these men is curious and interesting, but too long for
insertion in these pages. I have, however, ventured to copy out the
evidence of the two ghost-seers, which contains the chief points in it, and
to insert them in an appendix.

216 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

"Eh!— what — where — when? comest thou to draw
Priam's curtains in the dead of night ?"

"Night! now by him who sits on high Olympus, —

' Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund morn
Sits tiptoe on the misty mountain's top.'

There are twenty harts cropping the heather bells on the
Red Mountain, just above the lodge.

* Falsely luxurious, will not man awake ? '"

" Oh, as for that, you see, I'm quite alive ; — yaw — yaw ! —
confoundedly stiff though : I do not think that arque-
busade of yours is genuine. But you'll give me time to put
on my clothes, won't you ? and although you dispense with
sleep, I pray you not to dispense with breakfast. I always
eat before I go out ; my father and mother did so before me.
Now here I am, you see, fresh as a lark ; just give me a
helping hand will you, my good friend ? Thank you : now
then, on goes my best jacket ; for this day I mean to do * a
deed of mighty note.' "

"Bravo! up with you, then, my good fellow, quanto prmid.
In the meantime, I will go out and examine the three harts.'*

" Three ! — three harts ! why, thou said'st twenty ere
now ! "

" Aye, in buckram : twenty deer, you know, will rouse
your somnolent man sooner than three : there is a great
charm in numbers."

Tortoise clapped on his bonnet, and marched forth with
his telescope, all unclad as he was, save in slippers and
dressing-gown. The harts were perused, and found pro-
digious, of course. A brief toilette — a breakfast short,
sharp, and decisive, and perhaps a cauker, as the Ettrick
Shepherd has it.

All now were ready and about to start, when a hill-man
came panting in with a letter from the Duke of AthoU con-
taining instructions for Tortoise to bring down as many
deer as he could, and to be at the Green Knowes at three
o'clock, mentioning where he and his parties would be
posted, and saying that his men would keep them in on the
west after they had passed a certain point. In the mean-
time. Tortoise and his friend were to kill what they could.

A TICKLISH SITUATION. 217

This was pleasant news. They had a long day before
them, and plenty of time for all operations, both private
and public.

Now if truth were told, the harts above mentioned were
on the round even swell of the hill, where it was judged
very difficult, if not impossible, to come within distance of
them : " But say nothing of this, Jamieson, we must do our
best. We will not throw a damp over the chance."

A stony burn comes down from the mountains near Bruar
Lodge, which has hollowed out a deep chasm between two
hills. The eye of no living thing can command this narrow
pass from the heights above. Up this water-course the
party proceeded, over fragments of rock, through the
streams, and little linns, directing their steps towards the
east, it being judged best to endeavour to come in by a side
wind from that quarter. They continued to ascend the
burn for a long time, happy when the disposition of the
ground permitted them to step out for a space on the
heather. At length they gained the ascent, and from a
black bog, which they had entered, discovered with their
glasses that the deer were still in the same situation. A
death-like silence took place : the ground was examined
minutely. Then the glasses were closed, and deep thought
and care sat on the countenances of the sportsmen. The
boo: which had hitherto been their cover, terminated lonor
long before they could get within any reasonable distance
of the deer, who were, moreover, in a commanding situation.
The men had observed a ridge of high heather, insufficient,
they judged, to conceal them ; that, however, must be tried
as their only chance : the dogs were left in the bog. Light-
foot's rifle was given to Jamieson, and they crept cautiously
out of the hole, where they had been skulking. Their caps
they put in their pockets, and began to writhe themselves
through the heather like serpents. The ground was dry,
but the operation was tedious, and even painful, so that
they took occasional moments of rest. They dared not raise
their heads ever so little out of the dewy heather, which
they shaved so closely that there was scarcely a waistcoat
button left in the party. They strove with their feet, and
clawed with their hands, still making but slow progress.
15

218 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

At length their hearts throbbed with nervous excitement,
for they were fairly within a hundred yards of a long shot.
For a space they rested to ease their limbs and gain steadi-
ness, still lying extended like corpses. Tortoise whispered,
"Now then be calm, and when we come within distance,
take the hart to the right, — he is the best ; a little further
and our task is done."

Twenty yards forwarder they gained in security ; another
ten with the same success ; — they were getting nearer and
nearer every moment, and their hearts trembled. There
was a little knoll, or small rise of ground, before them,
where the heather grew in larger tufts, and this point once
gained (of which there was every probability), they would
be within reasonable distance of as fine harts, they roundly
-asserted, as any in the forest ; so onward they still crawled,
with pain and fatigue.

But if deer-stalking, or any other species of sporting,
were of easy achievement, what would become of all those
•delightful changes that animate us in the chase ? no longer
would our bosDms throb with hope, or sink from an appre-
hension of, failure ; we should keep " the even tenor of our
way," tame in pursuit of the quarry ; and, as Captain
Bobadil has it, " too respectful of nature's fair lineaments."
Plans well laid and executed, — difficulties overcome by skill,
by labour, and perseverance, — these are the events that
flatter our self-complacency, and give the highest zest to
the sportsman.

It is the desire to evince this skill, and surmount these
difficulties, that carries the ardent deer-stalker through bog,
through burn, up hill, and down precipice ; creeping, wading,
running, or lying; heedless alike of mire, waters, and
fatigue : but still with all his caution, even with the most
consummate generalship, and in the very tumult of expected
success, —

" medio de fonte leporum,

Surgit amari aliquid quod in ipsis floribus angat."

And if ever a bitter thing did happen, if ever the chalice
were dashed from the lips, it was at the critical moment
when we left our sportsmen just within shot of the deer.
" Tears of compassion tremble on our eyelids," whilst we

WHITE KID GLOVES. 219

are obliged to recount, that an old chuckling moorcock
sprung from those very bunches of heather, which they
vainly thought their haven.

Oh Puck ! Puck ! why didst thou place that officious
bird in that particular spot, to scare away the deer ? was
there no other place in all this wide forest where he could
set his breast ? A thousand, ten thousand there are, where
surely he might have been as happy; it was a chance as
-one to a million : see what a pickle we are in ; mark what
we have done, what endured ! But thou delightest in
mischief, and art grinning, I know, thou impious little elf,
and, inaledetto cite tu sia, wert never better pleased in all
thy life. The deer, thus warned, broke over the hill, and
the moor-cock went darting away, turning himself side- ways
to catch the gale with his wing, chuckling, and rejoicing, as
it were, in his free flight and the success of his mischief.
"Now may a dart from Murdoch's quiver pierce thy side
before night !"

" Well, it was not our fault, that is some comfort, there
w^as no kid glove in the matter ; an allusion you will better
understand, when I tell you that a celebrated sportsman,
after having made a very long and laborious circuit to come
into a quiet shot, destroyed his chance, when on the very
verge of attaining it, by a slight elevation of one of his
hands which was decked with a white kid glove : it is
marvellous how^ such a piece of furniture found its way into
a Scotch forest ; and one is tempted to exclaim, in the
words of Mrs. Siddons, — ' Hoiv gat it there .?'" *

The sportsmen arose, and put the best countenance they
could upon the matter, which, sooth to say, was no better
than a very doleful one, deadened as their hearts were by
disappointment. The deer, however, had not seen them,
and were still in the ground before them. In fact, when
they came over the hill, they saw them looking back
jealously in the moss below.

*I do not vouch for the tale, but it is said that Mrs. Siddons, hearing a
story about a French official who was locked up in his bureau, being rather
in an absent mood, fancied that he had been thrust into a chest of drawers,
and exclaimed, with great pathos, " Poor gentleman ! how gat he there .?"

220 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

" There is no coming down upon them from the hill," said
Tortoise.

" They will no bide there lang," said Jamieson.

" They are magnificent creatures," said Lightfoot.

" Shall I lowse a doug ?" said Maclaren.

" No, that may spoil the drive, for there is no saying
where a cold hart may go to bay : but stay you here ; we
will take a long round, and endeavour to get into the burn.
Give us twenty minutes, and then try to coax them across,
as near yon curve of the stream as you can. If they move
forward, we will do so too ; so keep the glass upon us, and
do your best according to circumstances. — Now look at your
watch."

A long round, and a sharp persevering pace, brought
them to the destined spot within the allotted time : having
walked for a space with bent bodies, they sat themselves
down on a grey stone under the bank of the stream.
Maclaren now beo-an his game ; entertaininor enough it was
to see the contest of skill between him and the harts : the
continual shiftings of the Gael, however, at length gave
them a slight turn towards the east, and they appeared to
be coming in a good accommodating direction. But whether
they got a blink of the men in the burn, or found ground
more to their liking, they at length kept full to the wind,,
and went straight south. The moss-troopers had not as
yet been able to come forward on account of the w^ind ; but
now that the course of the deer was obviously determined
upon, they made the best of their w^ay under cover of the
banks and bogs. All too late they were ; for the harts
crossed the burn out of distance, but at a slow pace, as they
saw not the men.

Maclaren now got as well round to the west as time
would permit him to do : but it was not this manoeuvre
that made them again bear a point to the east, for they held
him particularly cheap ; it was rather the sight of a few
hinds that had been disturbed from under the crescent of
Ben-Dairg, and were bearing away towards Cairn-cherie. —
These they meant to join.

" This way, this way, Harry, come along, we'll have them

NEW MANCEUVBES. 221

yet." So saying they strove through the deep channels of
the peat moss, cowering low, and cutting off the angle with
all speed, till they got fairly within shot.

Now^ there is one point in deer-stalking that is the most
provoking and tantalising thing in the world ; and as it
happens pretty often, so it occurred in the present instance.
The riflemen, I said, were within distance : so indeed they
w^ere ; but the harts skulked up a deep channel in the moss
in such a way that nothing but the points of their horns
were to be seen. It was in vain to run after so small a
parcel ; that would only give them a rapid start, and set
them clean away at once. Thus not a shot was fired, and
fortunately no one committed suicide.

The harts now joined the hinds, and all went slowly up
the western face of Cairn-cherie.

As soon as they were all fairly settled in their new
position, a fresh reconnoissance took place — the deer had
so taken up their ground that they were not within shot
either from the top or base of the hill, each of which points
the riflemen could have gained unseen by them. The party
went forward to the foot of the hill.

" Noble fellows ! cunning devils ! what is to be done
now?" said Lightfoot, "Do you think we shall kill them
all ? Can you bring us near them in fine style ; cannot we
come down upon them from the rocks above, and put them
^11 to sudden death ?"

" To sudden flight we may easily : but know that there
is no place in the whole forest so ticklish as this; the
ground, on the summit, is so varied with high rocks, flats,
and hollows, that currents and swells of air pass in almost
^11 directions, and the difficulty will be to get near the
deer, and keep the wind ; but 1 know the ground well ;
aye, every inch of it, quite as well as my own cabin at
Bruar."

" Aye, ye're weel acquent with it, for the beasties ha' bin
ow'r canny for ye whiles amang thae rocks."

" Hush, hush, my good fellow, no tales."

" Na, I canna but say that ye ha' had good sport there
too, but sure ye'U no be forgettin the big hart that gat a
gliff o' ye, and skelped awa through the moss, joost as ye

222 DAYS OF DEERSTALKING.

war thinkin to pit yer ball intill him ; perhaps Mr. Lightfoot
would like to hear something anent it ?"

" No, no, Maclaren, I know he would not ; letby-ganes be
by-ganes. So now tell me, what is your advice ?"

" Why, I wud ha' ye advised to gang round to the east,
and to leave me at the f ut o' the hill ; ye can win to the tap
in ten minutes, and when ye are there, I can pit ower the
deer. But ye mun be canny, and ye mun aye throw out
wee bits of tow, for the wind is unco kittle among the
rocks ; ye'll bear in mind the muckle hart — him that ran
awa sae brawly frae ye, without skaith, when yer honour
thoucht to hae takkin his gralloch, and said something
anent his tallow, and white puddins, and the fat on his
haunches."

" You advise well, Maclaren, and your discourse is voluble ;,
sweet T may not say, since the latter part of it falls some-
what unseemly on my ear. Now look at your watch, give
us a quarter of an hour ; start the .deer to the moment, as
quietly as possible, they will be ready enough to come,
without compulsion."

" So here is another of your boggy steeps, — antiseptic no
doubt ; but I will not be buried in them to try their pro-
perties : I shall get up capitally."

" Not if you proceed in that manner, I assure you. This-
hill is too steep to walk heel and toe ; your style is not
mechanical: see what a lever you are making use of; just
stick the side of one foot horizontally against the hill, and
bring up your other underneath it, keeping the same foot
always uppermost as I do : see now how compact you go
without labour, almost without exertion, and certainly
without the aid of your hands, which you were using
before."

" Capital ! so I do. Can you also give me any receipt for
running?"

" Only, as I said before, to go as compact as possible ; all
swinging of the arms, and kicking of the legs behind, is so
much unnecessary motion, which impedes your progress,,
worries the whole body, and distresses your wind. But a
truce to conversation, however agreeable to me : we must
now proceed in silence."

GOOD SPOBT. 223

Now had they passed the moss, and attained the rocks
on the summit, and were sittinoj down behind a laro^e block
of granite ; they laid the rifles on the ground, pulled off
their caps, and wiped their foreheads — Tortoise held his
watch in his hand ; it wanted five minutes of the time for
startinor the deer. A^^ain and a^rain he looked at the slow
progress of the minute-hand : it was just on the point ; it
has passed it ; the deer then must be in motion : a short
space he gave them, to get forward, that he might be secure
of the wind; then, snatching up a rifle in one hand,
Jamieson following him with another, he waved his hand
to Lightfoot, got quickly forward, and clambered up a rock,
where all posted themselves aloft.

They had not been in this commanding position five
seconds before the deer came racinor below them over the
naked ground, at an easy distance. When Lightfoot saw
the hinds, who were leadinor, he was in the act of raisin or
his rifle, but his arm was immediately arrested by Tortoise,
who continued to hold it with a significant look, but in
silence. Now came one of the wonderful harts ; he was a
stupendous animal, very sleek in his coat, and had royal
antlers ; that is to say, three points on each horn. " Take
him," said Tortoise, letting go his friend's arm ; " and fire
well forward."

The old rocks of Cairn-cherie rang to the rifle sound ; the
deer slackened his pace, and then stood still. This shot
had scarcely been fired, before another monster came in
view. Tortoise levelled; the fatal trigger was pulled, —
the hart catched his side, stood for a space, and then went
slowly on with the rest. The third hart swerved a little
below the hill, and never came within distance.

" Joy to you, my friend, your deer is safe enough, and so
is mine, I hope. Lie still, for Heaven's sake, or you will
spoil all ; he is sick — he is dying !"

The poor fellow stood for a short space, with his forelegs
extended ; his knees then bent a little ; his head rose and
fell alternately for a few moments ; his whole frame quiv-
ered, and down he sank to eternal rest. The pangs of
death were brief, but very painful to witness. They now
went forward, and the knife was plunged into him, when

224 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

his blood gushed out in torrents. A man was left to jzral-
loch him. Lightfoot could not be torn away from the dun
beauty : the hill-man, as he gralloched the deer, and drank
the whiskey, swore there never was such a deer seen in the
forest ; he grew larger and larger at every quaigh-full, and
there was no saying to what a portentous size he might
have arrived, had not the flask been fairly drunk out.

The rest of the party went slowly forward, till at length
they saw the other wounded hart lying in a bog. He was
extended, and kept his head as low as possible; it was
apparent, then, that he was not only alive, but had his
senses about him. Tortoise crept cautiously up, and sent a
ball through the back of his head — as deadly a shot as can
be made.

The smile of joy danced on every countenance, but chiefly
on thine, O Lightfoot; the warm current came tingling
through your veins : there was a buoyancy of spirit, and
an air of success about you that proclaimed you a king —
a hero — a demigod ! Hercules was a pretty fellow ; so was
Theseus ; so was Pirithous ; but, although they subdued
various monsters, they probably never killed so fine a stag
in all their lives. Happy, thrice happy mortal ! happier
far than Candide, when he met Miss Cunegonde amongst the
Turks, or (to make a more apt comparison) than our own
Phidias,* when he killed two woodcocks at one shot. Thou
shouldst have died that moment, my own hero : alas, why
did you survive, to pace over geometrical enclosures in pur-
suit of pigmy game ? But bear thy faculties meekly, whilst
the deer are being gralloched, and the black flag is hung on
the bonny antler to scare away the raven.

" Now, Tortoise, I really think that Macrobius, and the
rest of Virgil's commentators, are senseless goupies ; for I
am ready to maintain, in spite of them all, that the slaying
of such a magnificent animal as this was a very fit cause
for the Latin war —

' Cervus erat forma prsBstanti, et cornibus ingens.'

* Who has not heard of Sir Francis Chantrey's skill with his gun and his
fishing-rod ? The above incident occurred at a great battue — at the Duke
of Bedford's probably— and the whole party saluted Sir Francis on the
occasion with solemn deference, each individual passing before him in suc-
cession, and making his obeisance.

■rr^l

r^

**

A BIDE ON A STAG. 225

(Handling the horns all the while.) But why did you
throw away a charge upon your wounded deer, who was
lying extended in the bog, and at your mercy ? I should
have preferred close combat, like our friend the artist ; I
would have got across him, and seized him by the horns."

" In which case you would have had a charming ride,
like the late Glengarry, or like the forester of the present
chief of Clanchattan, who, in passing last summer* through
the forest of Stramashie, near Loch Laggan, descried the
horns of a stag above the heather at some distance ; and
taking advantage of the cover of a grey stone on the lee-
side of the animal's lair, crept cautiously up to him, whilst
he was apparently asleep. He had no rifle, but opened his
deer-knife, which he placed between his teeth that his
hands might be free, and then threw himself suddenly upon
the stag. Up started the astonished beast, and sprung for-
ward with Donald on his back, who grasped him with
might and main by the horns, to keep his seat in a sports-
manlike manner. No easy matter, I trow, for the animal
made right down the rugged side of a hill with headlong
speed, to a stream in the glen below, and dashed through
it, still bearing his anxious rider with the knife in his
mouth, which he had neither time nor ability to use. When,
however, this gallant pair reached the opposite side of the
glen, and the deer began to breast the hill and relax his
speed, Donald was enabled so far to collect his bewildered
senses as to get hold of his knife ; and he absolutely con-
trived to plunge it into his throat. The deer fell forward
in the death-struorcrle, and Donald made a summerset of
course. In consequence of this extraordinary feat, the man
has been dubbed by the people with a new and appropriate
name in Gaelic, which my authority (Mr. Skene) told me
he could not pretend either to write or to pronounce. This
was dexterous work ; but there are innumerable examples
of the spirit and determination of Scottish sportsmen : and
whilst the deer are being gralloched, I may as well relate
an adventure that happened to a celebrated and enthusiastic
deer-stalker, whose name I am not at liberty to mention.

* The summer of 1837.

226 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

" Whilst hunting lately in the island of Jura with his
deer-hounds (for he seldom carried a rifle), he came rather
suddenly upon three magnificent stags : he slipped his three
dogs upon them, and what is very singular, and proves their
spirit, each of them took a separate deer, and they all went
in different directions. After a long and arduous pursuit
over the rouo^h hills of Jura, the stalker* at lenorth o-ot
sight of one of the deer standing at bay in some long
heather, in a deep hollow : he appeared to be quite ex-
hausted ; and the dog Oscar, one of the most powerful and
intrepid of the breed, was lying within a few yards of him
apparently done out. As soon, however, as his master
shouted his name, the gallant brute sprang at the stag's
throat, and a desperate battle ensued, in which the dog was
tossed three times in the air before his owner could o^et
quite up, and was thus severely wounded.

"When the sportsman, who had only a little herd-boy
with him, reached the arena, the stag, without attempting
to make oflT, thrust at them right and left, whirling round
and round to defeat every attempt to grapple wdth him ;
the boy had his leg severely lacerated, when the deer-
stalker, who is a most muscular and powerful man, dashed
in, and seized the animal by the horns. The contest was
desperate and doubtful ; at length they both came to the
ground, when the hunting-knife finished the contest.

" This same gentleman, whilst shooting sea-fowl, amongst
the rocks of Colonsay, perceived a large seal basking on
the shore ; he drew cautiously towards the spot, and gave
him the contents of his fowling piece, when the seal scuffled
over the rocks, in his way to his element. -Our enthusiastic
sportsman sprung from the boat, and, grappling with the
slippery brute just as he had reached tJie water, plunged
headlong with him into the sea, where a singular conflict
ensued, sometimes under water and sometimes in view,
before the people in the boat could manage to get hold of
either of the combatants ; at length, however, they suc-
ceeded in dragging both the young laird and his fat friend
into the boat, to the great merriment and relief of his

* It is necessary to be a good stalker in order to lay on the dogs properly.

EXULTATION. 227

companions, — to whose remonstrances he only answered,
' D — n the brute ! Did he think to give me the go-by ? '

" Mr. Skene, who told me this anecdote, was himself the
prototype of Sir Walter Scott's story of Highland Hector's
contest with the phoca, in the Antiquary ; having related
to him on the spot an encounter which he had with seals
in descending the rocks at Dunotter, in his passage to a
creek, from whence he proposed to make a sketch of the
castle."

During this relation the hill-man stripped off his grey
jacket, bared his sinewy arm, and went through the
necessary operations of bleeding and gralloching. Every
movement, every finesse was exultingly run over ; — the dogs
fought ; the men laughed and drank ; and were as cordial
as success and riojht good Loch Rannoch could make them.

" But the day wears apace ; we must now separate our
forces, and if w^e forget not our cunning, we will sweep
these glens and mountains, and put down such an army of
deer as shall give free exercise to the rifles from Blair ; their
volleying shall scare the roe in his secret glade, and visions
of the magnificent herd shall again warm the imagination
of the Southron in his festive halls, and great shall be the
boast of those who were present on St. Crispin's Day."

" Heyday ! Why you affect to be Ossianic to-day ! And,
upon my word, what with the mountain air and scenery,
and the heroic deed I have just done, I tread the heather
w^ith something of the feeling of a descendant of Fingal
myself. But, allons, cater we now for the general sport ;
and here shall end our stalking ; here on the old rocks of
Cairn-cherie, never to be forgotten, till we depart to where
Tullus and Ancus have gone before us."

The party now began to occupy their posts. The riflemen
remained on the middle hill ; Maclaren was sent across by
the Craggan-Breach to Sroin-a-chro, and Sandy Macintosh
to Ben-y-chait. All came forward at the signal, which was
the exposure of some man's shirt, by means of unbuttoning
his waiscoat; a luminous mark, that could be readily
discerned through the telescope, which each man carried
with him, placed in a leathern case and slung in a belt
across his shoulders.

228 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING,

The sport now about to take place, as far as driving
went, was very similar to that practised in a deer-drive to
Glen Tile ; but in the termination it differed materially ;
for instead of runninor the gauntlet as the deer did at Glen
Tilt, and passing freely onward to the heights of Ben-y-gloe,
they were, in this instance, to be pressed on to the pine
wood, that formed the barrier between the mountain slope
and the cultivated strath of the Tay. This wood was held
by them a place of refuge ; and when they gained it the
sport was understood to be terminated, though a hart or
two might occasionally be killed after their entrance into
it. These woods are fenced on the moor-side by a stone
dike, and behind this dike some of the parties that came
from Blair were posted ; so that the little army of deer
were thus placed between two fires — that is to say, between
the rifles of the sportsmen who brought them down from
the mountains, and those who opposed their passage into
the wood : thus beset, in front and rear, and at their flanks,
all their sagacity was called forth ; and their movements
being more varied, were by so much the more interesting.
The difficult point was, for those who placed themselves
in front of the driven deer, to avoid giving them their wind
prematurely, which might be managed by keeping at first
to the east and west (the wind being south), and drawing
towards the centre when time served.

Let us now see what the hill-men were about.
After a lapse of about forty minutes the men had arrived
at the stations above mentioned, and the signal was given
for starting. There were groups of deer both in Glen Mark
and Glen Dirie — hinds, calves, and a few harts : very little
management was required to get these forward, as they
naturally, and readily, went up wind ; which was all that
was required of them. So they were urged forward, and
driven out of the glens, with shouting and hurling of
stones, which bounded down the precipices with repeated
echo to the vast depths below. Still, as the men came
onward, the deer joined their forces, formed, looked back
calmly, and, as usual, scrutinised every part of the ground
on their flanks, and on their rear. Tortoise had given up
all thoughts of manoeuvring any more for himself and his

UNTOWABD ACCIDENT. 229

friend ; but as he did not seek sport, so he was determined
not to shun it if it were thrust upon him. And fortune
(who seldom does things by halves) now placed another of
her favours in his way. Whether or not he benefited by
the chance will be seen in the sequel.

Thus then it was : a few hinds and calves, with a good
hart amongst them, came rapidly over the shank of the
hill which he and Lightfoot were descending. The hart
was generally masked by the hinds ; but as their paces were
unequal, he was sometimes exposed for a moment. Both
sportsmen suddenly clapped up the rifles to their shoulders :
the point Avas too nice a one for ceremon}^ The fatal sound
of Lightfoot's was first borne along the moor — fatal did I
say ? fatal to what ? Alas, to the hind that was coming
up in the rear of the hart ; down she dropped, and her
maternal cares ceased for ever. In the meantime Tortoise
kept holding pertinaciously where the hart was, keeping
his ffun well forward : half of him at leno^th was clear, the
trigger was instantly pulled, and the ball took effect ; but
the wounded stag went on behind the others, and the men
couched down upon the heather blossom.

