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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 

SPORTSMAN AND HIS DOG. 
 
LONDON: 
 Printed by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland Street. 
 
THE 
 
 SPORTSMAN AND HIS DOG: 
 
 OR, 
 
 m J^nrtittg. 
 
 EDITED 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF " SCOTTISH SPORTS AND PASTIMES," 
 
 " SPAIN AND THE SEAT OF WAR IN SPAIN," 
 
 ETC. ETC. ETC. 
 
 x 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN AND DANIEL A. DARLING, 
 
 126, BISHOPSGATE ST. WITHIN. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 The Sportsman and his Dog ..... 1 
 
 Taking the Field ...... 4 
 
 Make Ready Fire 15 
 
 The more Haste the less Speed . . . . 27 
 
 The Wind and the Walk 40 
 
 The Hare 48 
 
 The Partridge 70 
 
 The Pheasant 95 
 
 The Woodcock 105 
 
 The Wild Duck 117 
 
 The Snipe 127 
 
 Chance Game 132 
 
 Intrepid Sportsmen ...... 140 
 
 M312881 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 The Selfishness of Sportsmen . . . .147 
 
 Necessary Precautions . . . . . .154 
 
 The Theoretical Education of Sporting Dogs . 162 
 
 The Practical Education of Sporting Dogs . .173 
 
 The Trickery of War 184 
 
 The Sportsman's Nightmare The Gamekeeper . 191 
 
THE 
 
 SPORTSMAN AND HIS DOG. 
 
 WHEN on a visit some years since to one of 
 the most noble-hearted of English Noble- 
 men, and I may truly add one of the best of 
 English Sportsmen, at his romantic Shooting 
 Castle, situated in one of the most beautiful 
 of the Highland glens, the subject of conver- 
 sation turned on a French Sporting Work 
 written by M. E. Blaze, entitled Le Chas- 
 seur au Chien d'Arret. At the period to 
 which I allude, I had neither the time nor 
 inclination to peruse the book, and was, con- 
 sequently, unable to give any opinion as to 
 its merits as a Sporting Work, or of its 
 general interest to the reader. Circum- 
 
6 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 stances, however, wKich would be uninter- 
 esting to the public, induced me some months 
 since to recur to the subject of the book in 
 question, which was most kindly forwarded 
 for my perusal. I therein found so much 
 excellent matter as regards the truest natural 
 history, and such thoroughly good sporting 
 notions, intermixed with so many amusing 
 anecdotes so well and so piquantly told, 
 that I humbly ventured to translate the 
 whole into English, with the assurance that 
 such portions of it as may not be acceptable 
 to the experienced sportsman as a matter of 
 interest, could not fail to be so to the inex- 
 perienced, who will gain therefrom abundant 
 and excellent information, from which he 
 will be enabled to put theory into practice. 
 To M. E. Blaze, who I sincerely trust still 
 lives and sports, I have only one apology to 
 make, viz. that my pen can scarcely convey 
 to the English reader a faithful opinion of 
 the merits or the ability with which this work 
 is written, inasmuch as it is almost impos- 
 sible for any translation to embrace the 
 numerous interesting anecdotes with which 
 
AND HIS DOG. 3 
 
 it abounds in the same witty and pleasing 
 style of which his own language admits. 
 The fact, however, of its having found a 
 translator who is most truly devoted to field 
 sports of every kind, and that that transla- 
 tion has been admitted among the pages of 
 the most widely-circulated sporting work in 
 the most sporting country of Europe, must 
 be a pleasing proof to him of the interest 
 and value of his work, and I have only to 
 add, in his own words : " Et ce n'est point 
 un livre ordinaire : il vous enseigne Tart de 
 vous amuser ; il vous donne un plaisir de 
 tous les jours ; la joie, le bonheur, la sante 
 dans ce monde, et par-dessus le marche la 
 vie eternelle dans 1'autre : c'est ce que je 
 vous souhais." 
 
THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 TAKING THE FIELD. 
 
 " Enfin ce jour pompeux, cet heureux jour nous duit." 
 
 CORNEILLE. 
 
 AT length the sun rises on the long 
 wished-for day : all is ready. The law 
 permits war against the partridges. The 
 hare, quiet in her form, which believed 
 itself in peace with man, will see that peace 
 was only a truce, which truce is ended. 
 Ah ! how many unfortunate partridges and 
 rabbits will this day quit the delightful shade 
 of the clover for the burning air of the 
 kitchen ! How many quails, on the wing 
 for Africa and Asia, will find their intentions 
 frustrated ! Alas, having fattened them- 
 selves, the better to withstand the chances 
 of the voyage, their plump and yellowed 
 breasts will serve to satisfy the sensuality of 
 gourmands ! God created them to be eaten 
 
AND HIS DOG. 5 
 
 at the second course, and they submit to 
 their destiny. Some, wanting taste, dare to 
 eat them at the first ; but I shall in a mo- 
 ment prove to them it is a grave error ; in 
 the meantime be careful not to imitate them. 
 
 An amiable philosopher, M. Anthony Des- 
 champs, put to me the following question : 
 " Do you believe that man is permitted to 
 kill a partridge ?" " Unquestionably," said 
 I, " in the shooting-season, having a license, 
 and on ground where none can dispute his 
 right." " You do not understand me : I ask 
 you if you believe that, notwithstanding the 
 three conditions you have named, man is 
 justified in destroy ing a partridge, an animal 
 which God has created ?" " Most undoubt- 
 edly : but on the condition that he eats it 
 also." " You believe, then, one may fear- 
 lessly eat a partridge ?" " Certainly, when 
 cooked to perfection." 
 
 Pythagore, bishop of St. Peter's, said 
 otherwise : I am aware of it ; so much the 
 worse for them ; they ought to be pitied. 
 Listen to me : I admit the dilemma : either 
 we ought to eat partridges, or they should 
 
 B2 
 
6 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 eat us ; that is the question from which you 
 cannot escape. As each year they have 
 fifteen or twenty young, remain ten years 
 without destroying them, and their numbers 
 will equal the wasps or mushrooms : then 
 adieu to your corn and oats, your barley and 
 your grapes. Therefore partridges must be 
 eaten, or horses be shot. Eat partridges, 
 those who love claret ; and, if only for the 
 simple reason that we cannot live without 
 bread, they must be eaten. 
 
 This right of eating partridges comes from 
 a higher power. God said to Noah, " You 
 shall be master of all the animals," (manui 
 vestrce traditi sunt), which means that the 
 animals are given to your hands, necessarily 
 that your hands should put them in your 
 mouth ; therefore, eat all you like. Man 
 was not made to feed on grass, his canine 
 teeth sufficiently prove it. 
 
 The Bishop of St. Peter's was a first-rate 
 fellow, but he had little taste in culinary 
 matters. Let the world talk, but eat on : 
 added to which one thing is positive, that if 
 all were listened to, none would be eaten. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 7 
 
 The moment your dog has discovered you 
 dressed in your shooting-jacket, and has 
 scented your gaiters, he is well prepared for 
 the events of the day. Behold the joy which 
 brightens in his eyes : he jumps, he rolls, 
 the earth flies from his paws : like the battle- 
 horse who hears the trumpet sound, nothing 
 equals his impatience. This picture is your 
 first delight. Start, then, for your dog will 
 be ill if you go not. 
 
