Ladies’ Edinburgh Magazine > Volume 5

Country Subjects and Pursuits. 437
back the way they came. We keep watch, and are rewarded
by seeing a very pretty sight, to me quite sufficient pleasure
for the day, but disappointment to those only intent on
slaying the 'antlered monarch,'—a hind, followed by her
calf, comes leisurely up the glen, and passes close by us; she
stops to look back and listen to the unusual tumult below,
then starts off, leading her little one out of danger. We
hear when the men come up that a lot of deer broke back,
amongst them two stags.
The next beat was equally unsuccessful; by the time it
was over we had reached the appointed place for luncheon,
where ' Slydog' with the panniers was waiting; yet, not¬
withstanding our bad luck, every one was in the best of
spirits from the exhilarating effect of the pure mountain
air. We all sat down upon the heather; at our feet flowed
a spring of deliciously cool water, and at a little distance
the beaters grouped themselves most picturesquely, glad of
the rest after their hard walk through the long heather,
bracken, and underwood, having well earned the good cheer
in store for them. Whilst eating our lunch the prospects
for the afternoon were discussed, our ever sanguine host
predicted better sport, and we all joined in drinking ' good
luck.'
The beat before us is looked upon as one of the best; my
husband was placed in one of the most likely passes, and our
Irish friend at another some two hundred yards off; from
our post we could overlook the birch wood down to the
shore of the fresh, which is divided from the salt water loch
by a narrow strip of land, upon which stands in a cluster of
dark fir trees the little church and manse; in the far
distance are the ranges of Argyleshire hills, amongst which
towers the lofty Ben Cruachan. The beat had scarcely
commenced when I heard the voice of the chief, who had
been watching proceedings through his glasses, shouting in
great excitement to us,' They are coming upon your right;
see, there they go, take the leading stag;' and with the
intention of keeping them going in the direction they were
following, he gave a holloa, which, re-echoing amongst the
hills, seemed to puzzle the deer. They stopped and hesitated.
We could scarcely make them out from where we were,
their heads only being visible, and we had to run round the
shoulder of the hill to get a good sight of them, on reaching
which point I saw my companion drop on his knee and take
steady aim. In looking in the direction in wliich his rifle
was pointing, I saw about a dozen deer in single file crossing