And now happened one of those untoward accidents that
will sometimes occur in spite of ordinary precaution. The
dogs had been brought forward for the stricken deer ; and
Corrie, who had a small greyhound-like head, slipped him-
self from the leash, and away he went on the traces of the
deer. ISothing could be more agonising, for there was every
probability that he would put the main herd out of the cast,
and disappoint all the parties at the wood. But come what
might, the keen hound was gone forth, and no earthly power
could arrest him.

The small parcel that had been fired at joined the great
herd, full in Corrie's view ; and all disappeared for a while
in the hollow of a deep ravine, with the dog at their traces.
But they soon reappeared on the opposite brae, Corrie being-
still close upon them : every man was absolutely in despair.
He forced them into a compact mass, ran furiously at their
rear, then to one flank and then to the other ; and ever as
he came on, the outward deer endeavoured to wedo^e them-
selves into the mass out of reach of his horrid fangs.

230 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

There was now no doubt but that the drive would be
spoiled. Many were the denunciations ao^ainst the appalled
leashman ; his death-warrant was made out, for he was to
have no more whiskey, which was precisely the same thing
to him.

But, lo ! when all were sinking with apprehension, affairs
took an almost miraculous turn : after the hound had forced
the herd in the manner described, missing the taint of the
blood, he suddenly turned back from them, and came
feathering along, making beautiful casts to the right and
left ; returning now to the burn which he had before passed,
he picked up the lost scent of the blood, and ran rapidly
down its mazes. Soon the wounded deer sprang up, and
went heavily before him down the stream ; out at once
leaped the cunning dog upon the banks, headed him about
a hundred yards, and then came back in his front, and held
him resolutely to bay. It was a way he had of shortening
the business.

This happy termination was an inexpressible relief to all.
Tortoise went forward alone, creeping up cautiously by a
side-wind, and finished him by a shot through the head.
When the men returned to the hind, they saw the eagle
sweep down from the clouds, and wheeling over Ben-y-
venie, descend in all his expanse of wing, and perch himself
upon the blasted branch of a birch stump that overhung a
rock in the declivity. There the huge bird sat the whole
time the deer was being cleaned, gloating over the opera-
tions, and eager for the bloody repast. As soon as the
animal should be left on the lonely moor, he thought to
cower over him, uttering his shrill shrieks, and to plunge
his beak into the eyes, and pick them from their sockets.
But the foul bird shall be baulked of his prey. The
sagacious Corrie shall protect him ; Corrie, who will never
leave a dead deer without compulsion, but will coil himself
up by his side, and watch by him during the chill blasts of
a northern night, guarding him till the hill-man comes in
the morning to cord him on his sheltie ; then the good dog
will once more lick over his dun sides, shake his tail, and
fawn upon the hill-man, and escort him home to the
slaughter-house. Corrie would do all this as well as the

THE COUP D'ESSAI. 231

rest of his litter ; nay, if he were slipped on the moor, he
would go back alone to the last deer that was killed,
although it were many miles distant, and protect it through
the night from the fox, the wild cat, the eagle, or the raven.*

All now good-humouredly tried to make out the hind a
yeld one ; but it would not do ; she evidently gave suck, and
was also singularly lean.

" Never mind, Lightfoot ; she richly deserved her fate ;
for it was a wicked deed to place herself where she did. So
pray be comforted."

" No, no, it will not do. The Badenoch fairy's speech
rings in my ears, saying, or seeming to say, ' O Lightfoot,
Lightfoot, thou hast this day slain the only maid in Doune.' "

" Never mind, these things occur to us all ; the hart had
a very narrow escape from your ball. You heard our friend
from the south brag the other day how nearly he had killed
a deer ; and when you asked him in what manner, he replied
that his ball struck the spot where the deer had been lying
the day before. You were much nearer than this, you
know. It was no bad shot after all, and will be of infinite
service to you as an instruction to take your aim forwarder
in future. I began my career nearly in the same way, and
learned a good lesson from it."

" Then the first deer you killed was a hind ? Well, that's
.some comfort, however."

" No, I mistake ; not the first. My coup cVessai was at
a hart. I set oflT from Blair Castle with the Duke of
AthoU for Forest Lodge at twenty minutes past three o'clock
in the morning. There were no deer feeding in the glen ;
so we breakfasted, and I began fishing for salmon. After
a time, whilst very intent on my cast, I heard a noise above
me, and, looking round, I saw a stag running at full speed
along the slope of the hill, with two lurchers at his heels.
Quickly did I clamber up the rocks. John Crerer was in
the road with a rifle ; and, as he was in the act of raisino- it
to his shoulder, in I came behind, took it from his hand,
fired, and hit the deer through the jaw. The poor chop-
fallen fellow then went to bay, where I finished him ; but,

* A beautiful painting, by Mr. Edwin Landseer, of this sagacious dog,
thus engaged, will be in the recollection of many.

232 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

to speak the truth, he was altogether as lean, ragged, and
shabby a beast as I ever saw. If I was not ashamed of him,
I am a soused gurnet."

(Maclaren, touching his hat.) " Ye held at better game
afterwards atween the shank of Ben-y-chait and the El rich,
when Charlie Crerer was with ye. Ye'U mind when ye
creepit up to four harts to tak' a quiet shot ; ye got within
a lang distance, and took the first deer with his braidside
towards ye as he was feeding, and lying as ye were yoursel*
all alang in the heather, and the ball passed through his
heart. And then ye jumpit up, and kilt other twa, ane
after the ither, as they were skelping awa', and thus we
got three beasties out of four. They say ye steppit the
ground after wards, and that the first deer stuid one h under
and forty yards frae ye. The last must have been an awf u'
distance."

" Aye, Peter ; a true bill that. More by token that ra}^
fingers tingle yet with recollection of the hearty Highland
grip that Charlie gave me when he saw the deed ; for he's
a fine shot, and a dear lover of the sport himself. But if
we boast thus of our past deeds, we shall be thought to
have lost all hope of equalling them in future."

While thus speaking. Tortoise had been watching the
villain eagle. How easily, thought he, I could stop thy
murderous career for ever ! " Now, Jamieson, could I come
in upon that beastie by sinking the hill, going round by
the west, and coming up the hollow by a side-wind, whilst
his keen eye is fixed upon you and the deer ; but the day is
far on, and we must be true to our time, and yet it grieves
me, for these eagles are very difficult of approach, even by the
most skilful sportsman, and it is very seldom one has such
a good opportunity. Instances of success, however, some-
times occur ; and the most extraordinary one I ever heard
of was related to me by my friend Mr. Skene of Rubislaw.
Listen to ifc, Harry.

" Whilst staying with his relation at Abergeldie, he met
a herd-boy coming down the avenue, labouring under the
burthen of what appeared to be some weighty animal,
trailing on the ground behind him, and held by a leg over
each shoulder ; he concluded it was a roe-deer, but found on.

EAGLES KILLED BY A BOY. 233

coming up that the boy (who was only thirteen years old)
had got two magnificent eagles, which he held by the necks
over his shoulders, and seemed ready to drop from fatigue.
" It appeared that young Donald's indignation had been
roused by having failed a few days before in his attempts
to defend a lamb which was carried off in spite of him ;
and many others of his flock had shared the same fate.
Meditating mortal revenge, he got possession of his father s
gun by stealth ; and marking the eagles to their eyry, in
Lachnagan, he hid himself on a rock near the nest, and
remained there all night.

" At break of day the male eagle kept hovering about the
nest, and the boy took a deliberate aim, and brought him
to the ground. The female soared aloft, and stooped after
her mate for some time> but out of distance from the boy,
who, from fear, dared not venture from his hiding-place, as
his prey still struggled amongst the stones at some little
distance from him ; at length the female eagle flew off*, but
soon returned with a lamb in her talons for the supply of
her young brood. In the meanwhile the determined little
rogue had reloaded, and watching his time warily, took
another shot, and with such skill and effect that the female
fell prostrate and quivering beside her mate ; but the poor
lamb was killed. Mr. Skene added that he measured the
birds at the time, but has mislaid the note of the measure ;
he well remembers, however, Abergeldie's observation, that
they were the largest birds he had ever seen ; and most
noble animals they certainly were."

The whole herd of deer were now belling, and going
lazily up Cairn-dairg-mor ; and there they stopped, crown-
ing the hill, and looming large on the sky line. In such
vast numbers had they collected, that you might have
fancied yourself with Vaillant in the great hunting-grounds
of Africa.

The hill-man to the west had shifted his position much
farther to that quarter ; and the men were so disposed that
the deer were kept on the middle hill in a straight line
with Blair, with the stalkers in their rear. Thus all pro-
mised well hitherto. Tedious it would be to recount the
shiftings of the men, which kept the deer in the right
16

234 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

course. They were all similar to each other, and the process
was a very simple one. When the herd attempted to swerve
from the desired direction, the men, who were far distant
on the opposite hills, had little else to do than to show
themselves in a line, so as to oppose their passage, dodging
with them, and taking care not to hurry or press upon
them rashly. Had they come too near, the herd would
have swept past them in a moment.

" We mu^ now keep back," said Tortoise, " for the deer
are examining the ground on the west, and are in no hurry
to advance. During this slow operation, I may as well
give you the history of Eraser's Cairn, which we passed
the other night, when Peter was so valiant about the laird's
ghost.

" Tradition informs us that Lord Fraser of Lovat made a
raid into the Atholl country, and harried it on his return.
This raid was of so ruthless a character, that it was probably
executed in revenge for a similar irruption made by the
Atholl men on his own demesnes. On the Lord of Lovat's
return with his plunder, one Donald Fraser, a clansman
who had acted a conspicuous part in the whole business,
asked the lord if he did not swear, before ffoinof out, that
he would leave neither horse, cow, sheep, or cattle, or even
cocks and hens, in the Atholl country. 'Ye hae done
brawly,' said he, ' and muckle gear hae we gotten ; but yon
cock that I heard crowing in the toun below us seems to
say that the aith is no that completely kept.'

" Lord Lovat demanded if it were a dunghill cock that
he heard, or a muir fowl ; and upon hearing that it was the
former, he replied, ' This must not be ; it is against the aith
I made ere I set out : get thee doun to the toun, Donald,
with a party, and put the beastie to death.'

" Donald did as he was commanded ; but upon his arrival,
the Atholl men, having had time to assemble, attacked his
party, and all were soon slaughtered, except Donald Fraser
himself, who was a powerful man, and fought lustily. He
was, however, shortly overpowered by numbers ; and they
proceeded to bind his hands behind his back, that they might
make use of him as a guide to conduct them to the spot where
the Lord of Lovat was awaiting the return of his men.

LEGEND OF FBASERS CAIBN. 235

" Donald, however, by a sudden and violent exertion'
■contrived to extricate himself from their clutches, and to
get a start over the moor ; but being encumbered with the
cords, which were still about him, was almost instantly over-
taken and slain.

" A party of the AthoU men then clad themselves in the
tartans of the men they had killed ; and, easily making out
the track (for the day was now dawning), followed their
invaders in a right line, whilst their chief force was kept
out of sight in the rear. They soon discovered the Frasers
on a swell of the moor before them, but not on the highest
point of the ground. They seemed to be regaling them-
-selves with their booty, whilst their horses were grazing
around them.

" The Atholl men now sent their main force to the west-
ward by the river Bruar, with instructions for them to come
over the hill in the rear of their foes, and fall upon them at
a concerted signal. The smaller party, exactly similar in
number to those that the Lord of Lovat had sent forth to
kill the cock, clad in their tartans, were mistaken for his own
men, till of a sudden the w^ild whoop and whistle peculiar
to the clan in their onsets discovered the fatal truth. The
foes came upon them at once in their front and rear, and a
hot conflict ensued. The Lord of Lovat, w^ho was a heavy
man, was slain whilst calling for his horse. Very few
escaped the slaughter, and the Atholl men returned
victorious with the reclaimed booty. The Frasers were
buried on the spot where the cairn now stands which bears
their name ; and the country people, who dare approach it
in the dead of night, assert that they often hear the spirit
of Lord Lovat calling for his horse — his horse !"

The deer were now urged on in beautiful style from the
Beg of Cairn Dairg. It was like the passage of a little
army as their files drew on ; some were lost in the hollows
— re-appearing, and again sinking out of sight amidst the
mazes of the moor. Nothing could be more picturesque
than their undulating course; — nothing more gratifying than
to reckon the horns marked firmly on the sky line as they
passed over the summits.

One hart there was amongst the rest that might be known.

236 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

from a million. His horns were very white, and his body
had a tendency to mouse colour ; — sleek and dainty he was
all over. It was the third hart which had escaped the rifles
on Cairn Cherie.

Stop, caitiff, traitor ! — but you may fall yet —

" Nescis, heu perdite, nescis

Quern fugias ; hostes incurris dum fugis hostem."

It is now the appointed time when the parties were
expected in the wood. It was ascertained by their glasses
that the Duke's men were properly stationed on Crag
Urrard ; the drivers therefore continued to get forward the
herd, which had collected and rested awhile; now they
crowned the Scalp of Meal-Remahr, and went streaming
down into the vast basin of Corrie-crombie. Many there
were who remained on the hill as sentinels ; these, however,,
joined the rest as Tortoise came on. Maclaren, who was on
the east, had been strengthened by a force judiciously
placed by John Crerer ; and the craft now devolved upon
these men. Tortoise and his friend, not daring to come
forward, lay down on the heather stumps, conversing in
scarcely audible whispers.

" They will pass over Na-Shean-Tulichean, or the green
knowes which you see before you : how easily could we have
them by getting a little forward ! But it must not be ;
here we will abide ; only this : when the great herd have
fairly passed over the knowes, should some fatigued beast
bring up the rear, * to stop too fearful, and too fat to go,*^
we shall do no mischief if we get on and salute him with
our rifles."

" Hist, hist ! by heavens, they are coming ! how strong
they smell!* They must be very near; I hear their
trampling. Heaven bless you, keep down ! low — low : do
not peep ; you will ruin us for ever. Your mouth in the
heather, if you please : — close — close ; even unto suffbca-

* A large herd of deer may be smelt at a very considerable distance,
particularly after they have been much driven. The writer of these pages
has often been governed in his movements by their taint, when they have
been below him amongst the steep crags, over which he could not descend
to look, for fear of not being able to recover his ground in time, and thus
losing the command of the hill. The taint, though of a different nature, is.
fully as strong as that of the ground in which sheep have been folded.

NERVOUS EXCITEMENT. 237

tion," whispered he. " Pray pardon me, my excellent friend; "
and he pressed Lightfoot's face gently into the bog.

At this moment the deer began to hesitate ; to look again
around them, and to consult their leaders before they deter-
mined upon their course.

The lying concealed in expectation of a doubtful event,
and almost within reach of the deer, is one of the most
nervous situations imaginable. In running with them there
are various things to distract your attention : caution to
preserve the wind ; prudence to keep your limbs entire in
going at the top of your speed down rocky declivities, or
amongst large stones concealed in the long ling. Even in
<;reeping for a quiet shot, you are naturally somewhat
engaged in ejecting the mud from your mouth, deeming it,
perhaps, unpleasant or unwholesome. There is also a
sensation when the water enters your shirt breast, which,
although not novel, may be termed somewhat interesting.
Thus the care bestowed upon your outward man diminishes
in some degree the agitation of your mind ; but really when
you are lying prostrate, in expectation of the deer passing
without any effort of your own, — when you hear the
trampling, the rush, and the belling, and all this under
doubtful auspices, you must be the most odious of all stoics
if your pulse beats evenly. We are agitated in such a case
— tremendously agitated, we own : our heart trembles
within us ; our breath comes short ; and the whole goddess
-Diana possesses us. Let those who have cold blood pride
themselves on it when they need, and where they need —
not now.

See the noble herd are come in view ! Na-Shean
Tulichean never bore upon his green swells a prouder
burthen. The antlers rise and sink over its heights ; the
hinds and calves pass belling along, whilst we (practising,
at least for once in our lives, the virtue of forbearance) feel
all the torments that the fabled and thirsty sinner felt as he
caught at the flying waters. Yes, the fable may be told of
us, and that somewhat to our credit.

And now the great bulk of the herd had passed over the
knowes, and were out of sight; still they came on in num-
bers ; but ever as they passed the antlers grew scarcer and

238 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

scarcer. Tortoise pressed the arm of his companion in
silence ; at length he removed his hand.
" Now, then, all is safe ; follow me."
He sank out of sight over the hill to the west with rapid
foot and bent body, and then came in more southwards,
within shot of the tail deer, when both sportsmen knelt
down on the heather. As the hinds came on, an anxious
look was sent to the rear in hopes to descry the points of
an approaching antler. At length the horns actually did
appear; and Lightfoot, all trembling with eagerness, was
clapping his rifle to his shoulder, when Tortoise stayed him,
whispering in his ear, "A worthless beastie, my good fellow,
let him pass : remember the four-year-old — the enormous
monster — the haud credo : this is a twin to him." But
nothing better came on — nought but rubbish. So not a shot
was fired.

They now gave them a little time to get on, and then
peeped through the heather-tops at the slope of the green
knowes. There they saw the vast herd below them, which
had kept increasing their forces as they passed the lower
grounds. There might have been some four or five hundred
of them altogether.

The deer now began to form into a more compact body.
Some looked back, some towards the slaps in the dyke,
others to the east and west. Now they drew up on an
eminence to the east : they longed for the security of the
woods, but were afraid to venture. Sometimes they were
about to break to the west, some on the opposite quarter ;
but at every point they met with opposition. At these
critical moments, various were the pushes made by the
sportsmen in the rear to each flank of the green knowes
in accordance with their motions. Still as they ran they
were concealed under the rising ground. Pressed on their
Hanks, and alarmed on their rear, the woods seemed the
only refuge for the herd ; and a long string of harts and
hinds raced away within shot of some stone dyke that
bounded them ; the rest of the body lingered behind, as if
to ascertain how the experiment would succeed.

Now began the din of arms : two rifle shots echoed
through the hollow woods, and two noble harts bit the

A NOBLE DATS SPOBT. 239

dust. " That must be the Duke's deed ; it is his Grace's
usual station; besides it was done so cleverly." Other
shots followed, more or less successful, which turned the
leaders, and those that came up in the rear sprung high in
the air over their fallen comrades, wheeled back, and all
again assembled on the flat ground. They now knew that
th6y were beset on all sides, and soon came to a decision.
The hinds had hitherto taken the lead ; but, pressed as they
now were, a more undaunted chief took the command.
Stern and determined, a magnificent hart stepped forth
from the ranks, and stood singly for a space in all his vast
proportion : he towered above the herd, as the Satan of
Tasso above the infernal host —

" Si la gran fronte, e le gran corna estolle."

For a few moments he shifted his gaze from man to man-;
then he made a desperate charge, followed by the rest of
the body. It was evident now that they were breaking
out in the west ; they all swept round behind a low rise of
ground, in that quarter," at the top of their speed.
" Now then, Harry, run low, and do your best."
Down he and Tortoise came upon them, and arrived just
in time for the middle of the herd. Two fine harts fell to
their rifles. And again, as they raced by the peat-stacks,
another party fired upon them ; and they came so close to
the hill-men that they flung their sticks at them, and had
they not given way, would have trampled them to the earth.
They now broke back over the moor, and were no longer
thought of. It would have required much skill and many
hours to ffet the wind of them ao^ain.

" Well, this is a noble day's sport ; but you must say
nothing about the hind at the castle, Maclaren. To be sure,
she will be seen to-morrow at the slaughter-house, and, no
doubt, she will have companions of the same gender ; but
sufficient for the day is the evil thereof ; and, indeed, it is
of no consequence, for she will make soup fit for the supper
of LucuUus, — if you know who he was, Peter ? "

* This swell of ground is very low, and not far from the wood, and insuf-
ficient to mask the deer entirely. I often thought it might be possible to
use it to advantage, and now tried it for the first time.

240 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

" No, I do not ; — was he a Badenoch man?"

" Not exactly ; nor had he Badenoch cooks that I ever
heard of."

The parties now met, and exchanged greetings and con-
gratulations. There were six first-rate harts slain at the
wood, and two lesser harts and two hinds at the peat-stacks.
The Duke of Atholl's deer (he had shot three in all) were
the largest ; for he had ever a quick eye, and an amazing
tact in selecting his quarry. One of these was lying on the
moor unable to rise, but still alive. It proved to be the
large mouse-coloured hart which had escaped the stalkers
at Cairn Cherie, and whose fate had been prophesied. A
hill-man, unaccustomed to treat with such dangerous ani-
mals, went up to him and seized him by the horns without
ceremony. -In evil deed it was for him ; for the stag, toss-
ing up his head, cut him with one of his brow antlers
between the eyes, dividing the flesh up his forehead, and
giving him a frightful wound. The poor fellow ran up to
the Duke, and saying, '' Yon was an unco crabbed beast,"
fell senseless at his feet. He soon recovered himself, how-
ever, and was kindly administered unto, — the men deluging
his wound with whiskey, which they esteemed a sovereign
remedy for all evils under the sun.

Ponies had been kept in readiness to take home the deer ;
they were a hardy race, redundant in mane and tail, and
contemners of the bridle. Amongst these was one known
by the name of " Old Blair Pony," who had always the
honour of bringing home the Duke's deer. It was an office
he delighted in ; and he was wont to evince his sense of
pleasure by rubbing his muzzle in the blood, and by towz-
ling the beast, as Squire Western has it.

Two or three sportsmen discharged their rifles at the
gillies' bonnets, at the distance of a hundred paces, the
gillies wisely pulling them oflT and planting them in the
heather, and not standing the shot themselves, as did the
Gown-cromb of Badenoch. The light infantry galloped
home on their ponies ; then followed the shelties, each with
a hart corded on his back, with the head and horns upper-
most: these were attended by a group of hill-men and
gillies, in their kilts and plaided tartans ; some urging on

ORIGINAL SCOTCH GREYHOUND. 241.

the ponies with Gaelic admonitions, others holding the
rough lurcher in the leash, and tugging him back rudely as
he tried to get a lick of the blood-stained deer. Thus they
passed merrily through the storm-beaten forest, winding
over the bridges, the dark torrent of the Banavie brawling
and toiling below them.

May they enjoy the right good cheer and merry dance
that always awaited them at the castle !

Eight harts slain at the wood, and two at Cairn Cherie.
By the rood, it was a sufficient work ; though the sport had
occasionally been much more ample.*

CHAPTER X.

Original Scotch Greyhound.— Fingal and his Retinue.— Bran and Phorp.— Their Death.--
The Lurcher —Glengarry's Dogs.— Of Blooding Deer-hounds.— Four-footed Hannibal.
—Sir William St. Clair's Dogs.

*' Syr, yf you be on huntynge found,
I shall you gyve a good greyhounde,

That is dunne as a doo ;
For as I am a trewe gentylwoman,
There never was deer that he at ran,
That myght yscape him fro'."

Sir Eglamore. — Metrical Romance.

The best sort of dog for chasing the deer would unquestion-
ably be the original Scotch or Irish greyhound ; but of this
noble animal I shall myself say nothing, being enabled,
through the kindness of Mr. Macneill of Colonsay, to
introduce amongst these pages a dissertation on their race
and qualities, put together by him with great research and
ability, and accompanied by a recital of a day's deer coursing
in the island of Jura. All accounts I have received from
Scotland represent these dogs as very scarce at the present
day ; and I am informed that in Sutherland the last of the
race in that particular district was a very powerful animal

* It may appear, perhaps, that in the account of this day's drive and the
former one, the lion's share of the sport is given to the stalker. It must
be remembered, however, that those who go round with the drivers have
necessarily the greatest number of chances. Hence Tortoise's success.

242 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

belonging to the late Mr. Gordon of Achness. He was
killed by a stag about forty years ago, who transfixed him
with his antlers against a rock, leaving three deadly wounds
on his body.

The traditions of that country have handed down stories
to us that prove the great estimation which dogs were held
in at very remote periods. One of these traditions, which
was current ages before Macpherson's publication, runs as
follows : —

Fingal agreed to hunt in the forest of Sledale, in company
with the Sutherland chief, his contemporary, for the purpose
of trying the comparative merits of their dogs. Fingal
brought his celebrated dog Bran to Sutherland, in order to
compete with an equally famous dog belonging to the
Sutherland chief, and the only one in the country supposed
to be any match for him. The approaching contest between
these fine animals created great interest. White-breasted
Bran was superior to the whole of FingaFs other dogs, even
to the " surly strength of Luah." But the Sutherland dog,
known by the full sounding name of Phorj), was incom-
parably the best and the most powerful dog that ever eyed
a deer in his master's forests.

When Fingal arrived in the forest with his retinue and
dogs, he was saluted with a welcome that may be translated
thus : —

" With your nine great dogs,
With your nine smaller, game-starting dogs,
With your nine spears —
Unwieldy weapons !

And with your nine grey sharp-edged swords,
Famous were you in the foremost fight."

The Sutherland chief also made a conspicuous figure
with his followers, and his dogs and weapons for the chase.
Of the two rival dogs. Bran and Phorp, the following
descriptions have still survived amongst some of the oldest
people in Sutherland. Bran is thus represented : —

The hind leg like a hook or bent bow,
The breast like that of a garron,''^
The ear like a leaf.