 The most favourable hour to commence is 
 with the departure of the morning dew. 
 The herds are yet in their stable, and have 
 not disturbed the game. The scent of the 
 night is still fresh, and your dogs will find 
 it more readily. 
 
 If you go to your starting point on wheels, 
 never do so in'company with loaded guns : 
 when they are in question, a thousand pre- 
 cautions are not out of place. When you 
 arrive, then load as soon as you like. 
 
 If your gun have a detachable breech, 
 nothing is more simple than to introduce 
 your cartridge and prime it. There are also 
 self-priming guns made by Refaucheux and 
 
8 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 Reniger. But, concluding you to possess a 
 gun with a ramrod, it is necessary to load it. 
 
 Previous to undertaking this important 
 operation, it is indispensable to put half a 
 charge into each barrel, then fire it in the 
 air without wadding; this is termed " flash- 
 ing the gun." Should any little dirt have 
 introduced itself into the barrel, the explo- 
 sion will drive it out. Should it be too large 
 to escape, your gun will snap : then take off 
 the nipples, and recommence the operation. 
 Immediately after, without blowing into the 
 barrels (as some sportsmen have the bad 
 habit), introduce your charges of powder, one 
 in each side. If in the heat of action you 
 put two into the same barrel, this will easily 
 make itself evident by the height of the ram- 
 rods, as, having secured your wadding, it 
 will on one side naturally be higher than on 
 the other, when it will of course be neces- 
 sary to draw it. It is often dangerous to 
 fire a double charge ; and the least which 
 can result is a box on the ear, for which you 
 will only have to thank yourself. 
 
 Every sportsman has his own system with 
 
AND HIS DOG. tf 
 
 regard to the quantity of powder and shot 
 which he uses together. It would be a great 
 error to suppose that a stronger charge would 
 give one a greater chance of success. An 
 old proverb tells us it is as well to be " chiche 
 de poudre et large de plomb ;" and the 
 Spaniards repeat, " Poca polvera per digones 
 hasta la bocca." Nevertheless it is as well 
 to fall neither into one excess nor the other. 
 With regard to the powder, the state of the 
 atmosphere should influence your determi- 
 nation. It is as well that every one should 
 try his gun with different charges. That of 
 which the result is the most favourable at 
 forty paces will be found the best. When 
 you have successively tried every charge of 
 powder, with all degrees and quantities of 
 shot of different numbers, then select the 
 best. 
 
 Having previously made all these trials 
 and preparations, and found the exact por- 
 tion for the charge in your powder-flask, 
 charge your gun. Put a wad in each barrel, 
 and ram well down twice, as a soldier does 
 at his exercise. Nevertheless it is as well 
 
10 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 not to force your wadding too much, as the 
 powder overpressed does not so readily ignite, 
 and the recoil is stronger. Then pour in 
 your shot : fix it well on the wadding, either 
 by striking the but lightly on the ground, 
 or the top of the barrels with your hand ; 
 then ram home your other wadding, not 
 with too much force, but sufficiently to well 
 secure your shot. 
 
 Some sportsmen content themselves with 
 forcing the wadding on the top of the shot 
 without ramming it. In this they are wrong, 
 inasmuch as the slightest movement of the 
 gun from the weight of the shot may remove 
 the wad, and it escapes altogether. 
 
 At the commencement of the season you 
 may use No. 8 or No. 7 shot ; later, No. 5 
 and No. 6 ; and at the end, No. 4. The 
 smaller the shot the less it scatters, and the 
 less distance it carries. The ordinary dis- 
 tance for 7 and 8 is from twenty to thirty 
 paces ; from thirty to forty with 6 and 7 ; 
 and from forty to fifty, 5 and 6 ; from sixty 
 to seventy may be attained with No. 4. 
 There are occasions when you may kill at 
 
AND HIS DOG. 11 
 
 far greater distances than the above, but in 
 such case you must put it down for hazard 
 rather than certainty or good shooting. 
 Should you fire beyond the distances I have 
 named, let your sight be longer or higher; 
 this is necessary to obtain a chance of suc- 
 cess. We are not writing a philosophical 
 treatise, consequently I shall not submit to 
 you the laws which regulate the escape ot 
 the shot from the gun. Neither you nor I 
 having time to consider the causes, we must 
 content ourselves with the result. 
 
 The shot will be sure to scatter if it be not 
 of equal size, and round : it is therefore ne- 
 cessary to examine it well when you buy it. 
 When purchasing shot, should I hesitate in 
 regard to the number, I always buy the low- 
 est ; that is to say, the least shot, for it carries 
 the best. You miss frequently at a long shot, 
 but you are repaid at a fair distance. Be- 
 lieve me, the compensation is always to the 
 advantage of a sportsman. With deer-shot 
 a partridge may be killed at one hundred 
 and fifty paces, but thirty following will be 
 missed with it at twenty. Some sportsmen, 
 
12 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 to the number of which I belong, are in the 
 habit during the autumn of charging each 
 barrel with different-sized shot, taking the 
 near shot with one, the long with the other. 
 
 Be cautious not to put on the caps pre- 
 vious to loading your gun : this operation 
 should be performed afterwards. The cap 
 being fixed prevents the air forced down in 
 the loading from escaping, and the nipples 
 being filled with air do not admit of the 
 powder entering. Having fired a shot, take 
 the precaution not to let fall the hammer on 
 the side which you have not discharged, and 
 on all occasions when loading be careful to 
 hold the barrels as far as convenient from 
 your head. 
 
 Having loaded one barrel, never leave 
 your ramrod in the other. A single shot 
 may fix itself between the ramrod and the 
 barrel, thus preventing your withdrawing it. 
 This want of care once caused me to lose a 
 splendid day's shooting, and I returned alone 
 with an empty game-bag, 
 
 " Honteux comme un renard 
 Qu'une poule aurait pris." 
 
AND HIS DOG. 13 
 
 Should both your barrels be discharged, 
 always load them together. If, in order to 
 gain time, you load one only, it is possible 
 that several shot may fall into your empty 
 barrel, and thus, when you load it, your gun 
 may snap; which will necessitate your draw- 
 ing the charge, by which you will lose more 
 time than you have gained. 
 
 When you have only fired one barrel, it 
 may be as well to slip the ramrod into the 
 other, which will secure the wadding, as the 
 shaking caused by loading not unfrequently 
 loosens or displaces it, by which serious 
 accidents may be caused. 
 
 During the month of September, when 
 the weather is very warm, your barrels be- 
 come much heated after firing several shots : 
 you must then diminish the charge, which 
 nevertheless will have a greater effect than 
 the ordinary one in cold weather. If you do 
 not take this precaution, the violence of the 
 concussion will be so great that your gun will 
 of itself return to the half-cock. 
 
 The strength of the powder may be aug- 
 mented by the sun, which dries up all the 
 
 c 
 
14 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 damp particles. This principle once under- 
 stood, during wet weather it is as well to 
 increase the charge. 
 
 As a general rule, when you make use of 
 the drawing-rod, invariably take off your 
 caps ; it is not sufficient to lower your cocks: 
 at times the ramrod offers resistance : you 
 cannot withdraw it yourself: you call a friend 
 to your assistance one pulls the rod, the 
 other holds the gun. In this " pull devil, 
 pull baker" position, a twig or branch of 
 a tree touches the cock, and raises it to the 
 half-cock ; it requires scarcely as much to 
 fire it. 
 
 Having loaded, see that the powder has 
 well entered into the nipples. Should this 
 not be the case, shake in a few grains, put 
 on your caps, fix them well by letting down 
 your cocks : you are armed : move on. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 15 
 
 MAKE READY FIRE. 
 
 " Le chasseur prend son tube, image de tonnerre ; il 
 I'lleve au niveau de 1'oeil qui le conduit; le coup part, 
 1'eclair briUe, et la foudre le suit." DELILLE. 
 
 BUT I allow myself to be carried away 
 by my subject. As yet we have not fired 
 our first shot, and I have already detailed 
 accounts of well-filled game-bags, from 
 which dead partridges fall as billiard balls 
 rolling from the horn of abundance daubed 
 as the sign of a billiard-room. This digres- 
 sion, caused by some happy recollections, 
 will reanimate your hope, and you will for- 
 give me. 
 
 You have started, your dog precedes you, 
 a bird gets up unawares ; do not fire ; you 
 will miss it ; and a repetition of such events 
 will disgust your dog, who may possibly 
 leave you. 
 
16 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 One of my friends, inexperienced as he 
 was, begged me one day to lend him a 
 dog. Now you should lend neither your 
 wife, your horse, nor your dog ; but I, who 
 am blessed with a greatness of soul quite 
 uncommon, exhibited my magnanimity to 
 the extent of entrusting Medora to his care ; 
 the illustrious Medora, the best of dogs, 
 
 " Quo non preestantior alter," 
 
 to range, point, and bring fur or feather. 
 My friend started; an hour elapsed, when 
 Medora returned alone to his kennel. Soon 
 afterwards my sportsman arrived. " Your 
 dog left me." " I am aware of it ; he told 
 me you missed five or six shots running." 
 66 It is true." " By heaven, I was certain 
 of it. A dog hunts for his pleasure far 
 more so than for yours. Amuse him, then, 
 if you desire he should return the compli- 
 ment." 
 
 I have not forgotten that as yet you have 
 never shot either hares or partridges : wait 
 till your dog stands, it will not be long first. 
 Let him alone, do not talk to him ; follow 
 
AND HIS DOG. 17 
 
 in silence, he knows more than you do. 
 He is here there sinks then raises his 
 nose to seize the scent which the wind 
 conveys : he stops, his position hecomes 
 serious your game is not far off. The 
 dog reflects, calculates, advances with pre- 
 caution ; he chooses the spot, so as to place 
 his feet without noise, extends himself, and 
 points. 
 
 When you have had some experience, 
 you will ascertain from the position of your 
 dog the species of game to which he stands. 
 For a hare, the tail of the dog is generally 
 very stiff, and slightly curved towards the 
 end ; inclined and straight for a rahbit ; 
 a slight degree elevated and straight for a 
 quail; and, lastly, when very stiff, very 
 straight, and parallel with the horizon, it 
 is a partridge. For birds found in the 
 marshes, such as snipes and rails, the tail 
 of the dog makes slight movements from 
 right to left, which may be said to infer 
 uncertainty. 
 
 As yet, however, we have not arrived 
 at this crisis. Your heart beats with vio- 
 c2 
 
18 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 lence, your breast heaves, you breathe with 
 pain: do not choke, be calm: the weather 
 is hot the game will hold to the point 
 you have plenty of time. Assure yourself 
 in this manner : " The game is very near 
 me : in order that my shot may be effectual, 
 I should fire at thirty paces ; I have then 
 time to prepare and to take good aim." 
 Recollect, if you fire at fifteen paces, you 
 have less chance than at twenty-five or 
 thirty, as it is only at such a distance your 
 shot can have good effect; nearer it will 
 be too much balled. If you kill, you de- 
 stroy your bird, and moreover you must 
 take much better aim to touch it ; whereas 
 at thirty paces, should you fire below, or 
 even on the side, the bird will probably 
 fall. 
 
 All this thought over, reasoned on, and 
 calculated on, place yourself in such a 
 position as to prevent the sun shining in 
 your eyes ; when this precaution is not 
 taken, two disagreeable results are sure to 
 follow : the one, you invariably miss, or 
 you hit by chance ; added to which your 
 
AND HIS DOG. 19 
 
 eyes become so dazzled it requires some 
 time to recover yourself. All appears red 
 or blue, and the trees seem to dance before 
 you. A partridge takes the colours of a 
 parrot, and, without doubting your aim, 
 you fire three paces from it. 
 
 Good ! now you have turned your back 
 on the sun, advanced a foot, then two, the 
 game rises. Be prepared, place your gun 
 firm to the shoulder, take a steady aim, 
 and touch not your trigger till the bird is 
 in a straight line with your eye and the 
 sight. But, above all, do not be in a 
 hurry ; you have far more time than is 
 required : rather let it fly ten paces further 
 than fire by chance : you have missed your 
 first shot, increase your hope of the second 
 by a better aim. 
 
 Nothing falls : the game is off, unharmed 
 save by fear; your dog looks at you and 
 recommences his work. You missed both 
 shots because you were in too great a 
 hurry : your gun was not sufficiently firm 
 to the shoulder, which causes two serious 
 inconveniences ; it vibrates, and causes an 
 
20 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 uncertain shot, sent by chance through the 
 air, added to which the recoil gives you an 
 unpleasant blow. I perceive, also, that your 
 right cheek is a little red, which is disagree- 
 able, but it does not dishonour you. 
 
 Recollect, in order to be well prepared, 
 you should elevate your right arm as much 
 as possible without inconvenience, the elbow 
 being more elevated than the shoulder ; the 
 result is that the hollow or the but of the 
 gun rests there, finding a better support than 
 were the elbow lower. For one shot which 
 you miss from having fired too late, there 
 are twenty so missed from firing too soon. 
 Shots are also often missed from a desire 
 to see too much of your game ; that is to 
 say, you obtain too good a sight, and fire 
 above it. You should aim at the centre of 
 your bird, and never see more than half of 
 it when you pull the trigger. 
 
 Walk on: commence again, recollect 
 your lesson, and if you follow it only once 
 a fine partridge will repay you. 
 
 I did not deceive myself: down goes one ; 
 you are all alive your dog runs for it. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 21 
 
 " Bring !" ought to be your only call your 
 only word. He well knows that his busi- 
 ness is to bring it ; but in order that he 
 should not forget his duty, remind him 
 always. At the same time mark down 
 the rest of the covey we must look for 
 them. 
 
 Having your bird safe, caress your dog 
 both with the voice and the hand. This 
 animal is most sensible of kindness, as also 
 of chastisement. He should remain at your 
 feet while you load. If you allow him to 
 range at will, he will put your game up 
 when you are not there to shoot it. When 
 I say your dog should remain at your feet, 
 I do not infer that he should approach or 
 caress you : these endearments may cause a 
 shot which remains for you to rise, and 
 more than one sportsman has regretted the 
 neglect of this precaution. 
 
 Young sportsmen have at times the de- 
 testable habit of firing both barrels at once 
 into a covey of partridges which rise under 
 their feet, and that without taking aim. 
 I have even seen those who were in such a 
 
22 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 hurry that the ends of their barrels were 
 actually close to the birds. This habit is 
 vicious, blameable, and abominable : it is 
 the surest manner not to kill, but possibly 
 to wound several, who die far off, or are 
 the prey to vermin. Having once suc- 
 ceeded in killing, and having picked up 
 three or four birds with one shot, they 
 hope to succeed again ; but you may bet 
 ten to one that in firing this way you will 
 kill nothing. 
 