* A stout gelding.

BRAN AND PHORP. 243

Such would Fingfal, the chief of heroes, select from amongst
the young of his hunting dogs.

Phovp was black in colour, and his points are thus
described : —

" Two yellow feet, such as Bran had ;
Two black eyes,
And a white breast ;
A back narrow and fair,
As required for hunting ;
And two erect ears of a dark brown red."

Towards the close of the day, after some severe runs,
which, however, still left the comparative merits of the two
dogs a subject of hot dispute, Bran and Phorp were brought
front to front to prove their courage; and they were no
sooner untied, than they sprang at each other, and fought
desperately. Phorp seemed about to overcome Bran, when
his master, the Sutherland chief, unwilling that either of
them should be killed, called out, " Let each of us take
away his dog." Fingal objected to this; whereupon the
Sutherland chief said, with a taunt, that "it was now
evident that the Fingalians did not possess a dog that could
match with Phorp."

Angered and mortified, Fingal immediately extended
"his venomous paw," as it is called (for the tradition
represents him as possessing supernatural power), and with
one hand he seized Phorp by the neck, and with the other,
which was a charmed and destructive one, he tore out the
brave animal's heart.

This adventure occurred at a place near the march,
between the parishes of Clyne and Kildonan, still called
Leck-na-con, the Stone of the Dogs, there having been
placed a large stone on the spot where they fought. The
ground over which Fingal and the Sutherland chief hunted
that day is called Dirrie-leck-con. Bran suffered so severely
in the fi^rht, that he died in Glen Loth before leavinof the
forest, and was buried there. A huge cairn was heaped
over him, which still remains, and is known by the name
of Cairn-Bran.*

* Mr. Grant of Corrymony, in his work on the Gael, relates a tradition
somewhat similar to the above, and which may have been drawn from the
same sources ; but it differs from it in stating that Bran was the victor,
and in the omission of his death.

244 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

Not being in possession of any of the celebrated race of
the original Scotch greyhound, which are now, indeed, very
rare, and finding that all the dogs in the forest of AthoU
were miserably degenerate, I bred some litters from a fox-
hound and a greyhound, the foxhound being the father.
This cross answered perfectly : indeed, I was previously
advised that it would do so by Mr. John Crerer, who, after
having tried various crosses for sixty years, found this
incomparably the best. Neither of these animals themselves
would have answered ; for the greyhound cannot stand the
weather, and wants courage to that degree, that most of
them will turn from a fox when they come up to him, and
see his grin, and feel his sharp teeth ; nay, they will scarcely
go through a hedge in pursuit of a hare till after some
practice. Besides, they have no nose, and run entirely by
sight; so that when the hart dashes into a deep moss or
ravine, the chase is over, and the dog stops, and stares about
him like a born idiot as he is.

The foxhound is equally objectionable ; he has not suffi-
cient speed, gives tongue, and hunts too much by scent :
in this way he spreads alarm through the forest; and if
you turn him loose, he will amuse himself all day long, and
you will probably see him no more till he comes home at
night to his kennel.

All these objections are obviated by the cross between
the two. You get the speed of the greyhound, with just
enough of the nose of the foxhound to answer your purpose.
Courage you have in perfection, for most dogs so bred will
face anything ; neither craggy precipices, nor rapid streams,
will check their course ; they run mute, and when they are
put upon the scent of the hart, they will follow it till they
come up to him ; and, again, when he is out of view, they
will carry on the scent, recover him, and beat the best
greyhound to fits : I mean, of course, on forest ground.

The present Marquis of Breadalbane had two dogs of
this description, Percy and Douglas, which were bred by
me. As they were my very best upon scent, I gave the
late Duke of Atholl the use of them every season, to bring
cold harts '*' to bay, in which they were wonderfully success-

* A cold hart means one that has not been wounded.

FATAL RUSH OF A HART. 245

ful ; for if they were fairly laid on, no hart could escape
them. They are now nine or ten years old ; and his lordship
informs me they are still able to bring the stoutest hart in
his forest to bay, and are altogether perfect.

These dogs, in point of shape, resemble the greyhound ;
but they are larger in the bone, and shorter in the leg:
some of them, when in slow action, carry their tails over
their backs, like the pure foxhound. Their dash in making
a cast is most beautiful ; and they stand all sorts of rough
weather.

As the above is, I think, the best cross that can possibly
be obtained for the modern method of deer-stalking, so it
should be strictly adhered to : I mean that, when you wish
to add to your kennel, you must take the cross in its
originality, and not continue to breed from the produce
first obtained ; for if you do this, you will "soon see such
alarming monsters staring around you, as the warlike
Daunia never nourished in her woods and thickets, or as
cannot even be surpassed by the sculptured ones at the
villa of Prince Palagonia, near the shores of Palermo.

The late celebrated sportsman. Glengarry, crossed oc-
casionally with a bloodhound instead of a foxhound : his
famous dog Hector was probably bred in this way; and 1
believe Maida, the dog he presented to Sir Walter Scott,
had also a distant cross of the bloodhound in him. Two of
these small bloodhounds he generously gave to me, though
he was chary of the breed ; but they ran away from my
kennel, and were unfortunately lost.

A cross with the bull-dog was once tried in the forest of
Atholl, to give courage ; but the produce was slow, as might
have been expected ; and the thing was overdone, for they
all got killed by attacking the deer in front. High-couraged
dogs, indeed, of every breed, are subject to accidents : they
get wounded, and even killed, by the harts ; are maimed
for life, or meet their death by falling over precipices in
their reckless pursuit, particularly in rounding a corner.

It is very seldom that the deer themselves suffer from
precipitous falls, being well acquainted with their ground,
and studious in selecting it. Once, however, when I was
out, it happened that a hart, being wounded by me, and

246 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

chased by one of my hounds, came to a very high and steep
declivity by the river Mark, not far from Glen Tilt. Being
pressed closely by the dog, he went down it upon his hind
quarters, preserving his position in the rush in a most
wonderful manner, at a time when I expected he must
have fallen headlong, and met with inevitable and instant
death. The dog just saved himself in the scramble, and
had barely power to draw back, pausing for a moment at
the edge of the precipice, with his fore legs extended, and
horror in his looks. The hart was not dead, though terribly
mangled. I got to him with difficulty, by going some little
distance round, and swinging down from rock to rock by
means of the impending birches.

For my own sport I seldom turned my dogs loose after
cold harts, only doing so when I was endeavouring to bring
such to bay for the Duke of Atholl's sport. Thus being
put upon the scent of wounded deer only, they stuck to the
blood.

The hill-man or gillie who leads the dogs should be a
very steady clever fellow, and, moreover, a strong man ; for
the dogs are so eager and powerful, that he who has them
in the leash is frequently pulled head over heels, when he
runs down hill with them. All their tackle should be
strong, and regularly inspected every morning, lest the dogs
should break loose, disturb the cast, and ruin your sport
for the day. Guard against all carelessness of this sort.

The dogs should be led about a hundred yards behind
the deer-stalker ; and the leash-man should stop when he
stops, and stalk him as he stalks the deer. Should the
herd come in sight, he had better get them to lie down in
a hole if possible, and put his handkerchief over their eyes,
or they will be apt to struggle or whine, and do irreparable
mischief. After the shots are fired, it is the man's duty to
run up with them in the leash, some few degrees quicker
than the American vessel, which was unsuccessfully chased
by a flash of lightning. He then gives them up to the
forester, who lays one of them on, if there is occasion ; one
good dog being quite sufficient to bring a wounded hart to
bay.

It may sometimes be requisite to slip a dog immediately :

OF BLOODING DEER-HOUNDS. 247

for instance, if a hart is shot through the loins he will fall
prostrate, spring up again suddenly, and baffle a good dog
afterwards. There are certain other cases also when
despatch is necessary ; but, generally speaking, it will be
prudent to take time ; and the party had much better lie
down in the heather, and keep an eye on the wounded deer
through the telescope. If he is slightly wounded, it is of
no use to send a dog after him at all, unless he is alone ; for
he will get into the middle of the herd, and keep there with
enduring pertinacity ; and the thing will just end by your
losing him, and bringing a singularly lean hind to bay ;
throwing away, by a moderate computation, two or three
precious hours, and with them, perhaps, your remaining
chance of sport for the day : but, on the contrary, if he is
badly wounded, and you do not press him on, he will
gradually get worse and worse, and fall out from the parcel,
when you will have him safe enough. The forester should
then pass the track or taint of the herd, and either lay the
dog on the scent, or put him in sight of the quarry, and he
will soon bring it to bay, if he is worthy of his ancestors.
But I have touched upon this subject before.

Some sportsmen are accustomed to give their dogs
portions of the deer's liver when he is gralloched ; but,
after having blooded them once or twice, to enter them,
I do not think the custom should be continued, a dog's
love for sport being independent of eating ; for pointers
will hunt gallantly all day long, and they are never per-
mitted to touch their game, nor even to run after it.
Harriers, likewise, will persevere from morning till night,
and yet the hare is always preserved for the table, if
possible, — more particularly in a subscription pack.

My objection to the system lies principally in the two
following reasons : the first is, that a dog can never run
a second chase properly after having been so fed ; the
second, that when he has a deer in a wounded and dying
state, he is apt to help himself from the haunches before
you have time to come up. A lurcher once damaged my
sport in this villainous manner. I had wounded a deer
which came out unexpectedly from Glen Croinie, against
my wind, during a heavy mist. A dog was slipped and

248 DAYS OF DEER- STALKING.

laid on the scent. For a long time, we could neither hear
nor discover the bay: at length we came suddenly upon it,
if bay it might be called. The dog had taken steaks from
the living haunches, after the fashion of Abyssinia, and
was already amazingly turgid. His name was Hannibal.

" Expende Annibalem, quot libras in duce summo
Invenies."

I gave him a pretty considerable drubbing for this his
luxurious propensity ; but even under the lash, it was some-
time ere

" La bocca sollev6 dal fiero pasto
Quel peccator."

After this perpetration, I changed his name, by a very
easy transition, from Hannibal to Cannibal ; but Hannibal
or Cannibal, I never suffered him to pass the Scotch alps
with me a second time.

There is an interesting story mentioned in the notes of
the " Lay of the Last Minstrel," taken from a manuscript
" History of the Family of St. Clair," which is so apposite
to this subject, that I cannot forbear transcribing it.

It seems to prove that the chief reliance for sport was
formerly placed in the dogs, who were accustomed to pull
down and kill deer without any aid from the huntsmen ;
and that nobles, and even kings, prided themselves upon
the fleetness and courage of their hounds.

" King Robert Bruce," says Augustin Hay (canon of St.
Genevieve), " in following the chase upon the Pentland
Hills, had often started ' a white faunch deer,' which had
always escaped from his hounds ; and he asked his nobles,
who were assembled around him, whether any of them had
dogs which they thought might be more successful. No
courtier would affirm that his hounds were fleeter than
those of the king, until Sir William St. Clair of Roslin
unceremoniously said, that he would wager his head that
his two favourite dogs 'Help' and 'Hold' would kill the
deer before she could cross the march-burn. The king
instantly caught at the unwary offer, and betted the Forest
of Pentland-Moor against the life of Sir William St. Clair.
All the hounds were tied up, except a few ratches, or slow

OCCUPATION OF FOREST LODGE. 249

hounds, to put up the deer ; while Sir William St. Clair,
posting himself in the best situation for slipping his dogs,
prayed devoutly to Christ, the blessed Virgin, and St.
Katherine. The deer was shortly after roused, and the dogs
slipped, Sir William following on a gallant steed to cheer
them. The hind, however, reached the middle of the brook,
upon which the hunter threw himself from his horse in
despair. At this critical moment, however, Hold stopped
her in the brook ; and Help coming up, turned her back
and killed her on Sir William's side. The king, descend-
ing from the hill, embraced Sir William, and bestowed on
him the lands of Kirk ton, Loganhouse, Earncraig, etc., in
free forestrie."

The tomb of this Sir William St. Clair, on which he
appears sculptured in armour, with a greyhound at his feet,
is still to be seen in Roslin chapel.

CHAPTER XL

Occupation of Forest Lodge.— Autumnal blasts.— Sullen fuel.— The sport begins.— Deer
stalker distressed.— A sharp walk.— Lying in ambush.— The fatal spot reached. —
Herd in jeopardy.— Peter Fraser's humanity.— His penmanship.— The lament.—
The moors.

** Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the north,
The birthplace of valour, the country of worth :
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove.
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love."

A. Macdonald.

I HAVE elsewhere observed, that I have forborne to recount
my most successful days on the hills, as not always being
fraught with any very marked interest; I now, however,
proceed to relate the events of one auspicious day, which,
as it was my last, so it was, perhaps, my best. It will prove
that the method of stalking deer in quick time, where the
forest is sufficiently extensive to admit of such .sport, is
frequently accompanied by the most abundant results.
Three or four skilful attendants you must have for this
17

250 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

purpose : one to assist you in stalking and carrying the
spare rifles ; two more to coax the deer towards you, that is,
one on either flank, at vast distances ; and another to hold
the dogs. This is generally a sufficient force for the Forest
of Atholl ; but a fifth man would be useful in a west wind,
to leave at the mouths of the glens, and keep the deer from
going north, which they are apt to do at such a time.

The Duke of Atholl and the shooting parties had all left
Blair, and the occupation of the forest was indulgently
given to the writer of these pages, accompanied with the
most pleasant of all commissions; namely, that of an
injunction to kill as many harts as possible, and to take
possession of Forest Lodge, the best situation for sport in
the whole domain. Captain Stewart of Murthly, an active
and skilful deer-stalker, had permission to take two or
three days' diversion from his quarters at Blair ; but, as
better sport might be expected in Glen Tilt, Tortoise took
the liberty of asking him to repair to Forest Lodge, and he
came accordingly. It was arranged over-night, that the
Captain should take the cast east of Glen Croinie, which had
not been disturbed for a long time, and that his friend should
occupy the ground on the west of it.

The season for deer-shooting was now nearly terminated,
and the brightness of the autumnal days had suffered some
diminution. The sun withdraws its beams from the
secluded Glen of the Tilt early in the evening, and returns
only in partial gleams, till the day is spread in full splendour
on the summits. Thus the air there is dank and chill ; the
leaves soon fall from the old weather-beaten birches, and
here- and there they already stood amongst the grey rocks,
in all the nakedness of winter. Some, in more sheltered
spots, perhaps, retained their leaves longer, half withered as
they were, and shivering in the bitterness of the blast. The
weather was soon expected to break up, and the silence of
the great waste to be followed by the howling of the storm
and the roaring of the cataract.

It was in this dubious season that our sportsmen were
stationed in Glen Tilt: as they pass the night in the com-
fortable tent beds, the peats just expiring on the hearth-
stone, they hear, amid broken slumbers, the wind rushing

THE SPOBT BEGINS. 251

-along in fitful gusts, and the rain drops striking fiercely
against the panes of the casement ; shortly, perhaps, they
cease ; the moon flashes out for awhile, and her light strikes
clear against the furniture of the little chamber ; then the
black clouds hurry along, blot out her orb, and leave the
cottage and glen in darkness and in mystery : thus the night
wanes ; and amid these contentions of nature, the blustering
waters of the Tilt sound loud and continuous : their voice
may be somewhat smothered for the moment by the noise
of the wind ; but, in proportion as that abates, the eternal
roar of the torrent swells forth again in all its turbulence.

At length the morning began to dawn, and Tortoise went
forth, and paced about the Lodge, that he might endeavour
to satisfy himself as to the weather. The wind was still
fair; but the air was raw and wintry, and a thick vapour
rested upon the mountain ranges. Well, that might pass
away : — and now for the morning meal. Who can tell how
often the bellows was applied to the sullen fuel, and how
reluctant the peats were to confess the slightest capacity
for a flare-up ? At length, after much coaxing and perse-
verance, behold a faint ignition ; thus things began to
brighten, and breakfast was soon put upon the table, warm
and redundant. But the less we say about the viands the
better ; we are rather shy of mentioning such things in
detail. We should despair, indeed, of making ourselves
understood as to the extent to wdiich the principle of eating
may be carried on by the minions of the mountain.

We may be allowed to hint our opinion, however, that
those were rational times, when maids of honour drank
ale and ate chines of beef at sunrise, with true feminine
alacrity. Well, let this pass. Our temptations were
vehement, w^e own, but we do not say we indulged them ;
and, having before discussed this subject, it does not become
us to resume it. We are already on our shelties, replete or
empty, it matters not.

And now the ponies plant their feet heavily, and go
winding and tugging up the mountain. Captain Stewart
strikes off* with his men to the right. " Good sport to you.
Captain, and a steady hand !"

Tortoise aspires at once to reach the nearest sky-line ; the

252 DAYS OF BEER-STALKING.

bogs soon become deep, and the pony is sent back to the
regions below. Onward he strides on foot, lessening to the
sight by degrees, till he is dimly seen from the glen, and
soon entirely lost in the mountain mist. As no operations
can be carried on during such an impediment to the view,
the party sit down in a little hollow near the summits,
where a small burn creeps lazily through the mosses. But
the vapours rise speedily, and form into small clouds,,
that begin to dapple the distant mountain-peaks : onward
move the party cheerily ; the day promises fairly ; the wind
is propitious : Care sails scowling with her hollow eyes^
through the vapour, and leaves our riflemen with the com-
fortable prospect of a fair field for operations.

The sport began unexpectedly ; for a few deer, that could
not be seen during the mist, broke out suddenly from a hol-
low towards the east, at the back of the Grianan-Moir, and
raced away towards Cairn-chlamain. They were at an
awful distance ; but as the course of the leading ones was
decided, and the tail ones in the hollow were out of sight of
the rifleman, he made a dash forward, and thus gained con-
siderably upon the spot of their crossing ; so that when these
latter began to appear, he took a long shot at a hart, which
was evidently struck by the ball.

" Never heed him, Peter ; forward, forward, man."

" Why, sure, then, we mun stop and tak' tent o' the
deer?"

" No, no ; no such thing. Here, Maclaren, take Percy ;
run forward, and hold the deer at bay. Come along, Peter,
more deer will join them, and we shall have them again as
they come out of the mouth of Glen Croinie."

Away they dashed at the top of their speed, at least Tor-
toise most assuredly did so ; but as he made " gallant show
and promise of his mettle, so, like a deceitful jade, he sank
in the trial." What, dead beat ! He whom Maga in former
times, and in her flattering mood, extolled for feats on river,
mountain, lake, and moor ; he dead beat ? Alas ! yes, most
certainly, most undeniably so, and blowing like a grampus.
The way was short : but what will not pace effect ? Some
how or another, however, he held on without being much
the worse for it.

A SHABP HALT. 253

Thus he contrived to reach the mouth of the glen in
piteous plight, and something in the attitude of the Aus-
trian spread eagle, just as the tail deer were sinking the
hill down to the culreach. A shot was fired, and it was
fortunately a clean one : a fine stag fell dead on the spot.

" Now halt, my good fellows, and let us watch the deer."

They saw them pass over the hill to the west, and lost
them for some time in the glen below. At length they
<!rossed the river Mark and re-appeared, ascending the
opposite mountain just south of Cairn-cherie ; slowly did
they climb the brae, and, being completely tired, lay down
•on the moss some way up the hill.

" Very well, gentlemen, we will talk to you by and bye."

" Now, Fraser, whilst Sandy is gralloching this deer, do
you go and seek the bay of the other."

Nor was this trouble a toilsome one, for Percy held at
him in the moss under the grey stones of Cairn- Chlamain ;
and a ball was soon sent through his head.

" Now, then, take up the rifles, lose no time, and follow
me, Peter."

" Why, what can we do ? thae beasties are in sight o'
a' the glen, and we canna pass the Mark burn at ony gate."

" It will be a long round, and a toilsome one ; but you did
not get your bonny wife, you know, Peter, by means of a
faint heart. Here, Maclaren, do you remain on this brae
{they had advanced some way), and when with your glass
you see us fairly above the deer, wait for our signal ;
we will draw breath a space before we give it. But when
you do see it, put the deer over to us in your very best
style. Now, Fraser, hard work as it is, this is our only
chance ; but you are never tired, blown or daunted ; it is
no use to go back towards the east, the ground is all dis-
turbed there ; so we must take a long round by Coir-na-
minghie, and cross the low ground out of sight, where we
■can go up Cairn-cherie, and get above them, and then let
them look to themselves."

All this was done at their best pace : after a long, I will
not say a toilsome, circuit — the excitement they felt ren-
dering them insensible to fatigue, — a close approximation
to the fatal spot was gained. They had the deer below

254 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

them, that was certain ; but it was necessary to ascertain
their precise situation before they were started, and not to
lose sight of the points of their horns whilst they were
running, otherwise a complete failure might be anticipated.
For in such a case they might come out behind the sports-
man whilst he was running forward, get his wind, bolt out
of the cast, and thus be lost to him for the day ; or they
might cross the ground out of distance, or go straight for-
ward out of sight. Success, in short, in such case, would
depend upon mere accident ; so the proper tact was ob-
served ; they kept well behind them, and peeped and
crawled for some time, till they discovered a hind. She
was lying down in the moss, shaking her head and flapping
her ears, as if to keep off the flies. Every now and then
she looked up and gazed about her with expanded nostrils,
as if to search for some taint in the air. She was evidently
the leader of the parcel, and the harts were sure to wait
upon her movements.

Tortoise, Peter Eraser, and Thomas Jamieson now crept
back, and went on a little till they got to some ground,
under cover of which they were able to proceed in a more
comfortable attitude. They then got on cautiously to the
south-west, and after some curious windings, and certain
dabblings in bogs and water-courses, they laid themselves
down prostrate in the heather, through bunches of which
they had a glimpse of the cautious sentinel. Jamieson,
who prudently lagged behind, was then motioned to give
the signal, which was the exhibition of his shirt by the
unbuttoning of his waistcoat — an object discoverable by
the glass at a very considerable distance.

No sooner had the signal been observed by Maclaren,
who it will be recollected was on the opposite mountain,
than he rose up and came forward in the direction of the
herd ; as he advanced slowly, the hind stood up, and the
horns of the stags below her began to appear to the sports-
men one after the other, and presented a most tantalising
spectacle. These fine fellows were at a very considerable dis-
tance, but the rifleman completely commanded their position.

After a little shifting and advancing on the part of
Maclaren, and continued gazing and observation on the

HERD IN JEOPARDY. 255

side of the deer, the latter began to draw forward a little,
but soon halted, as if to ascertain whether a retreat was
absolutely necessary ; having at length judged it to be so,
they moved on leisurely with a few hinds in front to a
notch in the hill, where the ascent was the least fatiguing
to them ; the hinds sank into this hollow, went forward up
it, and were lost .sight of in a few moments. The rest of
the herd followed them ; the sportsmen then rose up warily,
and got forward also by a semicircular movement, running
under cover of rocks and moss-hags, w^ith sufficient rapidity
to bring them within distance as the deer crossed in front
of them.

They arrived just in the nick of time, and found them-
selves about a hundred yards from the herd as it swept by.
The bodies of the harts were a fair and inviting mark,
though their legs were hid, — the selection was promptly
made, and two first-rate stags fell dead upon the spot ; the
third ball also had evidently hit the mark. Away ran
Peter Fraser, whilst Jamieson loaded the rifles, and just
glancing at the two victims as he passed them, peeped over
the next ridge of the hill, when he suddenly tossed his arms
aloft, like Gilpin Horner, and pranced forward to a third
deer which lay dead beyond him.

It takes up a considerable time to clean three deer and
prepare them properly, so that during this operation the
herd had leisure and opportunity to get forward and select
their own ground, which they did, by going into Glen
Dirie, and moving along the steep stony tracks on the
western face of Ben-y-venie.

" Here, Sandy, another glass of Loch Rannoch, the Doch-
an-dorroch, ye ken ; off with it. So now go up Ben-y-chait,
taking care to cross the glen out of sight of the deer, and
to keep them from the west. We will go forward right up
Ben-y-venie."

Sandy Macintosh was a capital fellow of the antelope
sort, and put out his long legs nimbly, so that he was
quickly on his ground, as also was the rifleman. The deer
were soon discovered winding' amonc: the cracks below ; and
keen Sandy was so alert and judicious in his motions, that
lie kept them on that precipitous side of the mountain.

256 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

" By heavens, he has turned them up our hill again, and
they are coming up the steeps at the old place ! Forward,
forward, run low, low ; we shall have them again to a
certainty."

He did indeed have them with a witness, and came right
up with a string of them, running immediately below him
at an easy distance. Go which way they chose they could
not now escape him ; a vast hollow of the hill side lay
beneath, fully exposed to his view ; so he stood on the
commanding crags, without the slightest attempt at conceal-
ment, and fired two shots in rapid succession. One hart
fell dead on the spot, and another went away wounded.

" Murder, murder I O Lord, murder ! Haud yer han' ;
baud yer han' ; we canna tak' tent o' a' thae deer." .

And Peter Fraser held the third rifle with a firm grip,
and refused to give it up. But a sharp tug or two, and a
sudden and unexpected twist from Tortoise, soon released
it from his grasp.*

"Aweel, aweel; haud to yon muckle deer then, awa to
the wast. There, there (pointing)."

Down he dropped instantly to the rifle ; and away went
Tortoise after the wounded stag. A dog was properly
slipped, who ran a beautiful chase all down the steeps of
Ben-y-venie towards the river Mark. There the helpless
animal stood at bay, and received his death-shot. He fell
in a secluded spot, below some rocks and birch trees, where
he was gralloched and washed out; his head was turned
back on his shoulder, according to custom, and peats were
put upon it to keep his eyes from the great bird ; nor did
they neglect to tie the black flag on his horns, which, waving
in the night air, might scare away the raven, and baulk
him of his prey.

The herd passed forward, and Tortoise held his glass to
them, but discontinued the pursuit, although they were
still before him in his cast.

* The immediate attendant on the deerstalker holds the spare rifles, and
gives them one after the other to the sportsman, as he tires them in suc-
cession. The gunstocks got much battered in Tortoise's service, as he
generally flung down each rifle as soon as he had discharged it— rock or
moss, it took its chance.

THE LAMENT. 257

The events of this day may be summed up in tlie words
of Peter Fraser, which I extract from a letter written by
him, now lying before me, and which he sent to Dunkeld,
for the purpose of communicating this remarkable day's
sport.

" The deer went on to Beinn-a-Weadhounedh," and before

we was done with the aforesaid hill, Mr. S had his

da3^'s sport finished — eight fine harts. This was done early
in the afternoon ; and he wished to carry on further, but I
got him advised to go home to Forest Lodge." "f"

This was my last day in the forest of Atholl. The scene,
alas, soon changed, and mourning followed on its rear. In
the midst of joy comes sorrow — the dark, the inevitable
cloud, which had been almost imperceptibly gathering, at
length burst over us. The solemn bell of the old Cathedral
struck duly, and the sound bore the lament through the
hollow woods and glens, and fell heavily upon our hearts ;
the waters rolled on, and the pines waved their green heads,
but all was void and desolate. That intellectual light,
which shone on the vast domain, — which, acting on a Roman
scale, gave employment and a maintenance to thousands, —
which spanned the broad waters of the Tay with a magni-
ficent bridge, and spread immense forests over wastes
heretofore unproductive — which was evermore successfully
exerted for the happiness of family, friends, and dependants,
and the prosperity of the country at large — that light —
that master-mind, was suddenly withdrawn from us, and
the kindest heart that ever warmed human bosom ceased to
beat. Sorrow sat brooding in the halls of the great ; and
the rough Highlander, as he walked silently in the gloom of

* The Gaelic appellation for Ben-y-venie.
+ The Duke of Atholl was so liberal in his presents of venison, and his
hospitality so great, that no supply I was ever able to aflford him could
exceed his desires, so that he rejoiced in a day of this description, and
would listen to the details with great interest. Some apology would
otherwise be necessary for my slaughter on this and other days nearly
similar to it. The chief point consists in selecting the best harts, and
passmg^by the inferior ones. This was held to be the test of a good sports-
man. In grouse-shooting, except I was enjoined to do otherwise, I always
limited my sport to twenty brace a day, though in a good season I think
I could have killed four or five times that number ; but I| never had any
pleasure in destroying game for which there was no immediate demand.
Peter Fraser still acts as deer driver in the forest of Atholl.

258 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING,

the glen, paused, and drew his sleeve across his eyes, as he
thought on his departed chief.

The bitterness of that hour is now past, and a new dawn
breaks over the mountains. The gallant young heir returns
to his native hills and floods, radiant with youth and pro-
mise ; his people accept the omen.

Proceed noble chieftain, and fulfil your great duties like
him who is gathered to the tomb of his fathers ; and may
his mantle sit gracefully on you. May happiness and the
well-earned love of your dependants wait upon your foot-
steps ; thus the glory shall shine on your brows, and depart
not from the halls of your ancestors.

" Si qua Fata aspera rumpas,

Tu Marcellus eris ."

THE MOOES.

By the Hon. T. H. Liddell.

The moors, the moors, the bonny brown moors,
Shining and fresh with April showers !

When the wild birds sing

The return of sj)ring,

And the gorse and the broom

Shed the rich perfume

Of their golden bloom,
'Tis a joy to revisit the bonny brown moors.
Aloft in the air floats the white sea-mew.
And pipes his shrill whistle the grey curlew ;
And the peewit gambols around her nest.
And the heath-cock crows on the mountain's crest ;
And freely gushes the dark brown rill,
In cadence sweet from the lonely hill ;
Where, mingling her song with the torrent's din,
As it bubbles and foams in the rocky linn,
Twitters and j^lunges the water- crow
In the pool where the trout are springing below ;
And the lambs in the sun-shine leap and play
By their bleating dams in the grassy brae,
With a withered thorn for their trysting place.
To mark the goal where their foot-prints trace
The narrow course of their sportive race.
Oh ! know ye the region in spring more fair
Than the banks and the glens of the moorland bare ?
The moors ! the moors ! the fragrant moors !
When the heather breaks forth into purple flowers !

SUMMER— AUTUMN. 25D

"When the blazicg Sun

Through the Crab hath run,

And the Lion's wrath

Inflames his path,
What garden can vie with the glowing moors !
The hght clouds seem in mid air to rest
On the dappled mountain's misty breast, •
And hving things bask in the noon-tide ray,
That Hghts up the summer's glorious day ;
Nor a sough of wind, nor a sound is heard.
Save the faint shrill chirp of some lonely bird —
Save the raven's croak, or the buzzard's cry,
Or the wild bee's choral minstrelsy.
Or the tinkling bell of the drowsy flock,
Where they lie in the shade of the caverned rock :
But wlien the last hues of decUning day
Are melted and lost in the twilight grey,
And the stars peep forth, and the full-orbed moon
Serenely looks down from her highest noon.
And the ripj^ling water reflects her light
Where the birch and the pine-tree deepen the night :
Oh I who but must own his proud spirit subdued
By the calm of the desert solitude :
So balmy, so silent, so solemnly fair,
As if some blest spirit were riding the air,
And might commune with man on the moorland bare I

The moors ! the moors ! the joyous moors !
When Autumn displays her golden stores ;

When the morning's breath

Blows across the heath.

And the fern waves wide

On the mountain's side,

'Tis gladness to ride
At the peep of dawn o'er the dewy moors I
For the sportsmen have mounted the topmost crags,
And the fleet dogs bound o'er the mossy hags,
And the mist clears off, as the lagging sun
With his first ray gleams on the glancing gun,
And the startled grouse, and the black cock spring
At the well-known report on whirring wing.
Or wander we north, where the dun deer go
Unrestrained o'er the summits of huge Ben-y-gloe ;
And Glen Tilt, and Glen Bruar re-echo the sound
Of the hart held to bay by the deep-mouthed blood-hound,
And the eagle stoops down from Schechallien to claim.
With the fox and the raven, his share of the game.
But a cloud hath o'ershadowed the forest and waste,
And the Angel of Death on the whirlwind hath passed

260 DAYS OF DEEB-8TALKING.

And the coronacli rings on the mountains of Blair,
For the Lord of the woods and the moorlands bare.

The moors ! the moors ! the desolate moors I

When the mist thickens round, and the tempest roars !

When the monarch of storm

Rears his giant form

On some rock-built throne

That he claims for his own.
To survey the wild war on the desolate moors !
For the winds are let loose, and the sound is gone forth
To awaken the troops of the frozen north !
And the lightning, and hailstone, and hurricane fly.
At a wave of his arm, through the dark rolling sky ;
And his footsteps are trampling the fog and the cloud,
That envelop the earth in a funeral shroud ;
And the sheep and the shepherd lie buried below
The wide-spreading folds of his mantle of snow ;
And the breath of his nostrils encumbers the wood ;
And his fetters of crystal arrest the flood ;
And he binds in its fall the cataract.
And makes level the gulfs of the mountain tract ;
Till his work is complete, — and a dread repose
Broods over a boundless waste of snows ;
And the wild winds bewail in whispers drear
The decay and death of the by-gone year.

CHAPTER XII.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HIGHLAND DEERHOUND, WITH AN
ACCOUNT OF A DAY's DEER-COURSING IN THE ISLAND
OF JURA.

[Communicated by Archibald Macneill, Esq., of Colonsay.]

Dogs of Ancient Britain.— Irish Dogs sent to Rome.— Early Scottish Dogs. — Sculptured
Stones at Meigle. — The Miol-chu. — The MastifiE and Greyhound. — Recreation of
Queen Elizabeth. — Dogs of Epirus. — Irish Wolf-dog. — Proportions of a Deer-hound.
—Failure of Crosses in Breeding.— Deer Dogs of Colonsay, and Dimensions of
Buskar. — Expedition from Colonsay.— Cavern Scene.— Wild Scenery in Jura.— Stag
Discovered.— Stalking Him.— The Start and Course.— His Death.— Speed and bottom
of Deer-hounds.- Decay of the Ancient Race.

" Canis venaticus, celerrimus, audacissimusque non solum in feras sed in
hostes etiam latronesque prsesertim, si dominum ductoremve injuria oflfici
cernat, aut in eos concitetur." — Boece.

It is not a little remarkable that the species of dog, which
has been longest in use in this country for the purposes of

DOGS OF ANCIENT BEITAIN. 261

the chase, should be that which is least known to the
present generation of naturalists and sportsmen. While we
are presented with delineations and descriptions of every
race of dog, from the mastiff down to the pug, we find no
writer of the present day who speaks with any degree of
certainty as to the size, colour, or appearance of the deer-
hound, once so highly prized, and for a great period of the
history of this country, the only dog fitted for the sports of
the field. One would naturally have thought that, the
gigantic, picturesque, and graceful form of this animal (the
constant attendant of nobility), would have insured for the
present generation a faithful description of its appearance
and habits, but it is to be feared that none such has been
transmitted to us, and that to the effusions of the bards,
and traditionary tales of former days, we are chiefly indebted
for any idea of the perfection to which this breed at one
time attained in this country.

From modern writers we learn nothing further than
ihat such a race of dogs at one time existed in Ireland,
that they were of a gigantic size, and that they are now
extinct.

One great obstacle in the way of investigating the history
of this dog has arisen from the different appellations given
to it, according to the fancy of the natives in different parts
of the country, of Irish wolfdog, Irish greyhound. Highland
deerhound, and Scotch greyhound.

But for these apparently distinctive designations, sufficient
information would probably have been recorded regarding
a breed of dogs really the same, and in such general use
throughout the different parts of the kingdom.

That dogs resembling the greyhounds of the present day
were known in this country as early as the third century
we have ample proof from the writings of Roman authors,
and, in particular, from the works of Nemesianus and
Gratius. In his Cynegeticon Gratius mentions two distinct
breeds of dogs as natives of England, the one termed
Molossus, which is supposed to have been the mastiff, and
the other Yertraha, which, from the description, seems to
correspond, in many points, with the greyhounds at present
in use in this country.

262 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

Nemesianus gives the following description of these
dogs : —

" Sit cruribus altis,
Sit rigidis, multamque gerat sub pectore lato
Costarum sub fine decenter prona carinam
QusB sensim rursus sicca se colligat alvo,
Renibus ampla satis validis, deductaque coxas,
Cuique nimis molles fluitent in cursibus aures."

And again he says, —

" Divisa Britannia mittit
Veloces, nostrique orbis venatibus aptos."

From the same authorities we learn that the mastiffs of
England were highly prized by the Roman emperors, and
were used by them for the combats of the amphitheatre.

It also appears from Symmachus, that in the ourth
century a number of dogs of a great size were sent n iron
cages from Ireland to Rome, which were probably used for
the same purposes; and as the mastiff* was purely an English
dog, it is not improbable that the dogs so sent were grey-
hounds, particularly as we learn, from the authority of
Evelyn and others, that the Irish wolf dog was used for the
fights of the bear-garden.

How and when this species of dog came to be denominated
greyhound i§ a point on which naturalists are not agreed.
Some derive the appellation g7'ey from Graecus, whilst
others, as Jn. Caius, derive it from gret, or great. Without
pretending to determine this point, it may be suggested, as
not improbable, that the name is derived from the colour
(which is still the prevailing one of these dogs in the remote
districts of Scotland), particularly as we find them described
as Cu lia, or grey dog.

Whatever may have been the origin of the name, there
is little doubt as to. the antiquity of a species of dog in this
country bearing a great resemblance in many points to the
greyhound of the present day, and passing under that name,
though evidently a larger, nobler, and more courageous
animal.

Among the oldest Scotch authorities are some sculptured
.stones in the churchyard of Meigle, a village of Perthshire.
These stones represent in relief the figures of several dogs»

DOGS OF THE OLDEN TIME. 263

which bear so strong a resemblance to the Highland deer-
hound as to leave no doubt that they are intended to
represent this species. The date of this sculpture is con-
sidered by antiquaries, and in particular by Chalmers, to
have been previous to the introduction of Christianity, and
as early at least as the ninth century.

These, though probably the earliest, are by no means the
only stones on which representations are given of these
dogs. On many others of great antiquity to be met with in
different parts of the country hunting scenes are represented,
in which the same species of dogs are introduced in full
pursuit of deer.

Among the Anglo-Saxons, with whom the wild boar,
the wolf, and the hart were constant objects of sport, no
dogs were so highly prized as the original race of grey-
hounds.

When a nobleman travelled, he never went without
these dogs. The hawk he bore on his wrist, and the grey-
hounds who ran before him, were certain testimonials of
his rank ; and in the ancient pipe-rolls, payments appear to
have been often made in these valuable animals.

In the 11th. century, so greatly were greyhounds in
estimation, that by the forest laws of Canute the Great,
no person under the rank of a gentleman was allowed to
keep one.

At this period, and until after the Norman conquest, the
chase was always pursued on foot ; the Normans having
been the first to introduce the mode of following their game
on horseback.

It is obvious, from the rouorh and uncultivated state of
the country, and the nature of the game which was then
the object of the chase (viz., deer of all sorts, wolves, and
foxes), that the dogs then used would be of a larger, fiercer,
and more shaggy description than the greyhounds of the
present day, which are bred solely for speed, and have, by
modern culture and experimental crosses, been rendered, in
all probability, a swifter animal, and better suited for
€Oursing the hare in a level country.

As cultivation increased, the game for which the deer-
hound was particularly suited gradually diminished, and

264 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

the improvement in agriculture in England being more
rapid than in the sister kingdoms, the diminution of deer
and wolves was proportionally great. The deerhound, con-
sequently, in that country, degenerated from want of
attention to its peculiar characteristics, and gradually
merged into the greyhound of the present day.

In Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, red deer continued to
he the objects of the chase till a much later period than in
Enofland : and as from the ruofofed and uncultivated state
of these countries the game could only be followed on foot,
it was necessary to use that species of dog which would
unable the sportsman to view and enjoy the chase.

At an early period, the name by which these dogs were
known in these countries was the same, viz., the Celtic one
of Miol chic, which signifies a dog for the pursuit of wild
animals, though this term is now applied generally to all
dogs of the greyhound species.* The following description
of the miol-chu has been handed down for generations, and
is quite as minute, and at least as old, as the well known
one of the book of St. Alban's : —

" Sud mar thaghadh Fionn a chii
Suil mar airneag, cluas mar dliuileig,
Uchd mar ghearran, speir mar clioran,
Meadh' leathan, an cliabh leabliar,
'San t-alt cuil fad bho'n cheann ; "

which may be translated thus : —

An eye of sloe, with ear not low,
With horse's breast, with depth of chest,
With breadth of loin, and curve in groin,
And nape set far behind the head :
Such were the dogs that Fingal bred.

Gesner, in his history of quadrupeds, published in 1560,
gives drawings of three species of Scottish dogs, which, he
informs us, were furnished him by Henry St. Clair, dean of
Glasgow.

These drawings are said to represent the three different

* I am informed from Scotland, that a tradition still prevails among the
Highlanders, of a much larger species of deer than the present having
formerly existed in their hills, which they called *' miol." (qu. elk) — W.S.

BECBEATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 265

species of dogs mentioned by Boece, in his History of Scot-
land, published 1526, of which the deer-hound is one.
This drawing, though a rudely executed woodcut, is full of
character, and coincides with the descriptions which have
reached us of this dog.

Of the dog known in Ireland under the name of the
Irish greyhound, Holinshed, in his " Description of Ireland
and the Irish," written in 1586, has the following notice, —
" They are not without wolves, and greyhounds to hunt
them, bigger of bone and lim than a colt ;" and, in a frontis-
piece to Sir James Ware's "History of Ireland," an allegorical
representation is given of a passage from the venerable
Bede, in which two dogs are introduced, bearing so strong
a resemblance to that given by Gesner, as to leave no doubt
that they are the same species.

The mastiff and the greyhound both appear, from the old
Welsh laws, to have been used from a very early period by
that people, and were termed by them, the former Gellgi,
and the latter Milgi, which latter is evidently the same
word with the appellation of Miol chii, given by the High-
landers and Irish to the deer-hound.

Of the mode of huntings and usino^ these doo^s, we have
descriptions by William Barclay, as far back as 1563, by
Taylor, the water poet, and by others.

The term Irish is applied to the Highland dogs, as every
thing Celtic (not excepting the language) was designated in
England, probably in consequence of Ireland being, at that
period, better known to the English than Scotland. This
is, however, a proof of the similarity of the dogs, and also
that they were not then in use in England in the same
perfection. Nor is this supposition inconsistent with the
account given by Sir John Nicol, of Queen Elizabeth's
amusements at Cowdrey Park, in 1595, — " Then rode her
Grace to Cowdrey to dinner, and about six of the clock in
the evening, sawe sixteen bucks pulled down with grey-
hounds in a laund," — since it will be observed, from the use
of the term "bucks," that these deer were fallow; and,
probably, the course was paled in, as appears to have been
usual on such occasions, from a minute account by the
translator of the " Noble Art of Venerie and Hunting,"
published in London in 1811.
18

266 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

Of the courage of the ancient deer-hound there can be
little doubt, from the nature of the game for which he was
used, but if any proof were wanting, an incident mentioned
by Evelyn in his Diary, 1670, when present at a bull fight
in the bear garden, is conclusive. He says, " The bulls
(meaning the bull dogs) did exceeding well, but the Irish
wolf dog exceeded, which was a tall greyhound, a stately
creature indeed, who beat a cruele mastiff."

Here then is further proof that the Irish wolf dog was
a greyhound, and there can be little doubt that it is the
same dog that we find mentioned under the name of " the
Irish Greyhound."

On comparison, therefore, of the descriptions given of the
Yertraha of Nemesian, the English greyhound of the 15th
century, the Irish wolf dog, and the Highland deer-hound,
we find a strong similarity ; and when it is recollected, that
the game for which they were all used was the same, and
that the term miol chil was the one generally used for this
species of dog over a great portion of the country, we have
strong reasons to conclude that they were one and the same
kind, the more particularly as we find the Irish wolf dog
described as a greyhound, and the Highland deer-hound as
an Irish greyhound; and find that the drawings which
have reached us of the Scotch and Irish dogs, bear so strong
a resemblance to each other.

From the above authorities, it is obvious that this race
of dogs has been known in this country for many centuries,
and for a greater period of time than any other sort; indeed,
it is the opinion of most naturalists, and, among others,
BufFon, that they are an original race, and natives of Britain.
On this subject he has the following remarks : — " The Irish
greyhounds are of a' very ancient race, and still exist
(though their number is small) in their original climate :
they were called by the ancients, dogs of Epirus, and
Albanian dogs. Pliny has narrated, in the most elegant
and energetic terms, a combat between one of these dogs,
first with a lion, and then with an elephant; they are
much larger than the mastiff. In France they are so rare,
that I never saw above one of them, which appeared
when sitting to be about five feet high, and resembled
in figure the Danish dog, but greatly exceeded him in

IRISH WOLF-DOG, 267

stature. He was totally white, and of a mild and peace-
able disposition."

In corroboration of BufFon's theory, that the dogs of
Epirus and Albania are the same with the Highland deer-
hoand, it may be remarked as not a little singular, that the
dogs at present in use in the mountains of Macedonia, for
the purpose of deer-coursing, are similar in figure, colour,
disposition, and in the texture of their hair, to those used in
this country. They are only to be found in the possession
of the nobility, and are with them also exceedingly rare.*

The exact size to which the deer-hound once attained in
this country it is now difficult, from the contradictory ac-
counts that have reached us, to determine.

Buffon, as we have already seen, informs us, that the only
one he ever saw was much larger than a mastiff, and when
sittinor was about five feet hiorh.

o o

Goldsmith, in his account of the species of dog known
in Ireland in his time, under the name of " Irish wolf-dog,"
represents him as being rather kept for show than for use,
there being neither wolves nor any other formidable beast of
prey in Ireland that seem to require so powerful an antagonist.

Judorinor also from the drawincj of Lord Altamount's doofs,
given by Mr. Lambert, and from the measurements taken
by him in 1790, it is evident that these wolf-dogs, as they
are called, bore no resemblance whatever to the Irish grey-
hound, as described by Holinshed, with which also they
hunted wolves, as is apparent from their broad pendulous
ears, hanging lips, hollow backs, heavy bodies, smooth hair,
straight hocks, drooping tails, and party colour ; but were,
in all probability, a remnant of the old Irish blood-hound,
which was frequently used for tracking wolves, and which
at a later period might have been mistaken for a species
then in that country nearly, if not altogether extinct.

* My friend, Mr. Skene, is possessed of an ancient and curious map of
the world, in which the ert, or elk, is represented as characterising the
Transylvauian Forest, and near it is a representation of " Canes fortiores,"
or the great Albanian dog, which these northern tribes are reported to have
used to drag their carriages, as well as to hunt the bear, wolf, and elk.
The animal given as the elk in the map is represented with very broad
palmated horns, more like those of the moose deer, or the extinct Cervus
euryceros, whose remains are found in the bogs of Ireland and the Isle of
Man, than the true elk. This serves to connect the miol-chu of Ireland
and the Highlands still more closely with the Albanian deer-dog. — W. S.

268 DAYS OF DEER- STALKING.

To these vague accounts, however, little weight can be
attached, and the only real criterion by which we can
form a notion of the perfection to which this breed for-
merly attained, is from the small remnant that we now
possess.

In Ireland at the present day (we speak from the most
accurate information) not a vestige of this breed is to be
met with.

To England the same remarks may be applied. In Wales
some of this breed may still exist, although no evidence of
the fact has reached us. In Scotland (from a perfect know-
ledge of every specimen of the breed) we know that very
few — perhaps, not above a' dozen — pure deer-hounds are to
be met with.

It is difficult, without a great variety of measurements,
to determine the exact size of a dog, or to give an accurate
idea of its proportions ; though a good general idea may
be formed, by giving the height at the shoulder, as measured
with a slide, the girth round the chest, and the weight of
the dog, together with a few descriptive remarks regarding
him.

Applying, therefore, the above rules to such of this race
as we have seen, and allowing for the degeneracy which
must have taken place in this breed throughout the country
(arising from diminution in number, neglect in crossing,
selection, and feeding), these dogs may probably have, at a
remoter period, averaged in height thirty inches, in girth
thirty-four inches, and in weight 100 lbs.

Notwithstanding the degeneracy above alluded to, none
of the canine race present at this day such a combination
of qualities as the Highland deerhound, — speed, strength,
size, endurance, courage, perseverance, sagacity, docility,
elegance, and dignity ; all these qualities are possessed by
this dog in a very high degree, and all of them (with the
exception of the two latter) are called eminently into
exertion in pursuit of the game, for which he is so well
calculated. Every attempt to improve this race by a cross
with any other species has utterly failed. Such has been
the result of the attempts made with the bull-dog, the
blood-hound, and the Pyrenean wolf-dog ; by the cross
with the bull-dog courage was gained, but speed, strength,

DEEB DOGS OF COLONS AY. 269

weight, and that roughness which is necessary fur the
protection of the feet in a rocky mountainous country,
was lost. In the cross with the blood-hound no quality
was gained but that of smell, while the speed and size were
diminished ; and with the Pyrenean wolf-dog, though weight
was in some cases gained, yet this was of no avail, as speed
and courage were both lost.

All these crosses were found totally unfit for the purpose
of deer coursing, as was effectually proved by the late
Glengarry, who made many attempts to perpetuate this
sport. Of the cross with the blood-hound was Sir Walter
Scott's dog, bred and presented to him by Glengarry.

The finest, I believe, and apparently the purest specimens
of the deerhound now to be met with, are those in the posses-
sion of Captain M'Neill, the younger, of Colonsay, of which
he has in particular two dogs, Buskar and Bran, and two
bitches, Runa and Cavack.

These dogs, though all more or less related to each other,
vary somewhat in colour, two being of a pale yellow, and
two of a sand}^ red ; and vary also in the length and quality
of the hair.

There is one peculiarity common to all, viz., that the tips
of their ears, eyes, and muzzles, are black, and that in all
other parts they are each of one uniform colour, a never-
failing accompaniment of purity of breed.

In their running points they bear a great similarity to a
well-bred greyhound ; and, though somewhat coarser, are
supposed (from the trials which have been made) to be
quite as swift. Their principal difference in shape from
the common greyhound consists in a greater height of
shoulder, thickness of neck, size of head and muzzle, and
coarseness of bone. They are much more sagacious than
the common greyhound, and in disposition are more playful
and attached, but much bolder and fiercer when roused.