 A good sportsman selects a right and 
 left shot in the covey, probably two sepa- 
 rated from the otLers ; aims at one, then 
 the other, kills them both, and lets the 
 others off, with the intention of meeting 
 them again 
 
 " Je vous en avertis, 
 Vous viendrez toutes au logis." 
 
 And it is not without the best intention that 
 I advise your aiming at the birds separated 
 from the covey. If you fire at those in 
 the centre, their neighbours may go off 
 wounded. At all times, when two birds 
 cross, it is as well to fire at their meeting 
 
AND HIS DOG. 23 
 
 point, if they have not met ; or, if you 
 discover their mutual intention of approach, 
 keep your eye on the void which separates 
 them, and the moment they meet pull your 
 Irigger: thus I have killed doubly-double 
 shots. But this is a rare occurrence, only 
 such as arrives on fortunate days, such as 
 the Romans noted with a " white stone." 
 
 In sporting, as at ecarte, or any other 
 game of chance, you may have your good 
 luck and your bad on some days every 
 thing goes well, on others quite the con- 
 trary. 
 
 Be satisfied with the consequences with- 
 out desiring to divine the cause. Besides, 
 we are not likely to discover it it is one 
 of the thousand riddles of the world. 
 
 Continue your walk. Here we are in a 
 field of potatoes your dog ranges actively: 
 all at once he stands firm, his nose straight, 
 his paw elevated ; he remains like a statue, 
 in the position he had when moving. His 
 tail is stiff, a trifle arched below ; his seri- 
 ousness is imperturbable ; he is altogether 
 at his work, be you at yours. 
 
24 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 Every thing denotes a hare : look be- 
 neath that tuft, she is on her form there, 
 and safe from the rays of the sun ; she has 
 chosen the best position for shade and com- 
 fort she never dreamt of a gun. Un- 
 questionably you might destroy her point 
 blank ; but we are sporting, not committing 
 murder : moreover it is a question of learn- 
 ing, and not the desire of having a hare in 
 your bag. By and bye I will explain to you 
 the circumstances which may permit you to 
 fire under the nose of your dog. 
 
 Walk on: the hare starts; aim well, 
 and fire, but not in a hurry. Allow your 
 dog to do his work : should the hare be 
 wounded, her pace will be retarded, she 
 will be taken ; if not, your dog will return 
 when satisfied that pursuit is useless. 
 
 When a hare runs straight, your aim 
 should be between the ears when you touch 
 the trigger ; if not, you run a risk of 
 wounding or missing her. A sportsman 
 should not satisfy himself with breaking 
 the leg of a hare or the wing of a partridge : 
 when he has a fair shot, his game should be 
 
AND HIS DOG. 25 
 
 dead. At a long shot it is another question : 
 it is then excusable to wing a partridge or 
 wound a hare. 
 
 When a quail is on the wing, then 
 more patience is required. The quail flies 
 straight, and more slow than a partridge. 
 When it rises, you have time to take a 
 pinch of snuff and kill it; you must even 
 be careful not to fire the moment you are 
 ready, or have taken aim, or your bird will 
 be destroyed. Let him fly, and do not fire 
 less than twenty-five or thirty paces off. A 
 good shot never misses a quail which rises 
 from the point of his dog. This is the pons 
 asinorum of the sportsman. 
 
 As for a rabbit, it is far more difficult. 
 They start from bushes, do not run straight, 
 but make many zigzags, and it requires 
 much practice to knock them over well 
 without a good aim, and I will pardon you 
 all the shots you may miss. But the bush- 
 rail, the king of quails, which rises at your 
 feet, stretches out his long hanging legs, 
 and gives you all necessary time, the ease 
 with which these good and innocent birds 
 
26 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 are killed, always leaves me in surprise 
 that any remain. 
 
 The pheasant rises majestically he shows 
 a bold front to your aim ; but the noise 
 which he makes astonishes those who are 
 not accustomed to it. Beginners always 
 miss them : they hurry too much they 
 lose their heads, and, really, not without 
 excuse. You must recollect that his tail is 
 not a portion of the animal, and that the 
 rear-guard often saves an army. 
 
 This lesson often repeated will bring you 
 by and bye to the best results. Practice will 
 do the rest : soon with much coolness you 
 will see your dog at the point, a hare will 
 start, a partridge will rise, but the pleasure 
 will be always the same. And tell me if, in 
 regard to all other things, you can say the 
 same? 
 
AND HIS DOG. 27 
 
 THE MORE HASTE THE LESS 
 SPEED. 
 
 " Mon chien bondit, s'ecarte et suit avec ardeur 
 L'oiseau dont les zephirs vont lui porter 1'odeur : 
 II s'approche, il le voir, transporte mais docile, 
 II me regarde alors et demeure immobile. 
 J'avance, 1'oiseau part, le plomb que 1'oeil conduit 
 Le frappe dans les airs au moment qu'il s'enfuit ; 
 II tourne en expirant sur ses ailes tremblantes, 
 Et le chemin est jonche de ses plumes sanglantes." 
 
 YESTERDAY you killed a partridge ; little, 
 you will say, for the first day. It is much 
 if you took good aim at it, and were not 
 assisted by chance. Let us begin again : 
 from the haste with which you have risen 
 this morning, and the care which you have 
 taken to prepare all your appointments, I 
 see you wish for nothing better ; you have 
 the desire, which is necessary to succeed in 
 all things. 
 
 Let us walk at forty or fifty paces one 
 
28 
 
 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 from the other, but in the same line, that 
 our dogs may beat, without stopping, the 
 space which separates us : should any game 
 rise suddenly, let nothing take off your at- 
 tention fire! to-day you ought to be 
 inured. Be all eyes and ears in walking, 
 as ready as you were yesterday when your 
 dog was at the point ; always thinking that 
 a bird is about to rise, always prepared to 
 fire. 
 
 You will miss frequently, but I am there 
 to back you ; and our dogs will return with 
 something in their jaws. 
 
 Look at this partridge I have just killed ; 
 you ought to have saved me the trouble, as 
 it rose under your feet. You fired too soon 
 your gun was not well to the shoulder : 
 had you hit your game it would have been 
 destroyed, it was only ten paces from you 
 when you touched the trigger. 
 
 I have already warned you not to be in a 
 hurry I shall repeat it to you unceasingly. 
 A young beginner should be preceded by a 
 man carrying a board on his back, on 
 which is written in large letters, " Do not 
 
AND HIS DOG. 29 
 
 hurry." It often occurs to me that he 
 would be of much service. 
 
 You may tell me this does not always 
 depend on yourself such is possible. I 
 am aware that a partridge may cause the 
 best resolutions to vanish. You lose your 
 head this I can understand. Listen to me, 
 I will give you some good advice. Do not 
 load your gun : when your game rises, 
 place yourself in position, aim well at it, 
 follow it with your eye ; you are certain not 
 to kill it, consequently you can act with 
 coolness. When you have your bird well 
 at the end of your barrels, fire the cap. 
 Do this during several days ; then load 
 your gun with powder only, and begin 
 again. The conviction that nothing can 
 fall to your shot will soon accustom you to 
 fire with a more dangerous weapon, and 
 you will not have to regret the result. I 
 know some excellent shots who served this 
 apprenticeship. 
 