The following are the dimensions of Buskar,* taken in
August, 183G :—

* The principal dog in Mr. Edwin Landseer's beautiful vignette, opposite
to the frontispiece of this work, is taken from a sketch of this celebrated
animal, but does not, I think, give the idea of quite so much bone and
muscle as belongs to the original. — W.S.

270 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

Height at shoulder, ... 28 inches.

Girth of chest, . . . . 32 „

Weight in running condition, . . 85 lbs.

This dog is of a pale yellow, and appears to be remark-
ably pure in his breeding, not only from his shape and
colour, but from the strength and wiry elasticity of his
hair, which by Highlanders is thought to be a criterion of
breeding.

Though the dogs now described are of a yellow or reddish
colour, yet there are in the districts of Badenoch and
Lochaber, some of a dark grey, which are considered pure ;
indeed it is believed that this was at one time the prevailing
colour in the Highlands of Scotland. Besides the difference
of colour, there seems to be a decided difference in the
texture of the hair between the yellow and grey dog ; that
of the grey dog being much softer and more woolly. The
latter also seem to be less lively, and do not exhibit such a
development of muscle, particularly on the back and loins,
and have a tendency to eat hams.

There is a striking peculiarity in the deerhound, viz., the
difference in size betwixt the male and female, which is
more remarkable than in any of the other varieties of the
canine race.

The following are the dimensions of a full-grown stag
taken from actual measurement : —

Height at shoulder,

Girth at shoulder, ....
Height from top of head to the fore-foot, .
Length of antler, ....
Extreme height from the top of the antlers to

the ground, . . . . 7 10

Weight as he fell, 308 lbs.

When we consider the above measurements, it is not a
matter of surprise that few dogs, if any, should be found,
who are capable, single handed, of pulling down an animal
of such size, strength, and activity.

Deer-coursing, the noblest of all the Highland sports, has
long been a favourite amusement with the inhabitants of
the north and west of Scotland; and though fallen into
disuse of late years, it is still practised in some parts of the

Ft.

In.

3

Hi

4

n

5

G

2

6

CAVEBN SCENE. 271

country. For the following account of the mode in which
it is now practised we are indebted to one of the few sports-
men, who have had the good fortune to enjoy (of late years
at least) the pleasures of this exciting sport.

It was on the evening of the 11th of August, 1835, that
a party, consisting of six sportsmen, a boat's crew of seven
men, with piper, deer-stalker, and two deerhounds, set out
from Colonsay, and landed on a beach on the north and
precipitous coast of Captain M'Neill's property in the island
of Jura, and having clambered up a broken and rocky bank
to the foot of a precipice which overhung the sea, they
entered by a gradual slope into a spacious and picturesque
cave, the mouth of which could not be discovered from
below. Their first care was to kindle a fire, the smoke of
which rose in a straight column to the roof, and crept along
almost imperceptibly to the opening, from which it made
its escape. Preparations were then made for a repast, one
of the sailors officiating as cook. His knowledge of the
science of gastronomy was not great, but with the aid of
the King of Oude, etc., etc., he contrived to set before us a
dish which would have done honour to a greater artiste,
and to which our good appetites enabled us to do ample
justice. Our repast concluded with the never-failing
accompaniment of whiskey toddy ; after which, all were
anxious for repose, that they might be on the alert by break
of day.

By the side of the fire a couch was spread of dried ferns
and heather, such as fair Ellen provided for King James ;
but though our attendant was neither young nor of the
fair sex, we had the advantage over royalty in one respect,
being provided with a good stock of blankets, a comfort
not at all to be despised in such a situation.

At a little distance the sails were spread for the boatmen ,
and further off*, in a recess of the cave, the dogs were
fastened to a stone large enough to have secured even those
of Fingal, where a bed of dry ferns was laid for them.

The different picturesque groups, and the deep gloom of
the cavern, illuminated only by the fitful blaze of the wood
fire, presented a subject worthy the study of a Rembrandt,
while the sullen . roar of the waves as they dashed against

272 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

the rocks below, and were re-echoed in the cave, ofave a
wildness and grandeur to the scene, that was romantic and
impressive.

Having betaken ourselves to our resting place, sleep
gradually stole over the whole party, and it was only at
break of day that the lively air of "Hey Johnny Cope,"
blown from the pipes of Duncan M'Carmick, aroused us
from our slumbers.

In a moment each sprang from his couch of heather ; and
not forgetting to give instructions for the preparation of
breakfast (and in particular, that the a la blaze should be
again put in requisition), we descended to a stream, which
runs through the valley at the foot of the cave, to perform
our ablutions, and having refreshed ourselves with a dip in
the sea, returned to breakfast even at that early hour, with
no want of appetite. Our morning meal was soon over;
Buskar and Bran were got in readiness, and the whole
party issued forth full of expectation ; indeed, so eager
were the dogs, that though they had not tasted food from
the forenoon of the previous day, they would not look at
the cake which was offered them, and Buskar, when pressed,
at length took the cake in his teeth, and impatiently threw
it from him.

From the lofty situation of the mouth of the cave, the
view was most extensive and picturesque. To the right
the Atlantic rolled beneath us, from whose bosom the sun
had just emerged; before us lay a wide extended heath,
from which the mists of the morning had withdrawn,
though they still concealed from our view the picturesque
tops of the mountains by which it was bounded. A beauti-
ful valley stretched to the left, divided down the centre by
a deep ravine, through which a mountain stream flowed
and emptied itself into the sea immediately below us, while
over our heads hung a precipitous ridge of rocks. All was,
as Johnson has expressed it, " rudeness, silence, and soli-
tude." There "was no trace of the habitation of man ; not
a sound was to be heard, except the murmur of the waters,
and occasionally the wild note of some sea bird as it flitted
from rock to rock.

Before leaving our commanding situation, it was deemed

STAG DISCOVEBED. 273

prudent to scrutinise narrowly with our telescopes the
ground before us, particularly those beds of fern, so frequent
in these moors, in which the stags, having pastured all night,
generally secrete themselves on the approach of day, leaving
nothing visible but their light grey heads and horns, which,
without the aid of a glass, it is impossible to distinguish.

Havinof satisfied ourselves that there were none within
our view, the next point to be considered was the direction
of the wind, and the nature of the ground through v^hich
we were to pass.

The direction in which we should proceed being agreed
upon, Finlay (than whom a better deer-stalker never trod
the heath) set out about fifty yards in advance, provided
with a telescope ; while the rest of the party followed
slowly and silently with the dogs in slips. We had thus
proceeded up a rocky glen for some miles, gradually ascend-
ing from the sea, when the stalker descried (without the
aid of his glass) a stag about a mile off. He immediately
prostrated himself on the ground, and in a second the whole
party lay flat on the heath ; for even at that great distance
we might have been discovered by the deer. Finlay then
returned, crawling along the ground, to the spot where we
were lying, and directed us to creep back for a short
distance until we were out of sight. As yet, the rest of
the party had seen nothing of the stag, and although the
stalker pointed steadily in the direction in which he was,
not one of the party could discover him with the naked
eye ; but Buskar, who had hitherto followed quietly, now
commenced a low whining noise, and with ears erect, gazed
steadily at the spot w^here the deer was lying. On taking
the glass, we were soon satisfied of the correctness of the
stalker's vision, for we could distinctly perceive a fine stag
lying on the side of the valley to our left, quietly chewing
the cud, and looking round in all directions. We immedi-
ately retreated, and following our guide, got into the
channel of a mountain stream, which (though the stag was
in a situation that commanded the greater part of the
valley) enabled us, from its depth and windings, to approach
towards him until we should be screened by some inter-
vening rocks.

274 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING,

We then left the channel of the stream, and finding that
we could proceed no further in that direction without
being observed or scented by the deer, whose power of
smell is most acute, we turned to the left, and keeping the
lowest ground, proceeded some way up the side of the
valley on which he lay, when Finlay informed us that we
should soon be again in sight ; and that in order to keep
ourselves concealed, it was necessary to throw ourselves on
our faces, and creep through some rushes that lay before us.
This we did, following each other in a line, and closely
observing the motions of our guide, for a distance of 100
yards, until a rising ground intervening between us and the
deer, permitted us to regain an upright posture. Having
gained this point, Finlay thought it necessary to take
another view of the deer, in case he might have changed
his position, and thus, perhaps, be brought into sight of us
when we least expected it : it was proper also to ascertain
whether or not there were any deer in his neighbourhood,
who might be disturbed by our approach, and communicate
their alarm to him. For this purpose, unbonneted, his hair
having been cut close for the occasion, he slowly ascended
the rising ground betwixt us and the deer, looking at every
step to the right and to the left, and raising himself as if
by inches, with his head thrown back so as to bring his
eyes to as high a level as possible. Having, at length,
caught a view of the deer's horns, he satistied himself that
he had not moved, and having sunk down as gradually and
slowly as he rose, that he might not by any sudden move-
ment attract the attention of the deer, he returned to us,
and again led the way ; and, after performing a very
considerable circuit, moving sometimes forwards, and some-
times backwards, we at length arrived at the back of a
hillock, on the opposite side of which, he informed us in a
whisper, that the deer was lying, and that, from the spot
where we then stood, he was not distant 100 yards. Most
of the party seemed inclined to doubt this information, for
they verily believed that the deer was at least half a mile
to the right ; but Finlay's organ of locality was so visibly
and strongly developed, and his practice in deer-stalking so
great, that the doubts of the party were suppressed, if not

THE COUBSE. 275

altogether removed. Buskar, however, soon put the matter
be3^ond question, for raising his head, he bounded forwards,
and almost escaped from the person who held him. No
time was to be lost : the whole party immediately moved
forward in silent and breathless expectation, with the dogs
in front, straining in the slips ; and on our reaching the top
of the hillock, we ffot a full view of the noble stag, who,
having heard our footsteps, had sprung to his legs, and
was staring us full in the face, at the distance of about
sixty yards.

The dogs were slipped ; a general halloo burst from the
whole party, and the stag wheeling round, set off at full
speed, with Buskar and Bran straining after him.

The brown figure of the deer, with his noble antlers laid
back, contrasted with the light colour of the dogs stretching
along the dark heath, presented one of the most exciting
scenes that it is possible to imagine.

The deer's first attempt was to gain some rising ground
to the left of the spot where w^e stood, and rather behind
us ; but, being closely pursued by the dogs, he soon found
that his only safety was in speed ; and (as a deer does not
run well up hill, nor like a roe, straight down hillj, on the
dogs approaching him, he turned, and almost retraced his
footsteps, taking, however, a steeper line of descent than
the one by which he ascended. Here the chase became
most interesting ; the dogs pressed him hard, and the deer,
getting confused, found himself suddenly on the brink of a
small precipice of about fourteen feet in height, from the
bottom of which there sloped a rugged mass of stones. He
paused for a moment, as if afraid to take the leap, but the
dogs were so close that he had no alternative.

At this time the party were not above 150 yards dis-
tant, and most anxiously waited the result, fearing from
the ruggedness of the ground below that the deer would
not survive the leap. They were, however, soon relieved
from their anxiety ; for though he took the leap, he did so
more cunningly than gallantly, dropping himself in the
most singular manner, so that his hind legs first reached the
broken rocks below : nor were the dogs long in following
him ; Buskar sprang first, and, extraordinary to relate, did

276 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING.

not lose his legs; Bran followed, and, on reaching the
ground, performed a complete somerset ; he soon, however,
recovered his legs ; and the chase was continued in an
oblique direction down the side of a most rugged and rocky
brae, the deer apparently more fresh and nimble than ever,
jumping through the rocks like a goat, and the dogs well
up, though occasionally receiving the most fearful falls.

From the high position in which we were placed, the
chase was visible for nearly half-a-mile. When some rising
round intercepted our view, we made with all speed for -a
higher point, and, on reaching it, we could perceive that
the dogs, having got upon smooth ground, had gained on
the deer, who was still going at speed, and were close
up with him. Bran was then leading, and in a few seconds
was at his heels, and immediately seized his hock with such
violence of grasp, as seemed in a great measure to paralyse
the limb, for the deer's speed was immediately checked.
Buskar was not far behind, for soon afterwards passing
Bran, he seized the deer by the neck. Notwithstanding
the weight of the two dogs which were hanging to him,
having the assistance of the slope of the ground, he con-
tinued dragging them along at a most extraordinary rate
(in defiance of their utmost exertions to detain him), and
succeeded more than once in kicking Bran off. But he be-
came at length exhausted ; the dogs succeeded in pulling
him down, and, though he made several attempts to rise,
he never completely regained his legs.

On coming up, we found him perfectly dead, with the
joints of both his fore-legs dislocated at the knee, his throat
perforated, and his chest and flanks much lacerated.

As the ground was perfectly smooth for a considerable
distance round the place where he fell, and not in any de-
gree swampy, it is difficult to account for the dislocation of
his knees, unless it happened during his struggles to rise.
Buskar was perfectly exhausted, and had lain down, shak-
ing from head to foot, much like a broken-down horse ; but
on our approaching the deer, he rose, walked round him
with a determined growl, and would scarcely permit us to
approach him. He had not, however, received any cut or
injury; while Bran showed several bruises, nearly a square

BEEB PULLED DOWN. 277

inch having been taken off the front of his fore-leg, so that
the bone was visible, and a piece of burnt heather had
passed quite through his foot.

Nothing could exceed the determined courage displayed
by both dogs, particularly by Buskar, throughout the chase,
and especially in preserving his hold, though dragged by
the deer in a raost violent manner. This, however, is but
one of the many feats of this fine dog. He was pupped in
autumn, 1832, and, before he was a year old, killed a full-
grown hind single-handed.

The deer was carried to the nearest stream, which was at
at no great distance, for the purpose of being washed ;
which ceremony, being performed, we sat down to lunch in
great spirits with the result of our day's sport ; and having
concluded with a bumper to the success of our next chase,
our only remaining duty was to convey our deer to the
cave, a distance of two miles, by the nearest way through
the moor. The stag weighed upwards of seventeen stone,
but our stout Highlanders, by relieving each other alter-
nately, carried it this distance in the space of little more
than an hour. We then took boat, and in a couple of hours
were again on shore in Colonsay.

The speed of a deer may be estimated as nearly equal to
that of a hare, thous^h in coursino^ the latter, from its turn-
ings and windings, more speed is probably required than in
coursing the former ; but, on the other hand, if a dog is in
any degree blown when he reaches a deer, he cannot pre-
serve his hold, nor recover it if it is once lost; indeed,
it is only from his superior speed and bottom that a dog
can continue to preserve his hold, and thus by degrees to
exhaust the deer, till at length he is enabled to pull him
down.

This great power of endurance is only to be found in a
thorough-bred greyhound; for even though a cross-bred
dog might succeed in fastening on a deer, he seldom has
the speed or endurance necessary for preserving his hold ;
and should he receive a fall, will, in all probability, suffer
much more than a greyhound, whose elasticity of form is
better calculated to endure such shocks.

Perhaps the greatest advantage possessed by superiority

278 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING.

of speed is, that the dog runs less risk of injury ; for so
long as the deer has the power of movement, he will not
turn round, or attempt to defend himself with his horns,
but endeavours to fly from his pursuers until they have
fastened on him, and are enabled, by seizing some vital
part, to pull him down ; whereas a cross-bred dog, who has
not sufficient speed for a deer, and succeeds only in running
him down by the nose (and that after a long chase), finds
the deer at bay, with his back against some rock ; in this
situation, no dog can possibly attack a deer with the slightest
chance of success. In fact, so skilfully does he use his horns
in defence, and with such fury does he rush upon the dogs,
that none can get to close quarters with him without the
certainty of instant death. In this position, indeed, he could,
without difficulty, destroy a whole pack. When running
obliquely down a hill (which is a deer's forte), no dog can
equal him, particularly if the ground is rough and stony ;
and, in such a situation, a dog, without great roughness of
feet, is perfectly useless. It is therefore advisable not to let
loose a dog at a deer in a lofty situation, as the ground is
generall}^ most rugged near the tops of the hills, and the
dogs run a great risk of being injured. On the other hand,
in low and level grounds, a dog is an overmatch for a deer
in speed, and, as the deer generally attempts to make for
the high grounds for security, and is a bad runner up hill,
the dog has a decided advantage when slipped at a deer in
such a situation.

It must be a subject of regret to the sportsman and
naturalist that this noble race of dogs is fast dying away,
and will, in the course of a few years, inevitably become
extinct, unless some extraordinary exertions are niade on
the part of those who are still possessed of the few that
remain.

Should they once be lost, it is difficult to imagine how
any race of dogs can again be produced possessing such a
combination of qualities.

FOBESTS OP SCOTLAND.

THE SUTHERLAND FORESTS.

[Chiefly from the Communication of Mr. Taylor.]

The bounds of the Sutherland forests have been much
limited of late years, as a necessary consequence of the
improved system of sheep-farming which has universally
taken place.

Recurring to former days, the two largest and most
important of these forests were the Dirrie-Chatt and the
Dirrie-More.

The Dirrie-Chatt, or the forest of Sutherland proper,
was, according to its ancient boundaries, a very extensive,
varied, and celebrated hunting forest ; it extended parallel
with the eastern coast of Sutherland, and at a short distance
from it, and it included the interior parts of the county
towards the west and north, until it joined the Dirrie-More,
and thence passed in an easterly direction to Caithness,
along the old boundary with Strathnaver.

An elevated tract of ground from Ben-Leod, near the
confines of Assynt, runs eastward through the centre of the
county of Sutherland to Ben-Griam-Beg, and from thence
to the heights of Knockfin, at the march between Suther-
land and Caithness ; and this natural feature of the interior
of the country was, with some slight variations, the northern
boundary of the Dirrie-Chatt. This central ridge is marked
by mountains, with intervals of table land ; and the rains
that fall on these high and continuous summits, find their
way in streams or torrents in different directions to the
€ast, or to the north coasts of the county: part of these
waters form the sources of the rivers that pass into the

280 FORESTS OF SCOTLAND.

German Ocean; and the remainder, the sources of others
that enter the Ocean, along the north coast of Sutherland,
from the river Hope to the confines of Caithness.

These were considered the ancient boundaries, but others
somewhat different were adjusted, when Lord Reay was
proprietor of Edrachilles.

Ben Klibreck, which rises to an elevation of 3,200 feet,
is situated to the north of this ridge, and forms the dominant
object in the scenery. Although one of its shoulders
separates Loch Naver from the romantic and lonely waters
of Loch Veallach and Loch Corr, part of the grounds on
the east side of these two lakes, as well as the wild solitudes
between them and the mountain, were not comprehended
within the Dirrie-Chatt, because the waters of Corrie-na-
farn, and of the two lochs, all fall into the river Naver, by
the river Meallart. Ben Klibreck, and the romantic features
around it, formed of themselves a separate and celebrated
forest.

From the southern base of Ben Klibreck, above Strath
Baggestie, the boundary of the Dirrie-Chatt proceeded to a
place called Garslary, and passing close to Craigna-lochan,
kept along the eastern side of Loch Veallach and Loch
Corr, including within the Ben Ormin forest the finely
wooded side of Loch Orr, called Tugarve, one of the most
favourite harbours for deer in that romantic district,
covered, as it is, with thriving natural birch wood, for an
extent of about six miles. Corrie-na-farn, and an outskirt
of Truderscaig, originally followed the Klibreck forest,
although the Ben Ormin foresters hunted without opposi-
tion on the shores of Loch Corr.

From the north end of Loch Corr, the boundary of the
Dirrie-Chatt followed the river Meallart, which flows from
that loch ; making a sharp angle at Truderscaig, it then
proceeded to the north of the loch of that name, including
Holmaderry, the whole of which is within the Ben Ormin
forest ; from thence it went on in a direction nearly parallel
to the river Naver, as far as the Ravigil rocks. Within
these bounds is the celebrated mountain Ben Ormin, in
former times the spot selected and preserved for the
exclusive hunting of the earls of Sutherland.

FOBEST OF DIBBIE-MORE. 281

Ben Ormin is 2,500 feet high, and between its lumpish
shoulders, called Craig-More and Craig-Dhu, lies what was
formerly one of the most celebrated deer passes in the north
of Scotland. From the Ravigil rocks, the boundary passed
into Ben Maedie, including the whole of Ben-Griam-More,
and, continuing along the summit of Ben-Griam-Beg, pro-
ceeded towards the Beallach-More, leading into Caithness
at the height of Knockfin. The hilly ridge that separates
Caithness from Sutherland is strongly defined, and forms
the eastern boundary of the Dirrie-Chatt, from the heights
of Knockfin to the bold headland of the Ord.

From the head of the Ord, the southern line of march of
the Dirrie-Chatt followed the mountain belt that skirts the
low cultivated land along the coast as far as Craig-More,
near the mouth of the river Fleet ; and thence it proceeded
westward by the side of the valley of the Fleet, and along
the hilly ground north of Rhine, and of Lairg Church, as
far as Loch Shin ; passing still westward along the whole
extent of this lake to Corry-Kinloch, and thence to Ben-
Leod, where the description of the boundaries of Dirrie-
Chatt commenced.

Such w^ere the ancient boundaries of this extensive forest,
which stretched from Ben-Leod to the Ord of Caithness, a
distance of about fifty miles. Its breadth varied from ten
to thirty miles. It comprehended within its limits the
following five minor forests, which had their separate annals
and traditions : — 1. The forest of Ben-Griam; 2. the forest
of Sledale ; 3. the forest of Ben-Horn ; 4. the forest of Ben-
Ormin ; 5. the forest of Ben-Hee.

The great forest of Dirrie-More diflfers essentially in its
scener}' from all the other forests in Scotland ; less in extent
than the Dirrie-Chatt which adjoins it, all its parts are
broken and disjointed in a singularly wild and abrupt
manner; and so uniform is this character, that any one
section of the interior solitudes of the Dirrie-More would
afford a correct counterpart of all the other features of this
wilderness of mountains.

Rocky and precipitous masses, separated by ballochs or
narrow passes ; deep and desolate glens, with vast masses of
19

282 FOBESTS OF SCOTLAND.

mountain wrecks restino^ their bulk on the level ; streams
oozing through beds of moss; torrents rushing down the
steep ravines ; black lakes, highland tarns, and deep
morasses : — these are, in comprehensive terms, the charac-
teristic objects that force themselves into notice throughout
the extensive range of the Dirrie-More.

Every part of this forest is destitute of wood, except the
west side of Ben-Hope, the sides of Stack, and the shores of
Loch-More, which are partly covered with brushwood. It
was not thus, however, in former times. The boundaries of
the Dirrie-More extended from Ben-Leod to the head of
Glen-Dhu ; thence to the head of Loch-Laxford, the head of
Loch-Inchard, and by the Gualin, and the deep valley
beyond it, to the head of the bay of Durness, and then on
by the balloch leading to Loch-Eriboll.

The east side of Loch-Eriboll, with Ben-Hutig and the
Moin, as far as Strathmelness, formed part of the forest ;
and from the head of the bay of Tongue the boundary went
by Loch-Loyal, including Ben-Loyal, and then turned west-
ward to the end of Loch-Maedie ; from whence it proceeded
near the foot of the high ground to the westward, until it
reached Ben-Hee, and thence, by the march of Ben-Hee
forest, it passed by Loch-Merkland to Ben-Leod.

The extreme length of this range from north to south is
about thirty miles, and its general breadth is about twenty ;
but near both extremities it does not exceed ten miles.
Several mountains stand dominant within the above
boundaries, and give their names to three forests, which are
included within the general range, although they had
distinct divisions, and were under the charge of separate
foresters. The names of these forests are, — 1. The forest of
Ben-Hope ; 2. the forest of Fionaven ; 3. the forest of Arkle
and Stack. The altitude of these mountains, from which the
above forests derive their names, will give some idea of the
character of the country. Ben-Hope is 3,061 feet high ;
Fionaven, 3,015 ; Ben-Spionnue, in the same forest, 2,566.
The mountains of Arkle and Stack I have no measure of,
but believe they are of no great height.

There are three minor detached forests in Sutherland,

DEER DIKES. 283

which are not included in the great ones of the Dirrie-Chatt
and the Dirrie-More, — 1. The Parph ; 2.* the forest of
Klibreck ; 3. the Dirrie-Meanach.

The number of deer that wander over the vast forests of
Sutherland cannot well be ascertained. About thirty years
ago an opinion prevailed that it amounted to 3000. The
introduction of sheep farms, and other causes, have
materially lessened that number, if, indeed, it was a correct
one. So that the harts, hinds, and calves, of all ages, taken
collectively, do not probably, at present, exceed the number
of 1,500. The calculations of the foresters would lessen
that number, and the statements of the shepherds would
increase it, their respective interests being diametrically
opposite.

Hunts were occasionally upon a grand scale, in this as
well as in other forests ir^ Scotland, when the deer were
collected by scouts, and driven to certain passes. One of
these was alonoj the side of Craio^more, one of the most
prominent summits of Ben-Ormin, where there is a station
still, called " The Earl's Seat," and farther on there is
another, called " Anojus Baillie's Seat," having: been selected
by a forester of that name. There are also the remains of
several ancient hunting lodges, which were chiefly con-
structed on the islands in the freshwater lakes.

There seem to have been two modes of killing deer in
the Sutherland district, quite peculiar to the country —
one was the erection of an enclosure, called Garruna-bhui
(the deer dikes) : it was formed of two opposite rough stone
walls, about a quarter of a mile in length, and 100 yards
apart at one end, this distance being gradually contracted to
a narrow opening at the other. The deer having been
driven in at the wide end in numbers, could not get into the
moor at the narrow extremity without great delay, and
thus became an easy prey to the sportsmen. The other
method alluded to was formerly practised at two extreme
points of the Sutherland forests. A strong force of men
collected them in herds near the sea-coast, urged them
forwards, and, at length, forced them down the cliffs and
crags, and drove them into the water. Boats were concealed
amid the rocks, which were put in motion at the proper

284 FORESTS OF SCOTLAND.

time, and the deer were attacked with such weapi)ns as
were then in use, for I speak of a period previous to the
introduction of fire-arms. In this defenceless position of
the deer, the slaughter must have been considerable, as it is
probable that spearmen and bowmen occasionally leaped
from their boats into the waters ; the commotion of the
waves, the shouting, and the rude mel^e must have exhibited
a scene little inferior, in wildness of character, to the Indian
mode of hunting on the Red Lake.

Sir Robert Gordon states that this mode of hunting was
practised at the Pharo Head (the present Cape Wrath) and
adds, " There is another part in Sutherland, in the parish
of Loth, called Shletadell (Sledale), where there are red
deer ; a pleasant place for hunting with grew hounds : here
also, sometymes, they drive the deer into the South Sea,
and so do kill them." The second place thus alluded to
must have been the Ord of Caithness, as it is the only part
of Sledale forest where such singular means could be put in
execution.

Besides sports of this animating description, the chase of
the wolf was followed, in former times, with considerable
ardour. Some traditionary notices there are of the destruc-
tion of the last wolves seen in Sutherland, consisting of four
old ones and some whelps, which were killed about the
same time, at three different places, widel}^ distant from
each other, and as late as between the years of 1G90 and
1700. Indeed, some of these detested prowlers continued
to ravage the Northern Highlands, till the disappearance of
the pine forests deprived them of retreat and shelter. The
last survivors of this rabid race were destroyed at Auchmore,
in Assynt, in Halladale, and in Glen-Loth.

The death of the last wolf and her cubs, on the eastern
coast of Sutherland, was attended with remarkable circum-
stances. Some ravages had been committed among the
flocks, and the howl had been heard in the dead of night,
at a time when it was supposed the villainous race was
extinct. The inhabitants turned out in a body, and very
carefully scoured the whole country; carefully, but not
successfully, for, after a very laborious search, no wolf could
be found, and the party broke up.

THE LAST WOLF. 285

A. few days afterwards a man, by the name of Poison,
who resided at Wester Helmsdale, followed up the search,
by minutely examining the wild recesses in the neighbour-
hood of Glen-Loth, which he fancied had not been sufficiently
attended to before. He was accompanied only by two
young lads, one of them his son, and the other an active
herd boy. Poison was an old hunter, and had much experi-
ence in tracing and destroying wolves and other predatory
animals : forming his own conjectures, he proceeded at once
to the wild and rugged ground that surrounds the rocky
mountain gully which forms the channel of the burn of
Sledale. Here, after a minute investigation, he discovered
a narrow fissure in the midst of a confused mass of large
fragments of rock, which, upon examination, he had reason
to think might lead to a larger opening or cavern below,
which the wolf might use as his den. Stones were now
thrown down, and other means resorted to, to rouse any
animal that might be lurking within. Nothing formidable
appearing, the two lads contrived to squeeze themselves
through the fissure, that they might examine the interior,
whilst Poison kept guard on the outside. The boys de-
scended through the narrow passage into a small cavern,
which was evidently a wolf's den, for the ground was
covered with bones and horns of animals, feathers, and
egg-shells, and the dark space w^as somewhat enlivened
by five or six active wolf cubs. Not a little dubious
of the event, the voice of the poor boys came up hollow
and anxious from below communicatins: this intelliofence.
Poison at once desired them to do their best, and to
destroy the cubs. Soon after he heard the feeble howling
of the whelps, as they were attacked below, and saw
almost at the same time, to his great horror, a full-grown
wolf, evidently the dam, raging furiously at the cries of
her young, and now close upon the mouth of the cavern,
which she had approached unobserved among the rocky
inequalities of the place. She attempted to leap down, at
one bound, from the spot where she was first seen : in this
emergency, Poison instinctively threw himself forward on
the wolf, and succeeded in catching a firm hold of the
animal's long and bushy tail, just as the fore part of the

280 F0BEST8 OF SCOTLAND.

body was within the narrow entrance of the cavern. He
had, unluckily, placed his gun against a rock when aiding
the boys in their descent, and could not now reach it.
Without apprising the lads below of their imminent peril,
the stout hunter kept a firm grip of the wolf's tail, which
he wound round his left arm ; and although the maddened
brute scrambled, and twisted, and strove with all her miofht,
to force herself down to the rescue of her cubs, Poison was
just able, with the exertion of all his strength, to keep her
from fjoino: forward. In the midst of this sino^ular struofsrle,
which passed in silence, — for the wolf was mute, and the
hunter, either from the engrossing nature of his exertions
or from his unwillingness to alarm the boys, spake not a
word at the commencement of the conflict, — his son within
the cave, finding the light excluded from above for so long
a space, asked in Gaelic, and in an abrupt tone, " Father,
what is keeping the light from us ?" " If the root of the
tail breaks," replied he, " you will soon know that." Before
long, however, the man contrived to get hold of his hunting
knife and stabbed the wolf in the most vital parts he could
reach. The enraged animal now attempted to turn and face
her foe, but the hole was too narrow to allow of this ; and
when Poison saw his danger he squeezed her forward, keep-
ing her jammed in, whilst he repeated his stabs as rapidly
as he could, until the animal, being mortally wounded, was
easily dragged back and finished.*

These were the last wolves killed in Sutherland, and the
den was between Craig-Rhadich and Craig- Voakie, by the
narrow Glen of Loth, a place replete with oljucts connected
with traditionary legends. The conflict of Drumderg was

* Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, has a story somewhat similar to this,
which probably he got from the Sutherland drovers ; but, in his desire to
change the circumstances, and make the tale his own, he has fallen into an
error which lessens its probability. He introduces a wild boar as the
animal held back by the tail, and not a wolf, although the tail of that
animal is proverbially short, and of slender dimensions, and could hardly
be grasped firmly by the hand ; a sow or boar also invariably roars out
most lustily when seized or obstructed, and hence the person in Hogg's
cavern must have known from such sounds the cause of obstruction of the
light without further inquiry. In Poison's exploit, which was a true one,
he had the advantage of grasping the long and rough tail of the wolf ; and
he wounded an animal that dies without complaining as a sow does, and
which, according to Buff on, * ' never howls under correction like a dog, but
defends himself in silence, and dies as hard as he lived."

DEBMID AND THE WILD BOAB. , 287

fought in it. Cairn-Bran stands there, the place where
Fingal's dog, Bran, was buried, and the holy waters of
Tober Massan rise from its mosses, which are supposed to
have cured many diseases. The upright stones of Carriken-
Chlig^h also stand there, which, as the name denotes, mark
the graves of orreat men. Nor must we neo-lect to mention
that stone, of man}^ tons weight, called Clach-macmeas,
hurled to this spot from a distance of some miles by a young
plant of the tender a^je of two months.

It is well known to all who are aware of the Macpherson
controversy, that poetical notices of Fingal and his warriors
have descended by oral tradition, from an unknown age to
the present generation, amongst persons unable to read or
write, and that such traditions are scattered over the whole
extent of the Highlands. They are recollected only in
fragments, and, even in this broken condition, are known
only to a few of the oldest inhabitants, who imbibed them
in their infancy.

Dermid, says one of these traditions, was beloved by the
wife of one of his friends, but he honourably repelled her
advances. Whilst travelling with Fingal's party through
the forest of Ben-hope, she accidentally splashed herself
with some muddy water ; and being piqued at the slight
she had met with, " Behold," said she, " the foul water of
the bog has more spirit than Dermid." This taunt rankled
in his bosom, and made him reckless of danger.

The party soon afterwards roused a wild boar, who was
of such large dimensions, and of so fierce an aspect, that
none of them dared to encounter him singly. Dermid
rushed alone upon the furious brute, and, with the assist-
ance of his dogs, transfixed him with his spear. " Loud
roared the boar in the midst of his rocks and woods," but
Dermid alone had the fame of his slaughter.

In those days it was a test of innocence, if a person sus-
pected of crime, measured with his bare legs and feet, and
with impunity, the bristled back of a dead boar, proceeding
from the tail to the head, against the sharp points of the
bristles. To this ordeal Dermid cheerfully agreed to sub-
mit, to satisfy his friends that he had never injured any of
them. But some invidious person dexterously sprinkled

288 FOBESTS OF SCOTLAND.

poison over the bristles, and these having punctured Der-
mid's skin, whilst measuring the length of the boar, the
poison took effect and caused his instant death.

Grana, another female devoted to Dermid, was present,
and, in her grief and despair, resolved not to survive her
lover ; and throwing herself on the point of his sword fell
lifeless on his body.

The boar was hurled down the side of Ben-Loyal, and
buried close to a mountain stream that runs between two
of the scors or pinnacles of Ben-Loyal, still called Ault-
Torc (the Burn of the Boar) ; and the hapless Dermid and
his devoted Grana were buried in one grave, and under some
trees that grew near the spot. There lies the grey cairn at
this present day, still held in reverence by the natives : one
person alone ventured to despoil the trees, but misery and
misfortune befel him and his family."'

Angus Baillie, of Uppat, was one of the most noted
foresters in Sutherland, of whom we have any correct
account : he signalised himself in many of the conflicts
which were of common occurrence in former times, and
particularly in a rocky pass, on the banks of the Black-
water, where he and two of his companions defeated a
whole host of Caithness freebooters, with the gun, called
Glasnabhean, at that time a novel and dreaded engine of
destruction. Baillie was likewise renowned for his dexterity
as a bowman and deer-stalker, and thus excited the jealousy
of one of the midland foresters who went down to Suther-
land to compete with him.

This stranger, being recommended to Baillie's superiors,
talked boastingly of his pre-eminence over the Sutherland
foresters, either at open feats, or in executing cunning
devices for overcoming an opponent. Nay, he said he could
kill more deer than Baillie on his own ground, and finished
his rhodomontade by saying to his face, " You can no more
be compared to me, as a forester, than your old shaggy gar-
ron can, as an animal, be compared to the finest antlered
stasf on the hills."

* Another version of the Bas Dhiarmid, or the Death of Dermid, has
been given by Mr. Grant.

THE HUMBLE GARRON. 289

A day was fixed for their competition, and Baillie accom-
panied the stranger to Ben-Ormin.

He thought himself a stronger man than his blustering
visitor, and was determined to vindicate his slighted prowess
by making the challenger appear as ridiculous as his boast-
ing had been offensive : little recked he of the consequences.

Now this, our Sutherland man, had no aversion to any
awkward trick or gambol, by means of which he could
distress his opponent. He was, moreover, learned in tradi-
tions, and had heard in what manner a Danish giant was
said to have been captured by a man of diminutive size ;
he, therefore, privately directed one of his men to kill a
deer, and to spread the fresh skin of the animal immediately
within his bothy, with the inner side uppermost: when
Baillie and his challenger arrived at the door, the latter was
desired to enter first with many terms of courtesy, and as
soon as he stepped upon the slippery surface of the fresh
hide, his heels tripped up, and down he came upon his back.
Whether or not Angus lent him a helping hand in his tum-
bling propensity, tradition does not say ; but I should rather
think he did, for the fall was so heavy, that before he could
recover himself, the said Angus Baillie, of IJppat, rolled the
skin round him, and bound him in it with some cords he
had provided for the purpose. He was sufficiently kind and
considerate to leave his head free and exposed, nothing
more; and thus Master Bobadil, or Bodomonte if you please,
exhibited a pretty fair specimen of an Egyptian mummy,
or an Italian bambino.

In what manner the man in durance delivered his senti-
ments on this touching occasion, tradition does not inform
us. But, as he could not walk in this plight, Baillie, with
mock humanity, carried him to Dunrobin Castle on his
shoulders, where he had previously been taunting and boast-
ing ; nay, more, when he approached that fair pile, he was
complaisant enough to give him his full honours, by tying
a large branching pair of antlers to his shaggy head. The
stout porter, having then obtained an interview with his
superior, exclaimed, with mock solemnity : —

" A wise man is known by the truth of his prophecy, and
here I, the humble garron, am carrying home the horned

290 FOBESTS OF SCOTLAND.

stag that wandered into strange ground." The stranger
was liberated by the gentlemen present, and very prudently
marched home with the least possible delay.

Hunting parties in the Sutherland forest were formerly
upon an extended scale ; there may still be seen the ruins
of two very large hunting lodges, of the description which
Pennant mentions, in the Strath of Helmsdale, the stones
of which now form huge cairns : one of these, near Cayn,
appears to have been 108 feet long and 26 feet broad ; and
the other, which is at Saliscraggy, measures 174 feet in
length and 26 in breadth, and is situated on a very pleasant
bank of the river Helmsdale, near the old Strath road.

But I have lingered a long while in this romantic country ;
more, much more could I add did my limits allow of it, for
the assistance which has been so obligingly conferred upon
me, and which I have acknowledged in the preface to these
pages, has been most able and ample ; but I must now con-
clude, adding only in the words of Sir Robert Gordon, " The
bodies and mynds of the people of this province (Suther-
land) are indued with extraordinarie abilities of nature;
they are great hunters and do delyte much in that exercise,
which makes them hardened to endure travell and labour."

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE FORESTS AND
DEER-HAUNTS IN ROSS-SHIRE.

The extensive estate of Lord Lovat, which ranges west-
wards from his residence of Beaufort Castle, near Beauly,
forms the northern boundary of Inverness-shire, for a long
distance dividing it from the county of Ross, and having
long been the abode of deer, the appropriation of a large
space to their exclusive possession has established a good
forest; which the judicious care of the noble proprietor,
himself a first-rate shot, and good stalker, will continue to
improve. With the boundaries of the Chisholm country I
am not acquainted.

The wild country of Strath-Conan, on which we enter to
the north, is the commencement of the county of Ross,

GAIRLOCH. 291

through the whole of the highland parts of which, with
little exception, as well as through the adjoining wilds of
Sutherland, it would be difficult to find any district not more
or less tenanted by, the red deer.

The division of Strath-Conan was long held in unenviable
notoriety, as the main stronghold of the illicit distiller in
the north of Scotland, a celebrity which it has only lost in
recent years. The memory of this may possibly ere long
have passed away, but the deer-stalker, who is made aware
that the scene of Mr. James Baillie Fraser's tale of the
"Highland Smugglers" is laid in the Lovat forest, and
adjacent recesses of Strath-Conan, will hardly forget it. To
the lovers of romantic fictions, connected with scenes of
Nature, and to all those whose spirit is excited by the deep
interest which patriotism and tradition have thrown around
the "land of the mountain and the flood," these volumes
will possess undying charms.

To the west of Strath-Conan lie the two great districts of
Applecross* and Gairloch, containing a vast extent of the
most rugged mountain scenery. A great part of it is, of
course, utterly unimprovable, and, indeed, inaccessible, —
thus afl^ording to the deer a secure retreat ; while the fine
valleys of the west, which lie between the hills, oflfer
abundant pasture. In this part of Ross-shire the deer are
abundant, and the thorough knowledge of the sport and
unerring rifles of Sir Francis Mackenzie, of Gairloch, and
his brothers, have brought in many a noble stag to Flower-
dale, the picturesque residence of his family. The singular
beauty of this place, which is a small glen, or opening, among
the wildest hills, crowded with trees and shrubs of the
richest foliage, and decked on one side by the silvery sand
and bright waters of the north-west coast, make it, includ-
ing, as it does, the magnificent Loch-Maree in its neighbour-
hood, an object well worthy of the traveller's toil.

Deer-stalking is here, however, a truly laborious sport,
and requires more than ordinary skill and perseverance.
One of the luckiest shots which the writer remembers, was
made here, in 1832, by the Honourable Edwin Lascelles,

*A separate description of Api)lecross will be given in the following
pages.

292 FORESTS OF SCOTLAND.

who brought down a stag, in full trot, at 812 yards, being
his first essay in the sport.

We next cross the long valley which extends from
Dingwall, at the head of the Firth of Cromarty, by Achna-
sheen and Loch-Maree, to the west coast, and enter upon
the heart of Ross-shire, no part of which is without deer,
nor likely to be so, while the old Balnagown, or Freevater
forest, which forms its centre, exists. Groinyard has its
deer, so has Achnasheen, and the hills near Loch-Luichart ;
and the comparatively small forest of Fannich, lately a part
of the Cromarty estate, is perhaps as sure a place for the
sport, if kept clear of sheep, as any in Scotland. Coul,*
the residence of Sir George Mackenzie, Bart., and Brahan
Castle, the residence of the family of Seaforth, both wdthin
seven miles of Dingwall, are seldom without deer in their
woods, and these noble denizens of the forest may frequently
form part of a day's sport, at either of these places, with
pheasants, partridges, etc., and all the variety of low country
shooting. It is almost needless to add, that driving is the
mode in practice here, — the thick cover precluding stalking,
except in rare instances.

Crossing all these large rans^es of hills we enter the
Balnagown forest, or Freevater, i.e., the forest of Walter,
one of the chiefs of that ancient house.

The mountains in this district are very lofty, and abound
on their summits with those broken mossy tracts, where the
experienced deer-stalker looks with increasing expectation
for his game. It is much to be regretted that hardly any
part of this fine forest is kept properly clear of sheep ;
thouoch this is doubtless one cause of the increasinoj numbers
of the deer in neighbouring places.

They are accordingly found in Loch-Broom, on the estates
of Castle-Leod, Sir Hugh Munro of Foulis, Munro of Novar,
and Davidson of Tulloch, in sufficient numbers to make the
pursuit of them a constant sport.

The estate of Foulis, comprising the greater part of the
lofty range of Ben-Weavis, should perhaps be more specially

*A separate notice of the beautiful possessions of Coul will follow this
general account of the deer-haunts in Ross-shire.

SHORT ACCOUNT OF COUL. 293

mentioned, as capable of being made, by the exclusion of
sheep, a sure resort for red deer.

From the Freevater forest, the deer have lonf]j since
stragofled into the larofe fir woods in Easter Ross, which are
in the neigrhbourhood of Balnaorown Castle, and Calrossie,
and though they may wander, in many instances, between
these woods and their original forest, they have now com-
pletely established themselves there, dwelling and feeding
amid much interruption from the proximity of population,
for which, however, experience has shown that the red deer,
in the shelter of his woods, care but little.

To the west of the Freevater forest there remains of Ross,
or rather of Cromartyshire, the wild district of Coigach, a
part of the Cromarty estate, and the property of the Honour-
able Mrs. Hay Mackenzie ; and the deer-stalker, who loves
the sport in perfection, will be glad to learn that the son of
this lady has devoted a considerable part of Coigach as a
forest for the deer ; intending to build a lodge there, at
Rhidorach, a situation of much natural beauty.

The isles of Lewis and Harris contain a large number of
deer ; and in the former. Sir Frederick Johnstone, Bart.,
who rents the game, has, together with his friends, done
great execution ; but these deer, I am told, are inferior in
size, existing, as they do, in an ungenial and unproductive
country, though the climate is fitter perhaps for raising their
food than that of man.

A SHORT ACCOUNT OF COUL.

[Obligingly Communicated by Sir George Stuart Mackenzie, Bart.,
the Proprietor.}

There are few country residences so favourably situated
for sport as Coul. Between breakfast and dinner time you
may have amusement with every kind of game, except
ptarmigan, which are too remote. I have mj^self, says the
proprietor, brought in a couple of salmon, and a stag has
been shot, both within an hour after leaving the house.
The increase in the numbers of red and roe deer has been

294 F0BEST8 OF SCOTLAND.

remarkable. Twenty years ago, it was a rare thing to meet
with either. It was supposed that the introduction of sheep
had driven them away; but though this may have been
one great cause, it was neither the sheep nor the shepherds,
nor their dogs, that occasioned the extreme scarcity, but the
great extent to which poaching was carried — every High-
lander having formerly been in possession of a gun of some
sort or another. At the residence of Coul there are still
preserved some pieces of strange and uncouth appearance,
which have at various times been employed on this service.
Many of them have Spanish barrels, perhaps relics of the
Armada ; some are of French construction ; and many a
gun that had made a noise during the civil wars and rebel-
lions was turned against the stately rangers of the moun-
tains. Nay, in modern times, muskets that had graced the
shoulders of volunteers of our own day, by some means or
another, had escaped being restored to the armoury of the
Tower of London, and remained for eifficient ball-practice,
as well as for sending showers of small shot amongst
grouse and black game. In proportion to the increase of
sheep-farming, the numbers of Highland sportsmen were
diminished ; and to this I attribute the recent very rapid
increase of the deer. The attention of English sportsmen
was called to them, and the protection since given, has, in
some districts, rendered them a nuisance to the farmers.

There are several districts in Ross-shire where deer are
stalked ; but at Coul they carry on the war by what is
called a " tinckel," which, in practice, signifies a drive
towards particular spots, or passes. The scenery is very
beautiful, and to some points where the guns are usually
stationed, the access is so easy that ladies may witness the
sport. It is a very fine sight, says Sir George, to see a herd
emerge from one part of the wood and scour the open space;
sometimes occupying a knoll and reconnoitering, and then
dividing into parties, and making for other shelter. Their
movements are so exciting, that killing the creatures is not
always thought of; and the sportsmen sometimes become
so nervous, that they mistake distance, and either miss a
near shot, or do not fire at all. Again, a deer has been
known to run a-muck along some hundred yards of an

APPLECR088. 29."

opeiiing in the wood, and to receive five balls before he fell.
Thus many are lost, which retire to thickets when wounded,
where they die.

The hill of Tor-Achilty, close to the beautiful residence
of Coul, abounds with deer. It is finely varied, and there
is a small lonely lake at its foot ; the hills around are
covered with birch and oak trees for miles, and deer are
found on all of them. Two rivers meet at the base of the
hills, and the herds are thus in a manner confined, so that
their haunts and ways are perfectly known. Occasionally,
though the passes be well watched, not a shot will be fired ;
and, at other times, much powder and ball is expended in
vain. Yet there is always some consolation — the deer were
seen, — had a slight change of position been made, a shot
would have been got — and so forth.

Fallow deer are in a wild state in the vicinity of the
mansion, and they are sometimes seen in the most dis-
tant woods. A good many years ago part of the fence of
Lord Seaforth's deer-park gave way, and all his lordship's
deer escaped to the woods. They are not, however, dis-
persed to any great distance.

FOREST OF APPLECROSS.

The forest of Applecross lies in Ross-shire, and is compre-
hended in a circuit of great extent ; its boundaries may be
traced passing from the north to the east, and so on to the
south and south-west, from Inverbain round by Loch
Loundy, Beinn Vaan, Cairn-Derg, Coir-nan- a-rog, Coir-
na-ba. Coir Scammadale to Solchmore, or Red River, a dis-
tance of fifty miles ; then again completing the circle, by
proceeding from the south-west towards the north and east,
and passing from Red River, Beinn-horornaid (or Fairy
Bridge), Avy Broch Coir, Bhuochroch, Garry Vaul, Coir
Glass, Craikvein, to Loch Gannich, a further distance of
forty miles.

The Sanctuary, Coir-Attadale, from north-west to south-
€ast, is six miles long, and there are various warm and
fertile corries in all directions, which the deer delio^ht in.

29G FOBESTS OF SCOTLAND.

Ault-More, or the Big Burn, is picturesquely wooded; and, as
well as Ault-Beg, or the Little Burn, is a favourite retreat
of the denizens of the forest. The mosses are everywhere
remarkably fertile, and contain innumerable lochs ; even
the highest hills afford good pasture, and are scattered over
with the sea-daisy and other plants. The corries and burn
sides are still more rich and verdant.

The numerous lochs in this forest are not only oramental,
but valuable for their produce. Loch Coir-Attadale, which
empties itself by means of the excellent fishing river
of Applecross, is stocked both with loch and sea-trout.
Loch Gannich, Loch Na-creig, and Loch Na-long, are like-
wise amply furnished with the same delicacies, and many
of the smaller lakes derive their names from the size and
quality of the fish which they contain. The hills in this
fine district are strikingly picturesque, and nothing can
surpass the beauty of the strath of Applecross.

The deer forest was established about seventy years ago ;
the quantity of deer it contains at present cannot well be
ascertained, but it has been represented to me as very great.
They are scattered over their favourite hill sides in such
numbers, that when put in motion, and scampering away,
they give a character and animation to the scenery quite
in keeping with the magnitude of the objects around them.

The anecdotes, which have been obligingly sent me
relating to the sports in this forest, are such only as
are of usual occurrence. They use the rough stag-hound, or
lurcher of the country for wounded deer.

I have received no general account of the weight of these
deer ; but, judging from the size of others on the western
coast, I am inclined to estimate it at a high rate, particularly
as it is recorded that Thomas, the first laird of Applecross
of that name, killed two stags a few years before his death,
that had been destroying the corn a short distance from
the mansion-house, whose weight was sixty pounds the
quarter.

MODE OF KILLING BEEB. 297

THE FOREST OF GLENGARRY.