 Unquestionably it is no agreeable recre- 
 ation to walk over fields with an unloaded 
 gun. A sportsman thus equipped may be 
 
 D2 
 
30 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 compared to a life-guardsman armed with a 
 harlequin's wand ; but if you hurry again I 
 shall be obliged to come to this extremity. 
 No imprudence. Let your lock down on 
 the cap : had I not been with you your 
 right hand would have been in danger, and 
 probably your face. I am aware you have 
 two hands, but, recollect, only one head. 
 
 The whole secret of arms is in giving 
 without ever receiving. This is what I was 
 one day told by my fencing-master, M. 
 Sourdain that is to say, do not accept 
 yourself the load reserved for the partridges. 
 If a gun goes off on my side, pay no atten- 
 tion to it ; as I offer a larger surface, I can 
 receive the shot : in which case, farewell my 
 lesson ; it is for your interest I speak. 
 
 Good ! now you go into another extreme : 
 instead of hurrying, you do not fire at all. 
 That partridge at which you aimed was not 
 too far off, never was bird at a better 
 distance. I was glad to see your barrels 
 follow it in the air, but I desired a result 
 more was wanted, you should have finished 
 by killing it. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 31 
 
 You saw that covey of partridges which 
 have just alighted in the clover: move on, 
 take the wind, and as we walk listen to me. 
 The covey are in force. The captain and 
 lieutenant are at their head; that is to say, 
 the old birds are there to direct the 
 manoeuvres of the young ones. Let us 
 commence with the former : once deprived 
 of their leaders, the soldiers will disband ; 
 those fellows give them bad advice. Our 
 dogs are about to stand : it is hot, and the 
 birds will hold. At the commencement 
 you will aim at the old bird which rises on 
 your side. If you kill it, fire your second 
 barrel at another; if not, another shot at 
 him. Above all do not fire at chance aim 
 well ; do not be in a hurry, arid fire. This 
 is the time to show courage. Recruits are 
 frightened at the first cannon shot. 
 
 The noise made by a covey of partridges 
 rising at your feet has far more effect on 
 the nerves. Do not laugh, you will soon 
 tell me some news of them. I, with all my 
 experience, am not even yet quite cool. 
 My respiration becomes painful, and I al- 
 
32 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 ways feel glad when the crisis is over. 
 Walk on in silence. 
 
 Bravo! two birds at one shot, two par- 
 tridges crossing one another, the point of 
 meeting admirably seized. Young man, 
 you may be satisfied. A bright future 
 opens for you. I see an uninterrupted suc- 
 cession of well-filled game-bags. That shot 
 shows me you will be a sportsman. In such 
 manner Buonaparte, before Toulon, an- 
 nounced to the world Napoleon of Aus- 
 terlitz. 
 
 Do not run to find your birds ; allow 
 your dog to do his work ; it is his duty 
 to bring them it is his pleasure rather. 
 Look where the others have gone. Well ! 
 two in the sainfoin, one in the stubble, the 
 remainder in the hedge-row. We will pay 
 them a visit ; each shall have his turn, they 
 shall lose nothing by waiting. 
 
 Begin by the single bird. A partridge 
 alone is a dead partridge. When they are 
 in covey, some look out, others listen, and 
 the fear of harm tells them of the harm 
 they fear : they are off before the danger 
 
AND HIS DOG. 33 
 
 arrives. A single bird down does not move, 
 but allows the dog to stand to it. You 
 must understand, however, that such are 
 among the number that have not already 
 been fired at : when they have, they be- 
 come more wary ; nevertheless, at all times, 
 a single bird is far more easy to kill than 
 when in company. 
 
 After those which we have seen drop in 
 the stubble, we will take a look for those 
 in the clover, and thence to the hedge-row. 
 In fact, we will follow them as long as any 
 remain, or, at least, as long as we can find 
 them on our own ground. 
 
 You have fired into the hedge-row, your 
 dog seeks a fallen bird and finds it not; 
 the partridge is not dead, but has only a 
 broken wing, and he runs. He is incum- 
 bered, in which manner he often gets far 
 away : you must then take your dog to the 
 place where the game has fallen ; let him 
 scent the spot, saying to him, "Seek, seek ! 
 bring it!" and the moment you are certain, 
 by his precipitate movements, that he is on 
 a right scent, let him do his work, and do 
 
34 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 not interrupt him. If you walk after him 
 you may, perhaps, put up other game ; and 
 if you fire, the noise of your gun will bring 
 back your dog, who will no longer listen to 
 your voice. 
 
 Soon you will see him return, all joy, 
 with a living bird in his mouth: then is 
 the time to caress him, flatter him, and say 
 pretty things to him ; he will understand 
 them well, and you will be repaid. His 
 tongue is powerless, I am aware, but his 
 tail possesses an eloquence which many 
 R. A.'s may covet. 
 
 Yet if the ground is dry, the weather 
 very hot, the nose of the dog has no longer 
 that extreme nicety of smell which he pos- 
 sesses when the weather is fresh. The sun 
 absorbs the scent of a partridge, and your 
 game is lost ; do not blame your dog : it is 
 not his fault ; he is more taken in than you. 
 
 There is still another way of finding your 
 bird. When returning in the evening pass 
 by the spot where you wounded it : it is 
 probable he may have rejoined his com- 
 panions, who are not far off. He is in their 
 
AND HIS DOG. 35 
 
 centre ; each one tells of the fatigues and 
 dangers they have encountered : his is the 
 longest story, who has left several feathers 
 of his wing in the battle, which he survived 
 by flying. 
 
 Approach the covey ; fire, or do not fire : 
 those who are well will be off, but the 
 wounded one will remain : let your dog find 
 him, he will soon be a prisoner. 
 
 On every occasion that I pass by a spot 
 from which I have seen a covey of birds 
 rise, I wait a moment, and cause my dog to 
 hunt ; and often, above all in the com- 
 mencement of the season, I glean some- 
 thing. These are little profits which ought 
 not to be neglected. 
 
 All that I have said in reference to part- 
 ridge shooting applies to the quail, the hare, 
 and the rabbit. The lesson resolves itself 
 into this : place your gun well to the 
 shoulder, take good aim, and fire without 
 being in a hurry. In the chapters that we 
 shall devote for each species of game, I will 
 endeavour to explain all the modifications 
 relative to firing under every circumstance. 
 
36 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 An essential habit, which ought to be 
 observed when one follows with the barrel, 
 as regards crossing game, whether on the 
 wing or running, is not to hesitate at the 
 moment of firing, as neither a hare nor a 
 partridge will stop, and consequently you 
 fire behind them. It is, therefore, neces- 
 sary to accustom the hand to follow your 
 game with a uniform movement : this is 
 indispensable to become a good shot. 
 
 In shooting often you become a good 
 shot practice will soon accustom you to 
 see a bird rise suddenly with coolness ; you 
 will no longer be in a hurry, and firing 
 without hesitation your bird will fall into 
 the jaws of your dog, without your being 
 able to explain to yourself how such an 
 operation was effected. 
 