The Glengarry forest is situated in Inverness-shire, and is
about seven miles long from east to v^^est. On the north it
is bounded by Glen Loing, and on the south by the ridges
of the hill.* Part of the ground consists of good pasture,
with rich meadow land on the banks of the river ; on the
northern part there is long heather and reed, and near the
top of the ridges, much sweet grass, of which the deer are
particularly fond. The whole of this extent has been
preserved from sheep for about forty-six years, and is still
retained as a forest, generally known by the name of
" Eisnich." Stags, however, are not found in it in great
numbers, except in the rutting season. The late Glengarry
preserved the greater part of this ground as a " Sanctuary,"
never permitting any one to hunt in it, even in pursuit of
a wounded deer; thus, when the game was disturbed on
the neighbouring hills, they made towards this spot as their
refuge. The pasture being good, the climate comparatively
mild, and the snow never lying long on the ground, are
circumstances so favourable, that the deer attain to a large
size. The late Glengarry killed a hart, which weighed
twenty-six stone, and the present proprietor, another of the
weight of twenty-four stone five pounds, both weighed
after the gralloch had been taken out. The latter deer had
previously been wounded in the shoulder by the same
gentleman about ten days before the last decisive shot, by
which occurrence he was somewhat wasted.

The mode of killing deer at present practised in this
forest is such as would naturally be used in any other
ground of a similar nature. They are stalked on the hills,
and in the lower ground the woods are driven, whilst the
passes are occupied by the rifle-men. Formerly there were
grand hunts, when the herd was driven into lake Dulachan
by a strong cordon of men, and the slaughter took place in
its waters.

The late Glengarry, amongst other things, was celebrated

* By the hill, I believe, is meant the general mountain range which rises
from the Strath.

20

298 F0BE8TS OF SCOTLAND.

for the excellence of his deer-hounds : who, indeed, has not
heard of the remarkable feats of Hector ? He tried various
crosses, particularly with a small blood-hound ; and their
capacity of following a cold scent is said to have been so
wonderful, that one of them actually pursued a wounded
deer for the space of three days, the hunters at nightfall
stopping at the last distinct impression of the deer's hoof,
and covering it with stones ; when the stones were removed
at daylight, the hound was put upon the scent, and went
forward as keenly as ever/"

Many of Glengarry's dogs met the fate common to all
high-couraged ones, and were occasionally wounded by the
antlers of the stag at bay, or fell over precipices in turning
a sharp corner during the heat of the chase.

With what romantic ardour the late Glengarry followed
up the exciting amusement of deer-stalking, is well known
throughout Scotland. He would go forth in his kilt, and
remain on the hills for a week together, sleeping in the
open air. When the stag was at bay, he would sometimes
have a close engagement with him, using his gun-stock, or
skene-dhu, and, though often in peril, was ever successful.
Stout-hearted and enthusiastic as he was, nothing could
obstruct his course : when his dogs once held a stag at bay
in an island in Loch Garry, no boat being at hand, he placed
a knife in his handkerchief, which he bound round his head,
swam lustily through the waters, and completed his victory.
This was wild sport, indeed ; but he had an adventurous
and a gallant spirit, and was a true son of the mountains.

THE DUKE OF GORDON'S DEER FORESTS.

At page 100 will be found an account of the former posses-
sions of the Earls of Huntly. As some changes of conse-
quence have taken place in latter times, perhaps it may be
as well to note the more modern measurement and divisions

* It must be borne iii mind that a wounded deer would not hurry on
unless closely pressed, so that the scent was not so stale as it would appear
from this account.

DR UMA UCHTAR. 299

■of this wild tract, precisely as I have received them from
another quarter : should there be any discrepancy between
the two accounts, the changes above mentioned, and the
difference between computed and actual measure, will easily
-account for it.

GLENFESHIE,

in the parish of Kingussie and county of Inverness, is
bounded on the south and south-east by the forests of Marr
and Atholl ; on the west, by the forest of Gaick ; and on the
south by the estate of Invereshie ; by survey in 1770, it
<iontained 13,706 Scots acres. It was let in 1752 to Mr.
Macpherson of Invereshie, and continued to be rented by
that family until 1812, when it was purchased from the
Duke of Gordon by Mr. Macpherson of Invereshie and
Ballindalloch. It has been pastured by cattle and sheep
since 1752.

GAICK,

in the parish of Kingussie and county of Inverness, is
bounded on the south and west by the forest of Atholl, on
the east by the forest of Feiaar, and the estate of Invereshie,
^nd on the north by the lands of Invertruim, Ruthven,
!Noid, Phoness, and Glentruim. It contains three lakes
stocked with char and large trout, and salmon are occasion-
ally found in them, ascending by the water of Iromie from
the Spey. By survey in 1770, it contained 10,777 acres.
It was let in 1782 as a sheep-walk to Robert Stewart of
Garth for nineteen years. In 1804« it was let to Colonel
Gordon of Invertruim, who occupied it as a grazing till
1814, when the Marquis of Huntly got it from his father as
a deer forest. In 1830 it w^as purchased by Mr. Macpherson.
Grant, of Ballindalloch, from the Gordon trustees, and it is
now let to Sir Joseph Radcliffe, Bart., who strictly preserves
it as a deer forest, and has an excellent shooting lodge near
the centre of the ranore.

DRUMAUCHTAR,

in the parisli of Kingussie and county of Inverness, is
bounded on the south by the west forest of Atholl, on the
west by the Duke of Atholl's and Sir Neill Menzies's pro-
perties, and on the north and east b}^ the lands of Glentruim.

300 FOBESTS OF SCOTLAND.

and Cluny. By survey in 1770, it contained 5,782 Scots
acres, exclusive of Beinalder, which forms a part of it, and
contains 14,927 acres. It was let for pasture to Lachlan
Macpherson in 1773. In 1829 it was purchased from the
Gordon trustees, along with the lands of Glentruim, by
Major Ewen Macpherson, of the H. E. I. S., and is occupied
as a sheep-walk and grouse shooting range. Beinalder is
now the property of Ewen Macpherson, Esq. of Cluny, and
has recently been let to the Marquis of Abercorn as a deer
forest.

GLENMORE,

in the parish of Kincardine and county of Inverness, con-
taining 10,173 acres, was formerly a great pine forest. It
is bounded on the south by the forests of Glenavon and
Marr. It is used now for pasturage. Cairngorm forms part
of this forest.

GLENAVON,

in the parish of Kirkmichael, county of Banff, contains
22,086 Scots acres. Since 1773 it has been occupied as a
irrazinof, but it is said that the Duke of Richmond con-
templates restoring it to a deer forest. It adjoins the forest
of Marr.

GLENBUILY,

adjoining Glenavon, 3,396 acres.

GLENFIDDICH,

parish of Mortlach, county of Banft', 5,522 acres, is possessed
by the Duke of Richmond as a deer forest, and has always
been retained as such by the Gordon family.

Of all these ancient forests, the last and Gaick are the only
ones now strictly preserved for deer ; the others are pastured
by black cattle, or sheep, and are therefore only partially
stocked with the nobler animals. •

THE FOREST OF IN7ERCAULD.

The Invercauld forest is situated in the parish of Braemar,.
and county of Aberdeen. Lord Byron's famed Loch-na-

INVERCAULD. 301

'Garbh''' is on the extreme east point, and Bein-a-bour, and
Bein-avon ojuards it on the west and north. The river Dee
•divides it, flowing from west to east, and its numerous small
tributaries afford abundance of the finest water for the
animals grazing within the range. The house of Inver-
cauld is nearly in the centre of the sport, and may be said
to be surroundod by the forest ; as through the spring and
winter months the deer may daily be seen browsing about
almost within gun-shot of it, and the destruction they do to
the numerous plantations shows they are at no great
•distance during the rest of the year. With a glass they
can be viewed at any time from the windows on the hills
around. The extreme length of this forest from east to
west is eighteen miles ; the breadth varies from two to five ;
it is equal to thirty-four square miles ; the circumference is
forty-two miles, and it contains 22,186 acres. Within this
extent you find every description of ground, from the bold
rocky mountains of 4000 feet in height (on which have
been found many stones of the topaz and beryl kind), to
the table land of the district 1,100 feet above the level of
the sea. The pasture varies from the finest natural grasses
to the lichen and pure white or grey fog on the summit of
the hills ; but the heather and ling predominate, and these
latter are from time to time renewed by burning. With
abundant shelter from the woods and plantations, and such
-excellent pasture, no situation can be more favourable for
the protection of deer. The junction with the Marr Lodge
forest on the west increases greatly the value of both ; that
again joining with the Atholl forest, which latter is con-
tiguous to Gawick, forms altogether a greater extent of
connected surface, kept expressly for deer, than is to be
found elsewhere in Britain. A glen, joining the Invercauld
forest on the east of Loch-na-Garbh, called Glen Gelder, has
lately been reserved for deer by Sir Robert Gordon, which,
from the increased extent of ground, and protection it
affords them, must prove an advantage to both parties.

* The height of Loch-na-Garbh, according to the proprietor, is 3,824
feet ; that of Beinn-a-bourd 4,039. Beinn-avon has .S,967 ; and Beinn-a-
muich-dui, also in the forest, is represented by him as the highest mountain
in Scotland, being 20 feet higher than Ben-Nevis. The wild character of
the country may be easily divined from these majestic features.

302 FORESTS OF SCOTLAND.

There is no tradition how lonor this rano^e has been under
deer; it has always been considered part of the Royal
Forest of the old Scottish kings '% and there are still the
remains of Kindroghit Castle on the Invercauld property,
vised by Malcolm Canmore as a hunting seat, of which
mention is made in the notes to Sir Walter Scott's
" Marmion." It does not exceed twenty years since the
sheep and other animals were finally cleared off the hills to
the west, where it joins the Marr Lodge forest. About
4,200 acres are in wood, the greater part of which, on the
east side, called the Ballochbui, consists of indigenous pine,
many centuries old, and of great size. There are several
hundred hinds which never leave these woods or their
vicinity ; but it is difficult to estimate the number of deer
belonging to Invercauld, as it is constantly fluctuating with
a change of wind. In summer, the prevailing west wind
frequently takes the greater part of the stags to the Man-
Lodge forest ; but when the wind returns to the east, or in
bad weather, hundreds of stags and hinds immediately
come back ; and in winter and spring the woods are always
full of them. The roe deer at all times abound in these
woods. There are no lochs worthy of note in the forest, but
there are several in the adjoining grouse ground belonging
to Invercauld, the greater part of which is let in different
shooting quarters, and all under sheep : when the latter are
removed from the hills to winter pastures, the deer, parti-
cularly the stags, frequent great part of it until the sheep
return in summer. It extends to 112,760 acres, surrounding
the forest on the north and south, which, when added to it,
makes a total of 134,946 acres, equal to 210 square miles.

* There is a letter under the privy seal of James VI., appointing Donald
Farquharson of Braemar, keeper of the King's forests of Braemar, Cromar,
and Strath-dee, dated 1584, "with power to him, his deputis, and
servandis, for quhome he sal be holdin to answer to cause hayne the said
wodis, forestis, and mureis ; and to serche, seik, tak, and apprehend all
and quholsumevir personis bantand, or repairand tharin with bowis,
culveringis, nettis, or any uther instrument meit and convenient for the
distruction of the deir and the murefowlis ; or with aixis, sawis, or any
uther instrument or worklunie for cutting or destroying of wood ; and to
tak the same in for thame and intromit thairwith to his awin use ; and to
present thair personis to the justice, shiref, or any other ordinar juge to be
punisheit conforme to the lawis of this realme and generallie, &c. : term
and stabill to hold, &c., at Falkland, the 11 day of Jully, the year of God
Ini V Ixxxiv. yeiris."

CLEVEB TEBBIEBS. 303

and is 108 miles in circumference. The names of the prin-
cipal lochs are Lochbalader, above a mile in length, Loch
Kenlader, Loch-nau-eau, famous for its trouts (which are
of a red colour resembling those of Loch Leven). Loch
Brotichan, and part of Loch Muich, which is the largest,
being above two miles long.

The old method of stalkingr the deer ao-ainst the w^ind is
the one generally practised in this district : it is not always
easily done, owing to the numerous eddies which are met
with among the hills ; and thus it allows great scope for the
knowing forester in displaying his tact, and in bringing the
sportsman within shot of his object. In the Ballochbui,
the deer are frequently, more especially in cold or windy
weather, to be seen within shot of the drives; and both
stags and hinds have been often killed by Mr. Farquharson
from a carriage or a pony. The deer are seldom driven,
never hunted with dogs, unless to bring down a wounded
animal. The foresters have small terriers properly trained
to keep by them when stalking, and these will track a
wounded deer to a great distance without giving tongue,
and have been known to find one after two nights and a
day had elapsed. They answer every purpose, as they bring
•the sportsman within a second shot without being perceived,
w^hilst greyhounds, when the object is out of view, cannot
follow the scent properly ; so that where the ground is stony,
or in the woods, they are almost always unsuccessful. Such
greyhounds as are in use are descendants of the Glengarry
breed, and have been lately crossed with the common fox-
hound, and also with the bloodhound ; but still the foresters
prefer the terriers, w^hich are of a very sagacious nature,
and were brought originally from Ross-shire.*

The Braemar deer are allowed to be quite different from
those of the AthoU forest ; they stand higher, and are in
general of a greater weight. The stags average from four-
teen to sixteen stone gralloched, but occasionally far exceed
that, and have weighed (with the inside) as much as twenty-
five stone of fourteen pounds to the stone. The hinds seldom

* Probably because they made less disturbance in the forest, which,
although of a princely extent in point of length, is rather narrow for urging
the chase in a cross wind.

304 FORESTS OF SCOTLAND.

exceed eleven stone. The number generally killed at
Invercauld in the course of the year is about thirty or forty
stags, and twenty hinds. ^

THE FOREST OF MARK

The forest of Marr, in the county of Aberdeen, consists of
four contiguous glens on the north bank of the Dee, with
their various branches and ramifications, viz., Glenquoich,
Glenluie, Glendee, and Glenguildy.

The extent must, in a great measure, be guessed at, it
never having been regularly surveyed ; but as far as can be
ascertained from the opinion of those who know the ground
well, and have had the best opportunity of judging, it is
thought the length of the forest may average fifteen miles,
and the breadth eight, which would give an area of about
00,000 acres. The bearing of the extreme length runs
nearly east and west. It is bounded on the north by Glen-
avon in Banffshire, and the hills of Rothiemurcus and Glen-
feshie in Inverness- shire ; on the west by part of the forest
of Atholl and the glen of Baynock ; on the south by the
river Dee ; and on the east by part of the forest of Inver-
cauld. The whole is in the county of Aberdeen. The
principal rivers and streams are the Dee, the Quoich, the
Luie, and the Guildy. The Quoich branches at the top and
runs into the Bechan and Duglin burns ; the Luie into the
Derry and Luibeg; the Dee into the Garchery and Guirachan ;
and the Guildy into the Davie and the burn of the Cuirn.
The only lakes worth mentioning are Loch Eatechan on the
east shoulder of Bein-muirdhui and Loch-nastirtar in Glen-
guisachan.

The principal mountains beginning on the east are Beina-
board, Beinachuirn, Beinavrear, Beinamean, Cairngorum,
Bein Muirdhui, Cairnavaim, Breriach, Cairntoul, Beinavrot-
tan, Cairn-nealler, and Scarrach ; — they are all composed of
o-ranite ; and the general character of their surface is dry
and rocky for a considerable way down their sides ; but
there are many valleys or corries around their bases con-
taining good rich hill pasture ; and in the low parts of the

WILD BOAR AND REIN-DEER. 305

different glens are haughs of rich natural grass, which, in
Glenluie and Glenquoich, are well sheltered by very
extensive tracts of natural pine wood : there is also a con-
siderable proportion of mossy ground interspersed over the
whole.

The Glenluie was cleared of sheep and cattle, &c., and
turned into a forest upwards of sixty years ago, and the
other glens at different and more recent periods.

The number of deer in the forest must vary to a great
extent according to circumstances ; but it is supposed that
there may be a regular stock of about three thousand.

The weight of the best stags may run from fourteen to
eighteen stones imperial, and there have been instances of
some of the largest weighing twenty stones.

In this forest the deer are for the most part killed by
stalking, and getting quiet shots, and not by driving them
to passes, or coursing them with dogs, except when wounded.*

The breed of deer-hounds chiefly in use is the rough
wire-haired Scotch or Irish greyhound.

The present Earl of Fife has tried many spirited experi-
ments by the introduction of different animals into this
celebrated forest. He brought over capercalies from the
north, and they increased to the number of twelve ; but
when the place was let, and the birds were removed, they
soon died. He has now procured two more old ones ; and
has succeeded, I am told, in rearing up another brood. The
wild boar also was introduced at the advice of the Mar-
grave of Anspach, who was at Marr Lodge for a fortnight,
but the experiment did not answer for want of acorns,
which are their principal food ; if these animals, however,
were turned out young, the ant-hills, which abound in the
forest, might probably be an efficient substitute. Rein-
deer were also introduced by his lordship, but they all
died, notwithstanding one of them was turned out on the
summits, which are covered with dry moss, on which it was
supposed they would be able to subsist. In spite of these
failures, Lord Fife wished to see if the chamois would live

* The little disturbance which this method occasions to the forest keeps
the deer from wandering, though the sport is of a less brilliant description.

,306 FOBESTS OF SCOTLAND.

in his alpine domains, and he imported five of these animals
from Switzerland ; his late Majesty, however, having ex-
pressed a wish to have them at Windsor, they were accord-
ingly sent there, w^here they produced young ones. A
wooden tower was built for them, and they raced up and
down it as if they had been amongst their native rocks.
They died from having eaten some poisonous herb, so that
on all accounts, it is very much to be regretted that they
w^ere not sent originally to the Marr Forest.

The remaining trees in Braemar are the last of the Scotch
pine-forests : their leaves are of a very dark green as com-
pared with the common Scotch fir.

I wish the communications I have had the honour of
receivincj from the Earl of Fife had enabled me to give a
more detailed account of this magnificent country, and the
traditions which belong to it. Unfortunately, I have it
not in my power to supply any further information, and
shall therefore close this account with an extract from a
work of Taylor, the Water Poet, entitled " The Pennylesse
Pilgrimage," relating to a great hunt given by the Earl of
Marr in 1618.

" I thank my good Lord Erskine," says the poet ; " hee
commanded that I should alw^ayes bee lodged in his lodg-
ing, the kitchen being always on the side of a banke,
many kettles and pots boyling, and many spits turning and
winding w^ith great variety of cheere, as venison baked,
sodden, rost, and stu'de ; beef, mutton, goates, kid, hares,
fish, salmon, pigeons, hens, capons, chickens, partridge,
moorcoots, heathcocks, caperkillies, and termagents; good
ale, sacke, white and claret, tent (or Allegant), and most
potent aquoevita.

" All these, and more than these, we had continually in
superfluous abundance, caught by faulconers, fowlers,
fishers, and brought by my lords (Mar) tenants and pur-
veyers to victual our campe, wduch consisted of fourteen or
fifteen hundred men and horses.

" The manner of the hunting is this : — five or six hun-
dred men doe rise early in the morning, and they doe
disperse themselves divers wayes, and seven, eight, or ten,
miles compass they doe bring or chase in the deer in many

COBBICHIBAH. 307

lieards (two, three, or four hundred in a heard) to such or
such a place as the nobleman shall appoint them ; then
when the day is come, the lords and gentlemen of their com-
panies doe ride or go to the said places, sometimes wading
up to the middles through bournes and rivers ; and then
they, being come to the place, doe lye down on the ground
till those foresaid scouts, which are called the tinckell, doe
bring down the deer ; but as the proverb says of a bad cooke,
so these tinckell men doe lick their own fingers ; for besides
their bows and arrows, which they carry with them, wee
can heare now and then a harquebuse or musket goe off,
which they doe seldom discharge in vaine : then after we
had stayed three houres, or thereabouts, we might perceive
the deere appeare on the hills round about us (their heads
making a shew like a wood), which being followed close
by the tinckell, are chased down into the valley where wee
lay ; then all the valley on each side being waylaid with a
hundred couple of strong Irish greyhounds, they are let
loose as occasion serves upon the heard of deere, that with
dogs, gunnes, arrows, durks, and daggers, in the space of
two houres, fourscore fat deere were slaine, which after are
disposed of some one way, and some another, twenty or
thirty miles ; and more than enough left for us to make
merrey withall at our rendevouse. Being come to our
lodgings, there was such baking, boyling, rosting, and stew-
ing as if cook Ruffian had been there to have scalded the
devill in his feathers."

THE FOREST OF CORRICHIBAH.

The forest of Corrichibah, or the Black Mount, is situated
in the district of Glenorchy, in Argyllshire.

It appears from the " Black Book " (an old manuscript at
Taymouth), and from other documents, to have been kept
as a deer forest from a very early period, till about the
time when, by the introduction of sheep on the Highland
hills, the value of mountain pasture became considerably
increased. At that period it ceased to be used as a forest.

308 F0BE8T8 OF SCOTLAND.

and was turned into sheep-farms, in which state it continued
till the year 1820, when it was again converted into a forest
by the present Marquis of Breadalbane.

The number of deer was at that time very small indeed,
and these were scattered over a very wide district of coun-
try, namely, from the western extremity of Loch Rannoch
to the head of Loch Etive on one side, and from Glencoe to
Ben Aulder and Loch Eroch on the other. At this time it is
not supposed that the stock of deer could have exceeded one
hundred head. No sooner, however, was a part of Cor-
richibah kept clear from sheep, than these deer gathered in ;
and the number now in Lord Breadalbane's forest cannot be
computed at less than 1,500. The extent of ground strictly
kept for deer is about 35,000 acres. It extends on the north
side from the western extremity of Loch Lydoch, by the
king's house in Rannoch, to Dulness in Glen Etive ; and on
the south side from the confines of the county of Perth, by
Loch TuUa and the River Urchay, to Corri Vicar and Glen-
ketland. The ground is peculiarly adapted for deer, being
rocky and steep, and the hills are varied with numerous
corries. The rocks are mostly granite and porphyry. The
grass is remarkably fine, and the sheep of the Black Mount
are greatly esteemed in the Glasgow market.

The highest hills in the forest are Ben Toag, which rises
on the north side of Loch Tulla; Stoupgyers, or the Hill of
Goats ; Clachlig, or the Stony Face ; Sroin-na-forseran, or
the Forester's Nose; Mealvourie, and the Craish, which
rises on the south side of Glen Etive. There is a con-
siderable extent of low orround, about nine miles in length
by five or six in breadth, extending from the bases of the
hills on the east side as far as Loch Lydoch. In this low
ground there is a continued chain of small lochs, called the
Bah Lochs, in which there are several small wooded islands;
into these the deer are very fond of going. This low ground
is of very great service to the forest, both as it affords good
wintering and very early grass in the spring ; for at that
period of the year the deer may be seen standing in the
water picking rushes and grass which grow at the sides of
the river and lochs. This early grass is of immense im-
portance to them, and, combined with the strong hill

THE BLACK MOUNT. 30D

pasture, is one of the causes of the excellent condition in
which the deer of this forest are usually found.

The stags of the Black Mount exceed those of most of the
neighbouring forests in point of weight, and may be esti-
mated at an average of from sixteen to seventeen stones,
imperial, sinking the oifal ; and they are frequently found
to weigh eighteen, nineteen, to twenty-one stones, having
two or three inches of fat on the haunches. Their heads
likewise are large in proportion, being of a much more
vigorous growth than those of the Atholl or the Mar deer.
One of the great advantages of the Black Mount forest is,
that it forms the summit level of that part of the High-
lands, and that it has equally extensive grounds on each
side, both east and west; so that from whatever quarter
the wind may blow, or from whatever side the deer may be
disturbed, they seldom leave its bounds, but feed over either
to the one side or the other. The hills being extremely
rocky and precipitous, and there being only certain places
by which the deer can pass from one corrie to another, the
mode of killing by driving them is pretty certain. Stalk-
ing is very difficult in most parts of the forest, owing to
the very steep and rugged nature of the ground. It may
be mentioned, as a proof of this, that some poachers who
were pursuing deer in the forest in the winter some years
ago lost one of their companions, who was killed by falling
over a rock.

This forest, like many others, has immemorially been
believed to possess its white hind ; to which, among other
evidence, the following extract refers, from the old family
manuscript at Tay mouth, called the Black Book : —

"Upon the thettene day of February, anno 1622, the
king's majesty send John Skandebar, Englishman, with
other twa Englishmen in his company, to see ane quhyt
hynd that was in Corrichiba, upon the 22d day of February,
anno 1622."

In reference to this old story it may be mentioned that
at this day there is a very light coloured deer in this forest,
which all the foresters speak of as the white deer.

If " Lord Reay's country " can boast of having given
birth to the celebrated poet Rob Doun, the precincts of the

'310 FOEESTS OF SCOTLAND.

" Black Mount " are not perhaps less famous for producing
a bard who flourished in those rude regions about fifty or
sixty years ago. His name is Duncan Macintyre ; some
translations from his poems have obligingly been ob-
tained and transmitted to me by the present Marquis of
Breadalbane.

Thus I have it in my power to give a specimen of the
beautiful imagery of one of these translations from the
Gaelic, rendered in a more modern garb by the celebrated
pen of Mr. D'Israeli, jun.

SPEING IN BENDOUEAN.-

Thy groves and glens, Bendouran, ring

With the chorus of the spring :

The blackcock chuckles in thy woods —

The trout are glancing in thy floods —

The bees about thy braes so fair,

Are humming in the sunny air ;

Each sight most glad, each sound most sweet,

Amid thy sylvan pastures meet ;

With the bloom of balmy May,

Thy grassy wilderness is gay !

And lo, along the forest glade

From out yon ancient pine wood's shade, —

Proud in their ruddy robes of state,

The new-born boon of spring,
With antlered head and eye elate,

And feet that scarcely fling
A shadow on the downy grass,
That breathes its fragrance as they pass, —

Troop forth the regal deer :
Each stately hart, each slender hind,
Stares and snuffs the desert wind ;
While by their side confiding roves
The spring-born offspring of their loves —
The delicate and playful fawn,
Dapi)led like the rosy dawn,

And sportive in its fear !

The mountain is thy mother,
Thou wild secluded race : —

* The inhabitants of the west still suppose that this mountain possesses
the faculty of making known by strange sounds the approach of a storm,
when, as they express it, " The spirit of the mountain shrieks."

THE DELL OF MIST. 311

Thou hast no sh-e, or brother,

That watches with a face
Of half such fondness o'er thy life
Of blended solitude and strife,
As yon high majestic form

That feeds thee on its grassy breast,
Or guards thee from the bursting storm

By the rude shelter of its crest ; —
Or — when thy startled senses feel

The presence of the unseen foe.
And dreams of anguish wildly steal

O'er trembling stag, and quivering doe —
Conceals thee in her forests gloom.
And saves from an untimely doom.

Now roaming free : — for on the wind

No sound of danger flies ;
The fawn maj^ frolic with the hind,

Nor fear a fell surprise ;
Or — where some knoll its verdant head

To clustering sunbeams shows,
In graceful groups the herd may spread,

And circling round, repose.
Thus the deer their vigils keep
Basking on Bendouran's steep !

A Poetical Translation of a Part of

CUxMHA CHORIE CHEATHARCH;" or. The Lament for the
Dell of Mist.

By a HigJiland Gentleman.

A TRODDEN waste each mountain side.
Whence flowed the fountain's crystal tide :
No more the grassy meads are seen.
The lovely spots of living green :
No primrose blows the silken foil ;
No herb — no floweret decks the soil
Where lay and rose the lovely hind ;
Where oft she skipped and snuffed the wind.
That hill seems now, its glory fled,
Bare as the stance of busy trade ;
Nor is the antlered monarch found —
No more he leaps with lively bound —
No more the hunter climbs the hill
To urge the forest chase with skill ;

312 FORESTS OF SCOTLAND.

But if there come a bri<,diter (lay-
To spoil the stranger of his prey,
The dell shall shine in native pride,
Shall bloom and spread its glories wide ;
The stag's majestic form shall rise
Where towers yon mountain to the skies ;
The roe-deer rest in shelt'ring wood —
The trout dart lively through the flood —
The hind the gentle fawn shall rear —
The hills in loveliness appear ;
Each long-lost beauty bloom again
When moves the stranger from the glen.

THE FOREST OF GLENARTNEY.

The forest of Glenartney, the property of Lord Willoughby
d'Ercsby, is situated in a mountainous district of the same
name in the parish of Comrie, and county of Perth, and
contains about two thousand eight hundred Scots acres.
In olden time, and even as late as 1746, it was of very
considerable extent ; but since that period it has been
greatly reduced, and, indeed, in some measure relinquished
as to forest purposes. It is bounded on the north by the
Glengoinan burn, which flows eastwards into the glen that
derives its name from it ; and afterwards taking a northerly
course, empties itself into the river Earn. On the east it is
bounded by the Aultglass burn, which has its source in the
mountains above Glengoinan, and is tributary to the Ruchill
river. The Srathglen burn bounds it on the west, takes a
southerly direction, and empties itself into the Ruchill,
which forms the south boundary of the forest. The Ruchill
itself rises near the high mountain Benvoirlich, about three
miles west from the forest of Glenartney, and flows towards
the south under the name of the Duchoran burn, until it
receives many tributaries from the west and other mountain
streams from the south, which rise in the hills above Doune,
Dumblane, Szc. Thus supplied, it becomes a formidable
river, and takes the name of Ruchill (as I understand) from
its rough and rocky channel. In dry weather its waters
are inconsiderable ; but in the stormv season it rushes with

DESCRIPTION OF JURA. 313

great turbulence into the Earn, and has been known to
bring down sheep and exhausted deer along with its wreck.

There are no lakes in this forest. The chief hills are as
follow : — Sroin-na-Cabar, Coir-na-Maville, Ban-dhu-Boan-
na-Scarnaich, Sroin-na-Broileag, Stuic-na-Cabuic, Beinn-
Dearg, and Sroin-na-Hellurie. There is a sanctuary, or
deer-preserve, in the centre of the forest, which declines
on the south, but is steep on the west, north, and east.

The grounds are stocked with about one hundred black
cattle in the winter, and one hundred and fifty during the
summer. The sheep were removed about seven years ago,
as they were found to feed upon the best deer pasture, and
that the shepherds disturbed the staojs with their dogs.
There are perhaps from seven hundred to one thousand
deer in the forest. About fifty yeld hinds and forty stags
are killed annually, which appears to me to be a liberal
proportion. As the deer are fed in the winter with corn
and hay, they attain to a considerable size. What are called
good deer weigh, when gralloched, from thirteen to fifteen
stone, and some reach even to seventeen and eighteen stone.
In this forest they use both greyhounds and col ley dogs for
bringing wounded deer to bay ; but they seem to prefer
the latter.

" The nature of the ground (says Donald Cameron, the
old forester) is good and healthy, interspersed with heath
and rashes, and natural grass, and is beautiful to the eye of
the traveller." Donald has been in the forest for thirty-five
years, and has had the chief management of it nearly the
whole of that period.

THE FOREST OF JURA.

So common were red deer throughout Scotland, that there
are few, even of the Hebrides, in which their remains are
not to be found ; and in many of these islands, to this day,
they still exist in considerable numbers. Of the latter are
Jura, Mull, Skye, and the long island which includes Lewis
Harris, North and South Uist, and Benbecula.
21

314 F0BE8T8 OF SCOTLAND.

Whether Buchanan's derivation of the name Jura, from
the Gothic word Deira, a stag, be correct, we do not pretend
to say, but certain it is that in none of the Hebrides (in
proportion to the extent) are deer to be found in such
numbers. This island is about thirty miles in length, and
five in breadth, and, with the exception of a few patches of
arable land on the east coast, consists of one mountainous
range extending throughout its whole length. By much
the most lofty of this range are the Paps of Jura, which are
situated towards the southern end of it. They are four in
number, and rise from the sea on the western side, which is
rugged and precipitous, and the resort of eagles and birds
of prey of all sorts. The form of these hills is perfectly
conical, and their elevation so abrupt, that for a considerable
way from their tops no verdure is to be seen ; in fact, they
consist chiefly of masses of loose stone. Their height is
about 2,500 feet above the level of the sea, which washes
their base. The view from the top of these hills is very
extensive, for, when the atmosphere is clear, the Isle of
Man, and the Isle of Skye are both visible. This island is
surrounded by strong tides ; on the south is the rapid
stream of the Sound of Islay ; and on the north the famous
whirlpool of Corrivrechan. The island belongs to two
proprietors, Mr. Colin Campbell of Jura, and Captain
MacNeill the younger, of Colonsay, whose brother has
favoured me with a relation of the mode of deer-coursing
practised in Jura, and already recounted in these pages.
The stock consists almost entirely of sheep. The number of
deer are estimated at about five hundred. They have the
whole range of the island, and thus wander from one end
of it to the other. As there are but few inhabitants
(scarcely a thousand souls), they are seldom disturbed, and
have of late years greatly increased.

From the contiguity of the sea, snow seldom lies for
any length of time on these islands ; and as the deer often
frequent the shore, and are excessively fond of the sea
ware, on which they feed even in summer, they are never
altogether deprived of food, and are, consequently, much
better able to endure the rigours of winter than those in a
more inland situation.

DEER CROSSING THE SEA. 315

The pasture in many of the valleys which intersect the
island is very rich ; and though there is but little brush-
wood, yet, from the excellence of the soil, great beds of fern
are to be met with, growing to the height of six feet, in
which the deer take refuge from the flies and the heat of
the sun.

The district of Tarbert, beginning at the north of the loch
of that name, as far as the gulf of Corrivrechan, is the part
of the island most suitable to deer ; the Paps are the next
in estimation.

If Tarbert were cleared of sheep, and a few forest deer
turned out for a cross, it would probably prove one of the
finest forests in Scotland, since the pasture is excellent, the
ground favourable, and the winters are mild.

When the great-grandfather of the present chief of Islay
sold the island of Jura, he reserved certain forest rights, as
well as others relating to the fisheries, and stipulated for a
payment of six fat harts annually, and also for ten thousand
oysters, as feu-duty for the holding. The chief of Islay has
also a right of shooting over the island of Jura, and of
taking with him such assistance as he may require. Deer,
however, have been known to save him this short voyage,
and to cross of their own accord to Islay, a distance of
about a mile ; and, in particular, six hinds and one hart did
so a few years ago, and returned again to Jura. This was
probably in the rutting season, and thus the hart seems to
have taken a pretty effectual mode of securing to himself
peaceable possession of his little seraglio.

The stags in this forest grow to a large size, and have
been repeatedly killed of eighteen stones weight without
the intestines. The present chief of Islay killed a hart of
seventeen stones and a half Tron* weight, and in full
season, whose horns were only sixteen inches from the
points to the crown of the head.

*,Tron weight is nearly the same as Dutch, viz., seventeen ounces and a
half to the pound, and sixteen pounds to the stone ; accurately speaking,
perhaps, it may be a trifle more, but it is little in use.

316 F0BEST8 OF SCOTLAND.

THE ISLE OF SKYE, AND NORTH UISH.

There are about 230 deer in the Isle of Skye, which are
the properly of Lord Macdonald ; they range over his forest
near to Sconsar, and wander occasionally into the grounds
of Macleod of Macleod, the other proprietor of the island.
This herd has been represented to me as being in very bad
plight, the full-grown stags not exceeding ten or twelve in
number.

Lord Macdonald has also deer in North Uish which cannot
well be got at, or followed without the assistance of boats,
the island being almost entirely flat, and intersected by arms
of the sea in all directions, so that there are not two miles
of continuous land, and the deer, when pursued, imme-
diately take to the water. Their number here is about 100.

LOCH ETIVE AND DALNESS.

Mr. Campbell of Monzie, whose property is situated at the
head of Loch Etive, is forming a forest there, and has joined
to his own lands (by lease) the old forest of Dalness, of
which he is the hereditary keeper, but from which the deer
have, of late years, been almost entirely expelled. By this
arrangement his forest will march with Lord Breadalbane's
for an extent of about six miles. Mention has already been
made of a white hind referred to in the old family manu-
script at Taymouth, called the Black Book, which existed
in and near the forest of Corrichibah in the year 1622, and
previously. It is not to be wondered at, that some supersti-
tion should attach to an animal varying so much from the
natural colour of its species. Thus a tradition has been
handed down in the district of Loch Etive, that, should a
white hind again appear, death by violence would ensue.
A few years ago (I have not received the precise date),
another white hind did make her appearance, and created a
great sensation on account of the above tradition. In the
depth of the winter in that year, some determined poachers

AN UNTOWARD SHOT. 317

faced the frost and snow, when the keepers might well be
supposed to be absent from the hills, and made their dis-
positions for driving and killing the deer. Having ascended
the rugged steeps, and taken possession of the favourite
passes, they sent forth their scouts to put the herd to them :
these men communicated with the others, as is usual, by
means of signals. As the day drew to a close, and the
fading light gave a dubious appearance to the form of
objects, one of the drivers who was proceeding from behind
an eminence, brought his head above the sky line, and held
up his arms as a signal that the deer were below. His
companion in the pass, mistaking this figure for the head
and horns of a stag, fired, and shot the unfortunate poacher
in the head. As the whole party were engaged in an un-
lawful act, they endeavoured to conceal the miserable
manner in which the poor fellow came by his death; so
they threw the body over the rocks, which were of a great
height, by which means it was so mangled, that their
account of the accident, by a fall from an eminence, was
very generally believed. The sister of the sufferer, how-
ever, in laying out the body, discovered the shot wound in
the head, and hinted that all was not right. But as all the
party had been engaged in poaching, and as the fatal
occurrence was at all events an accident in which retri-
butive justice was in no way concerned, the affair was
hushed up, and is known, even at this day, but to a few.

I now conclude the catalogue and description of the
forests and principal deer-haunts in the north. There may
be others with which I am unacquainted ; my omission to
mention such (if, indeed, such do exist) will not, I trust, be
imputed to my sense of their implied want of consequence,
but rather to the real cause, namely, that of "pure ignorance
on my part."

APPENDIX.

It may be as well to mention^ that I consider the authority of the
Richmond Park keeper, quoted in page 43, good only as far as it
goes, and not as determining the longevity of deer in a wilder
state, and under more natural circumstances.

Mr. Herring, of the New Road, London, dealer in animals,
communicated a fact to me that is somewhat at variance with the
authorities of Buffon and Mr. John Crerer, as mentioned in the
twenty-ninth page of this volume. A full-grown hart was cut
by him, which dropped his horns afterwards, and had fresh ones
the succeeding season of 1838. This hart I myself saw, but the
new horns were misshapen and diminutive.

THE HIGHEST HILLS IN THE FOREST OF ATHOLL.

Felaar Forest.

Gltistullich.

Benuirn.

Cairnanree.

Malnaspionach.

Cairn Dairg.

Gailcharn.

Hell's Hill.

The King's Cairn.

The Red Cairn.
The White Cairn.

Cairn-na-Gour.

Argiotvane.
Cairnicklechalm .
Ben Yeg.
Ben Vourich.
Cairn Lia.
Cairn Torkie.

Ben-y-Gloe Forest.

Goat's Hill.

Little Hill.
Boar's Hill.
Grey Cairn.
The Boar's Cairn.

APPENDIX.

319

Malvourich.

Garorune.

Top of Carrie Chastail.

The Castle Hill.

South Side of Tarff.

Sligernoch.

Monlia.

Conaloch.

Maltenail.

Benchroam.

Craig croachie.

Grennach.

Cairnchlamain.

Sroin a Chro.

Cairn-Maronach, or Cuirn-Marnich.

Glas Mai.

Ben-j-Venie.

Ben Chat.

Mallour.

Cairn Cherrie.

Elerick.

Ben Derig.

Torr.

Ben Toaskernich.

Craig na Helleir.

The Grey Hill.

The Gathering Knoll.
The Crooked Hill.
The Hanging Rock.

The Glead's Cairn.

Braemar Cairns.
Grey Knoll.
The Middle Hill.
Hill of the Cat.
Dun-coloured Knoll.

The Red Hill.

The Toad's Hill.
The Eagle's Rock.

Fiddlers Cairn.

North Side of Tarff.

Corrie na Craig.

Malcrapan Laagh.

Malna Cairn.

Mackaranoch.

Scarsach.

Malduchlach.

Malcuirn.

Corrie Stock Guise.

Cairnan II lair.

Drimliafeaheaskichan.

Mai Glashea.

Mai Corrie Yreak.

Mai Corriechraggach.

Mai dubh na Glashea.

Ben Yreak.

Sligernoch.

Corrie crom na damk.

Druim Corrie na Rislechan.

Druim na feachanouer.

Druim Minagag.

XJchff na Clasair.

The Knoll of the Calves.
The Knoll of the Cairn.

The Knoll of the Blackstone.
Knoll of the Cairn.

320 APPENDIX.

Glen Garry Forest.
Mai cham corrie.
Sroin feachon.
Drium Kirrichon.
Mai ouer.
Sroin a chlerick.
Mai voulin.
Mai Yrammie.
Sroin Glasechorrie.
Yi chosach.
Sroin Craig an Loch.
Dune.

Cricharickrior.
Medher.

Glaish Mai east.
Glaish Mai west.
Monadh Lia.
Yuinnach.
Corrie Mac Shee.
Craig Chursech.

South Side of Inverness Road.
Mackrannoch.

Tork, or The Duke of Atholl's Boar.
Mai Corrie Yackie.
Mai dourune.

Ben Derig, top of Corrie Lunnie.
Carkel Lock garrj.
Mai na Letirch.
Mona baan.
Carkel.*

Evidence relating to the Trial of Duncan Terig, alias Clerk,
a7id Alexander Bain Macdonald, for the Murder of
Sergeant Davies.

Alexander M'Pherson alias M'Gillas, in Inverey, being solemnly
sworn, purged of malice and partial council and interrogate, aged
twenty-six years, unmarried, deposes, that in summer, 1750, he
found lying in a moss bank on the hill of Christie, a human body,

* I have given these names in the most correct local orthography I could
obtain, but no two people spell all of them precisely in the same manner ;
many of them, indeed, are so corrupted, that their very meaning is lost :
this, perhaps, may have in a great measure originated from the uncomply-
ing pronunciation of strangers. Thus they write Ben -derig, Ben Derg, and
Ben dairg. In this dilemma I have thought it best to make use of the
name most generally received.

APPENDIX. 321

at least the bones of a human body, of which the flesh was mostly
consumed, and he believed it to be the body of Sergeant Davies,
because it was reported in the country that he had been murdered
on that hill the year before ; that when he first found this body,
there was a bit of blue cloth upon it pretty entire, which he took
to be what is called English cloth ; he also found the hair of the
deceased, which was of a dark mouse colour, and tied about with
a black ribbon ; that he also observed some pieces of a striped
stuff J and also found lying there a pair of brogues, which had
been made with latches for buckles, which had been cut away
by a knife ; that he, by help of his staff, brought out the body,
and laid it upon plain ground, in doing whereof, some of the bones
were separated one from another ; deposes, that for some days he
was in doubt what to do, but meeting with John Grawar in the
moss, he told John what he had found, and John bid him tell
nothing of it, otherwise he would complain of the deponent to
John Shaw of Daldownie, upon which the deponent resolved to
prevent Grawar's complaint, and go and tell Daldownie of it
himself; and which having accordingly done, Daldownie desired
him to conceal the matter, and go and bury the body privately,
as it would not be carried to a kirk unkent, and that the same
might hurt the country, being under the suspicion of being a rebel
country; deposes, that some few days thereafter, he acquainted
Donald Farquharson, the preceding witness, of his having seen
the body of a dead man in the hill, which he took to be the body
of Sergeant Davies ; that Farquharson at first doubted the truth
of his information, till the deponent told him that a few nights
before, when he was in bed, a vision appeared to him, as of a man
clad in blue, who told the deponent, " I am Sergeant Davies ; "
but that before he told him so, the deponent had taken the said
vision at first appearance to be a real living man, a brother of
Donald Farquharson ; that the deponent rose from his bed, and
followed him to the door, and then it was, as has been told, that
he said he was Sergeant Davies, who had been murdered in the
Hill of Christie, nearly about a year before, and desired the
deponent to go to the place he pointed at, where he would find
his bones ; and that he might go to Donald Farquharson, and
take his assistance to the burying of him ; that upon giving
Donald Farquharson this information, Donald went along with
him, and finding the bones as he had informed Donald, and
having then buried them with the help of a spade, which he, the
deponent, had along with him; and for putting what is above
deposed upon out of doubt, deposes, that the above vision was the
occasion of his going by himself to see the dead body ; and which
he did before he either spoke to John Grawar, Daldownie, or any
other body ; and further deposes, that while he was in bed,
another night, after he had first seen the body by himself, but
had not buried it, the vision again appeared naked, and minded
him to bury the body ; and after that he spoke to the other folks

822 APPENDIX.

above mentioned, and at last complied, and buried the bones
above mentioned : deposes, that upon the vision's first appearance
to the deponent in his bed, and after going out of the door, and
being told by it (the vision) that he was Sergeant Da vies, the
deponent asked him who it was that had murdered him, to which
it made this answer, that if the deponent had not asked him, he
might have told him, but as he had asked him, he said he either
could not, or would not, but which of the two expressions the
deponent cannot say ; but at the second time the vision made its
appearance to him, the deponent renewed the same question, and
then the vision answered, that it was the two men now in the
panel who had murdered him ; and being further interrogated in
what manner the vision disappeared from him first and last,
deposes, that after the short interviews above-mentioned, the
vision at both times disappeared and vanished out of his sight
in the twinkling of an eye ; and that in describing the panels by
the vision above mentioned, as his murderers, his words were
Duncan Clerk and Alexander Macdonald : deposes, that the
conversation betwixt the deponent and the vision was in the
Irish language : deposes, that several times in the harvest before
the Martinmas, after seeing the said vision, he was applied to by
Duncan Clerk, the panel, then to enter home to his service at that
time, which accordingly he did, and staid in his service just a
year ; and he being on the hill together with Duncan Clerk,
spying a young cow, desired the deponent to shoot it ; and though
Duncan did not bid him carry it home after it should be shot ;
yet the deponent understood that to be the purpose, when Duncan
desired him to shoot it, and which the deponent refused to do,
adding, that it was such thoughts as these were in his head when
he murdered Sergeant Davies; upon which some angry expressions
happened between Duncan and the deponent ; but when the
deponent insisted upon it that he could not deny the murder,
Duncan fell calm, and desired the deponent to say nothing of that
matter, and that he would be a brother to him, and give him
every thing he stood in need of, and particularly would help him
to stock a farm when he took one. At the time of deposing, the
deponent exhibited a paper, which is marked on the back by the
Lord Examiner, the deponent averring that he cannot write,
and deposes, that the said paper was put into his hands by the
said Duncan Clerk, who at the time told him it was a premium
of twenty pounds Scots to hold his tongue of what he knew of
Sergeant Davies : deposes, that while the deponent was in the
panel Clerk's service, and about Lammas, 1751, he showed to the
deponent a long green silk purse, and that he showed, also, to the
deponent the contents which were in it, namely, sixteen guineas
in gold, and some silver; and being interrogate what was the
occasion of showing this purse and money to the deponent,
deposes — it was one of two which he does not remember — either
he had come from Aberdeen with money, which he had got for

APPENDIX. 323

his wool, or was going to Badenoch to buy sheep ; deposes, that
he saw upon the finger of Elizabeth Downie, the panel Duncan
Clerk's wife, a yellow ring, which she told him was gold, with a
plate on the outside of it in the form of a seal, and that he saw it
on her finger six or eight weeks before her marriage ; and that
after her marriage, she having one day taken it off her finger,
he saw upon the inside of it a stamp, but what that stamp is he
does not know; and being interrogate, deposes, that he had a
suspicion that this ring was Sergeant Davies's ring, having heard
it reported in the country that Sergeant Davies had such a ring
upon his finger when he was murdered, but does not remember
his having told his suspicion to anybody ; and being further in-
terrogate, deposes, that since the panel Duncan's imprisonment,
the deponent was solicited by Donald Clerk, the panel Duncan's
brother, to conceal what he knew when he came to give evidence ;
but this was after his having first solicited the deponent to leave
the country, that he might not give evidence, and upon the de-
ponent's saying he offered him nothing to leave the country with ;
but then it was that Donald proposed his not giving true evidence,
adding, that of every penny Donald was worth, the deponent
should have the half; and being interrogated, at the desire of the
jury, if ever he had asked payment of the twenty pounds con-
tained in the above-mentioned paper produced by him, deposes,
that he once did, shortly after the term of payment, to which
Duncan answered that it would be as well to let it lie in his
hands, with which he was satisfied ; and that he never asked pay-
ment of the annual rent ; and being further interrogate, deposes,
that before the deponent went home to the panel's service, at
Martinmas, 1750, it was well known and reported in the country
that the bones of the dead body found upon the above-mentioned
hill had been buried by the deponent and Donald Farquharson, as
also was the story of the vision or apparition, whereof the depon-
ent had told Donald Farquharson j and being interrogate for the
panel, deposes, that he not only told the story of the vision, or
apparition to Donald Farquharson, as above mentioned, but that
he also told it to John Grawar and Daldownie before he men-
tioned it to Donald Farquharson ; deposes that there were folks
living with him at the sheiling, when the vision appeared to him
as above, but that he told it to none of them ; and adds that
Isabel M^Hardie, in Inverey, a woman then in the sheiling with
him, has told him since, that she saw such a vision as the depon-
ent has above described, and has told him herself so much ; and
upon the panel's interrogatory, deposes, that upon the vision's
appearing to him, it described the place where he would find the
bones so exactly, that he went within a yard of the place where
they lay upon his first going out : and this is the truth, as he shall
answer to God ; and deposes he cannot write.

(Signed) Ja. Ferguson.

^fsli^

324 APPENDIX.

Isabel M'Hardie of Inverey also gave solemn evidence of her
having seen the apparition, having deposed " that one night, about
four years ago, when she was lying at one end of the shelling, and
Alexander Macpherson, who was then her servant, lying in the
other, she saw something naked come in at the door, which
frighted her so much, that she drew the clothes over her head ;
that when it appeared, it came in a bowing posture ; and that
next morning she asked Macpherson what it was that had troubled
them the night before, to which he answered, she might be easy,
for that it would not trouble them any more."

THE END.

H. NISBET AND CO., PRINTEKS, STOCKWELL STREET, GLASGOW.

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