 The prompt shot at game which gets up 
 at a long distance in a wood is often very 
 extraordinary ; one has only a second or 
 two to make ready and fire : a moment 
 longer, and your object would have been 
 out of sight. Very well ! This calculation 
 is made by the glance of the eye ; your gun 
 
AND HIS DOG. 37 
 
 to the shoulder, the shot is fired and your 
 bird dead. Practice has done all : your 
 arm, your eye, your finger, have obeyed, 
 you not how or why. A mechanical move- 
 ment has operated. This object you have 
 achieved the moment you conceived it. 
 When you desire to write a note, you write 
 it ; this appears simple enough. Neverthe- 
 less, how many thoughts are required to 
 write this word ! In the first place, thought 
 must conceive it ; the letters which com- 
 pose it are presented to you in their natural 
 order ; you have written one after another, 
 with their accents, their turns, their points, 
 their apostrophes all this is done without 
 calculation mechanically, and the word is 
 written. 
 
 There are those, to practise themselves in 
 partridge-shooting, who shoot owls in the 
 day-time : it is a useless murder murder, 
 because the owl only does good in eating 
 the millions of insects which devour us ; 
 useless, because you may shoot fifty owls 
 following and miss all the partridges you 
 find. That which constitutes a good sports- 
 
 E 
 
38 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 man is quickness of action : this prompti- 
 tude, this certain glance of the eye, which 
 causes him to seize the occasion in a hair's- 
 breadth the occasion once lost which may 
 never again be found. The Romans repre- 
 sent it running on the edge of a razor and 
 flying as a bird. 
 
 " Cursu volucri, pendens in novacula." 
 
 They had reason : the partridge, the quail, 
 all species of game, resemble it. You must 
 take advantage of the moment, once gone, 
 never to return. In like manner can 
 shooting owls be like that of game ? They 
 go, they come, they come again a hundred 
 times a thousand : you take your time, 
 you aim, you fire only when they are at the 
 end of your gun. You select the moment, 
 and this moment lost, returns in a minute. 
 You may have better practice by throwing 
 up sparrows from your hand and firing at 
 them in the air. 
 
 As with partridges, you must select your 
 time and it will cause you no inconveni- 
 ence to destroy a few of these really quarrel- 
 

 AND HIS DOG. 39 
 
 some birds but as regards the owl it is 
 positively a crime to kill them. 
 
 Nevertheless, a sportsman may hit many 
 a sparrow and miss a partridge, though 
 they show a better front. The noise which 
 the latter make when rising astonishes and 
 unnerves, and some time is required to 
 accustom yourself to it ; and we know that 
 a young actor who plays well at rehearsals 
 loses his head or forgets himself before a 
 paying pit. 
 
40 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 THE WIND AND THE WALK. 
 
 " Pour etre bon chasseur, il ne s'agit pas seulement de savoir 
 bien tirer, il faut encore savoir bien chasser." 
 
 BEGIN by taking the wind ; that is to say, 
 should it blow from the north, walk toward 
 the north ; if from the south, to the south : 
 you will soon find the disadvantages of not 
 following this method. Two great annoy- 
 ances will be caused therefrom : the game 
 will hear the noise of your footsteps, and 
 your dog will hunt without scent. The 
 contrary will be the case if you feel a slight 
 breeze in your face. This conveys to the 
 nose of your dog the peculiar scents which 
 emanate from the hare or the partridge. 
 Like the miner who follows in the earth 
 a vein of ore, the dog follows this line of 
 ^visible atoms, and traces out your path. 
 
 It is not the distance you walk, but the 
 manner in which you seek your game which 
 
AND HIS DOG. 41 
 
 secures sport. Explore all your ground: 
 leave none untried. 
 
 You have beaten with a good wind a field 
 of lucerne : should another join, do not com- 
 mence it without taking the wind : rather 
 return to that you have tried, in order to 
 commence the new one with the wind in 
 your favour. These marches and counter- 
 marches are always necessary, and often 
 very useful : the hare, which has not moved 
 the first time, starts on the second, and your 
 trouble is repaid. When the field is large 
 and long, take it at your ease, lengthways, 
 returning always over the ground you have 
 beaten, as it is useless to walk over your 
 
 fields save you have the wind. 
 
 You may also cross and recross the field : 
 
 in such cases you have always a side-wind. 
 
 Where you have plenty of shooting ground, 
 
 adopt this plan ; if on the contrary, do not 
 
 follow it. 
 
 In the latter case, you must economise, 
 
 and not waste. Stop from time to time ; 
 
 be all eyes and ears. A sportsman who is 
 
 always on the move may walk ten times 
 
42 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 over a hare without its moving. The 
 regular movement of his steps is far from 
 frightening it ; but let him stop, and it is off 
 at once. One can readily understand the 
 calculation of a hare, that is to say, if a hare 
 calculates. I believe it, inasmuch as La 
 Fontaine says they dream. " The first 
 steps have done me no harm, neither have 
 the second ; the others will perhaps have 
 the same result : " thus reasons the hare. 
 " They have walked, but I have received 
 no ill : they do not see me. I will remain 
 on my form : but they stop ; I am then dis- 
 covered. I was all right as long as they 
 were on the move, not so when they stop." 
 And away she goes. 
 
 You must not always rely on the nose 
 of your dog: circumstances have occurred 
 when the very best have passed near a hare 
 without scenting it : for example, when the 
 weather is very hot or dry ; if your dog has 
 not had water for some time ; if you are 
 shooting in flowery clover or sainfoin in 
 this case the perfume which the flowers 
 exhale neutralises the scent of the game ; 
 
AND HIS DOG. 43 
 
 when the slightest wind blows in a contrary 
 direction at the moment that the dog passes 
 near the hare : such have occurred to me ; 
 I have shot one after having beaten a field 
 three times, although I had passed so near 
 it that the prints of my feet were actually 
 within a few inches of his nose. I question 
 whether he was not in a devil of a fright. 
 
 When walking with a loaded gun, your 
 hand should be on the small of the arm, 
 and never near the triggers. A stone may 
 cause you to make a false step, and off it 
 goes ; and it is as well to carry your barrels 
 always slightly elevated, in order that your 
 neighbours may not suffer from any such 
 misfortune. Your gun should form an angle 
 of forty-five degrees with the horizon. 
 
 If I endeavour to give you advice profitable 
 to your companions, understand them not the 
 less in reference to yourself. 
 
 Be careful of young sportsmen. If you 
 walk with them, place yourself rather in 
 the rear than in the front. These young- 
 sters sometimes lose their heads at the sight 
 of a partridge ; a hare causes them a giddi- 
 
44 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 ness; and a pheasant throws them into 
 convulsions. 
 
 They fire always with little care, how or 
 where : this is not agreeable to their neigh- 
 bours ; it is as well to be out of shot. As 
 for myself, I never shoot so well as when I 
 am alone. In company it is necessary to 
 give attention to others, both for them as 
 for one's self. If a bird rises, all wish to kill 
 it; all are in a hurry, and all miss it. I 
 have thus seen several shots fired at a hare, 
 which has gone off none the worse. 
 
 He who walks most sees the most game. 
 But you must walk well and with spirit ; 
 not saunter over the fields, uselessly fright- 
 ening hares and partridges, and sending 
 them on the property of your neighbour, 
 where you cannot follow them. 
 
 A good sportsman, like an able general, 
 studies his field of battle ; the moment he 
 has discovered his fields of clover or of 
 wheat-stubble and fallow, his plan is 
 formed ; he already knows the shots he 
 is likely to fire from the position of his 
 ground : his eagle-eye has shown him the 
 
AND HIS DOG. 45 
 
 advantage he is likely to derive from the 
 immense potato-ground which will form 
 the base of his operations. He shoots in 
 a circumference towards the centre, pene- 
 trates the wood when it is well filled, and 
 expels the game from the woods again into 
 the open. 
 
 Imitate this sportsman, and each of his 
 manoeuvres will aid to fill your game-bag: 
 quails and partridges will fall therein at 
 every step : their agreeable weight will 
 finish by being unpleasant, and will hasten 
 your return. 
 
 Recollect a little the pleasure which this 
 game has afforded you : first, in finding it ; 
 secondly, when it was found ; thirdly, when 
 the point of your dog has caused your heart 
 to beat, and given you those delightful emo- 
 tions which a sportsman alone can appre- 
 ciate; fourthly, when you have fired and 
 brought down your bird ; fifthly, when your 
 well-trained dog lays it at your feet ; sixthly, 
 when you have felt its weight on your back, 
 as nothing is heavier than an empty game- 
 bag ; seventhly, on your return home, when 
 
46 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 you proudly exhibit the amount of your 
 success ; and that your he-cook for, alas ! 
 I have only a she-cook admiring the hares, 
 partridges, quails, and rabbits, meditates a 
 sauce or prophesies a " gibelotte," prepares 
 the bacon to lard the one, or cabbage for 
 the other. 
 
 His experienced eye never deceives him. 
 The quails are for the next day. The 
 partridges will succeed them ; and then 
 come the hares and rabbits. As for the 
 pheasants oh, for the pheasants! you 
 must wait awhile : this is a subject which 
 we must study and meditate on. It is 
 necessary to consult the atmosphere, if it 
 is hot or cold, if the wind blows from the 
 north or south ; these observations, made 
 with thought, determine the day when the 
 pheasant will embalm your dining-room 
 with its delicious odour. Recollect, that a 
 pheasant, killed the day previous, is not 
 worth a fowl. Savarin decided this, and 
 who has ever discussed the question with 
 more grace, science, and amiability? 
 
 All these culinary preparations will furnish 
 
AND HIS DOG. 47 
 
 your eight delights. Some sportsmen think 
 little of the latter ; I by no means agree with 
 them. As regards myself, I can appreciate 
 all things, and take advantage of the few 
 joys allotted to man as I find them. This 
 system generally answers, and I am toler- 
 ably well : imitate me, and when I have 
 the pleasure of meeting you we will com- 
 pare notes. 
 
48 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 THE HARE. 
 
 " Lievre je suis de petite stature, 
 
 Donnant plaisir aux nobles et gentils ; 
 D'etre 16ger, vite de nature, 
 
 Sur tout reste on me donne le prix." 
 
 Du FOUILLEUX. 
 
 THE hare is sufficiently known by all the 
 world ; it is, therefore, scarcely necessary 
 that I should amuse myself by giving a 
 description, forasmuch as I am not writing 
 a book on Natural History. 
 
 This animal breeds the first year : the 
 female generally gives birth to two young, 
 sometimes three, and even four. In the 
 month of March, and even in February, as 
 soon as the mild influences of spring are 
 felt, the bucks pursue the females with 
 incredible desire ; their passion amounts 
 even to rage, which causes among them 
 such bloody battles as even to terminate 
 
AND HIS DOG. 49 
 
 by death. On one occasion I passed by 
 the battle-field of two of these gentlemen, 
 and saw with a shudder the fur of a hare 
 scattered in the sun in sufficient quantity 
 to make a muff; here and there traces of 
 blood ; the end of an ear torn by teeth 
 only made to nip the grass : farther on a 
 still breathing body. " See the dangerous 
 effects of love," said I to my cook, " and 
 make me a good sauce." 
 
 The first leverets are littered in February, 
 the last in September. Should you find a 
 hare to-day, if he be not chased by your 
 dog, come to-morrow and you will find her 
 near the same spot, or within two hundred 
 yards. Should you kill a leveret marked 
 on the forehead with a white star, seek 
 again in the same place ; her brother will 
 not be far off. A leveret born alone has 
 no mark. 
 
 The destiny of a hare is a strange one 
 an enemy to none, yet are all the world its 
 enemies the wolf, the fox, birds of 
 prey, man, and even the rabbit. The 
 rabbit, risking the same dangers, yet seeks 
 
50 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 to quarrel with her. Unfortunate ! live in 
 peace ! the coverts are large enough, herbs 
 are sufficiently abundant for both : be 
 brothers from habit as you are from re- 
 semblance, inasmuch as your lot is the 
 same, for the only difference I find between 
 you is when on the table. If the hare has 
 many enemies, she may always reckon kings 
 among her protectors. In all countries 
 there have been innumerable laws made in 
 her favour ; the sovereigns of all nations 
 have signed them by dozens. How often 
 have serious affairs been neglected for those 
 having reference to hares! But these high 
 protections were similar to those of a 
 butcher protecting his sheep from a wolf. 
 Lady Morgan, who was at times in error 
 when speaking of France, spoke truly when 
 she said that we estimated the life of a hare 
 to that of the liberty of man. 
 
 When the weather is hot, the hare is 
 almost always found on the borders of a 
 clover-field, potato-field, or of covert, what- 
 ever it may be, where it is sure of protec- 
 tion from the rays of the sun. In winter, 
 
AND HIS DOG. 51 
 
 on the contrary, she places herself in its 
 heat, always exposed to the wind, on a 
 bank, or in a fallow field. She selects 
 any place of her own colour ; she scratches 
 the earth, and makes a form always in 
 proportion to her size ; and there this esti- 
 mable animal sleeps; but she sleeps with 
 her eyes and ears open. The hare, endowed 
 with an extremely fine sense of hearing, 
 passes her life in one continual fear. She 
 starts with an extreme speed ; her front 
 legs, shorter than the hind ones, give her 
 greater facility in ascending than descend- 
 ing ; it is as well, therefore, when with 
 other shooters, to select the most elevated 
 ground, for she is sure to take that direc- 
 tion. 
 
 It is rare that a hare takes the same form 
 two days running : she makes a fresh one 
 each morning. This animal has much dis- 
 like to dew ; she fears to wet either her feet 
 or skin ; for this reason she seeks for the 
 cleanest and driest spots. Through woods 
 and hedgerows she makes a path, which she 
 always follows ; should she find in that 
 
52 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 path any root or thorns, she gnaws them 
 with her teeth. With a glance of an eye 
 a sportsman will assure himself of the usual 
 track of a hare. 
 
 It is easy to discover the sex of a hare 
 on its form ; the buck always keeps his 
 ears close and firm to the side of the head ; 
 the doe, on the contrary, keeps them open 
 and enlarged on both sides. 
 
 " Indivisa jacet mediis quando auris in armis, 
 I lie tibi mas sit : quando utraque pendet 
 Utriusque foemina." 
 
 The Abbe Daries, of Carniol, in the 
 Basses Alpes, was a great sportsman. One 
 day, at the moment of proceeding to his 
 clerical duties, a peasant came to say that 
 he knew of a hare on her form. The Abbe 
 hastened through his service, and quitting 
 his church took his gun. Arrived near 
 the hare, the shooter said to his guide, 
 " Turn her up ; I do not murder my game." 
 The hare is started, the Abbe takes aim, 
 but fires not ; the peasant is astonished. 
 "Fool!" said the sportsman, "do you not 
 see it is a doe, and she is heavy ?" In the 
 
AND HIS DOG. 53 
 
 same circumstances I entreat all sportsmen 
 to follow the Abbe's example. 
 
 The hare does not see well before her : 
 if she comes towards you, do not move, 
 she will pass between your legs. A hare 
 chased by my dogs, and wishing to escape 
 from a garden, broke her skull against 
 the fence through which she was about to 
 enter. 
 
 I have often seen during a campaign 
 three or four regiments disperse spon- 
 taneously, and, forming a large circle, sur- 
 round an unfortunate hare ; ten thousand 
 men, many shouting, mixed like a swarm 
 of bees at once. The hare being secured, 
 each returning to his ranks, nothing more 
 was seen but the poor hare hanging to a 
 knapsack awaiting the night's bivouac, when 
 the cook of the squadron transformed it into 
 a savoury stew. 
 
 At the moment of being put up, the hare 
 starts instantly, goes far, and does not stop 
 until she has placed a considerable distance 
 between herself and her pursuers. Never- 
 theless, it often occurs that she squats when 
 
 F2 
 
54 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 passing through a covert. In such case, 
 she makes no form ; grass or herbs cover 
 all that is necessary to hide her from your 
 eyes. 
 
 The leveret is generally found in the 
 centre of a clover-field, a potato, or a beet- 
 root field, instead of being found on its 
 borders. She has less confidence than the 
 hare in the fleetness of her legs ; she fears 
 giving advantage to the dog ; and instead 
 of taking a direct course, she hides, stops 
 often, changes her place without quitting 
 the covert, from which she never breaks 
 until the shooter is at the other extremity. 
 From such reasons I conclude a hare 
 should be sought on the borders, a leveret 
 in the centre. 
 
 When a fresh form is discovered, or one 
 that has been recently occupied ; when the 
 earth has been lightly scratched ; when your 
 dog makes false points, it is certain a hare 
 has been there, close to you, and is possibly 
 squatted behind a tuft of grass : walk, look 
 out, listen, but do not speak. 
 
 The hare always follows a path, therefore 
 
AND HIS DOG. 55 
 
 when your dog enters a wood, a hare is up, 
 and he follows her ; place yourself at the 
 spot where several runs cross, and be 
 assured the hare will pass you. This ani- 
 mal makes but one cry in life, and that is 
 when dying. When she finds herself taken 
 by man or a dog, it is the cry of the swan, 
 a most harmonious song to a sportsman. 
 Having fired in a wood with uncertainty as 
 to the result of your shot, this cry gives you 
 an assurance of success, soon confirmed by 
 the arrival of your dog, who brings the hare 
 in his mouth. 
 
 The hare has much cunning : she swims 
 well ; followed by hounds, she will even 
 cross a river. I have killed the finest and 
 oldest of hares between the branches of a 
 willow, she being squatted there to deceive 
 the dogs. 
 
 Should snow have fallen during the night, 
 hares are very easily found : you may follow 
 their tracks, which lead you to the form. 
 This, however, is only successful on the first 
 day, inasmuch as on the second there is 
 crossing and recrossing, destroying the pos- 
 
66 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 sibility of so unsportsmanlike a manoeuvre. 
 A hare will frequently cross and recross her 
 own track solely to destroy it ; she will then 
 make a jump often paces, and lying closely 
 down, will keep herself concealed. 
 
 The snow is a period of destruction and 
 terror to hares : the poachers destroy them 
 in incredible numbers. At the same time 
 a true sportsman is not desirous of snow ; 
 he looks on it as a calamity, inasmuch as 
 after a severe winter he finds, in the follow- 
 ing September, an enormous reduction in 
 the number of this game. 
 
 After a white frost, or when snow has 
 fallen and the sun shines brightly, an expe- 
 rienced eye will discover afar off a slight 
 smoke issuing from the earth : it is the 
 evaporation from a hare's form ; it is the 
 vapour which is thrown from her body after 
 running ; it is a chimney in miniature. In 
 order to discover this smoke, the sun should 
 shine in your face ; it will otherwise not be 
 observed. In this instance, as in all others, 
 when you know a hare to be on her form, do 
 not walk up to her quietly, with a hope of sur- 
 
AND HIS DOG. 5? 
 
 prising her, as the hare is always listening, 
 and the more precaution you take, the more 
 surely she will deceive you. On the con- 
 trary, you should walk up to her quickly, 
 describing a circle as you approach, which 
 you lessen as you come nearer. You should 
 sing if you be alone, talk loudly if with 
 companions, and have the air of going on 
 your way merrily. The hare believes you 
 unoccupied with her affairs, and remains at 
 home. 
 
 On all occasions when you traverse a fal- 
 low or a stubble, and that you observe a 
 slight protuberance, you should approach 
 to see if it be not a hare on her form. You 
 may often take many useless steps ; you 
 will often be disappointed by a clod of earth: 
 but a sportsman should take little note of his 
 steps or his difficulties. The quail or the 
 partridge should be allowed time on the 
 wing ; but at the hare, fire when you can : 
 the moment she is in a straight line with 
 your aim, fire. In shooting at her when 
 near, it gives you time for a second barrel 
 
58 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 should you not have been successful with 
 the first. 
 
 The Abbe Daries, of whom I have already 
 spoken, was on a shooting party in the 
 Basses Alpes. Arrived at their shooting 
 quarters, a storm commenced, which lasted 
 three days, during which time they were 
 necessitated to remain within a wretched 
 cabaret or road-side inn. At last the sun 
 appeared superb and brilliant ; all were dis- 
 posed to start, but the Abbe refused to 
 accompany them. " I know you young 
 men," said he ; " should I kill anything, 
 you are very capable of eating it, notwith- 
 standing to-day is Friday. In such case I 
 should be answerable for your sins, and I 
 have quite enough of my own." As the 
 Abbe was the best shot of the party, they 
 listened to what he said, and promised to 
 keep the fast. This decided the question : 
 they started, and commenced shooting. A 
 hare got up under the feet of the Abbe, at 
 which he took aim, but his scruples ap- 
 peared to return with all force, as he did not 
 
AND HIS DOG. 59 
 
 fire. He was heard grinding his teeth, and, 
 still following the hare with his barrels, he 
 exclaimed, " Ah ! if it was not Friday ! Ah ! 
 if it was not Friday !" 
 
 A hare which gets up straight before a 
 shooter, and which runs straight from him, 
 should be aimed at from the centre of her 
 back to between the ears : in this manner 
 the shot covers the whole body, and she 
 falls like a cork drawn from a bottle. 
 Should you fire at her rump (I apologise 
 for this expression), you rarely kill her. 
 The rump of a hare is a bag of shot. A 
 sportsman prevents the trick, which every 
 day verifies by experience. In effect, the 
 shot which strike the rump do not count ; 
 they remain without diminishing the vigour 
 of the animal. Turned by the flesh, they 
 have not sufficient force to break the bony 
 part ; and in such case you lose your hare, 
 save that some shot should break a hind 
 leg, or, passing above the back, strike the 
 head or the remainder of the body. 
 
 A hare which crosses you is more readily 
 killed when hit ; but not, as some think, 
 
60 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 so easily hit. In fact, when she gets up 
 straight before you, you have only a line to 
 follow with your aim ; far or near, the shot 
 always takes effect ; whereas, when cross- 
 ing, it is necessary the shot should strike 
 exactly at the point that your line of aim is 
 crossed by that followed by the animal. If 
 you hit, it is in the stomach, the heart, or 
 the head; and the hare is dead. In this 
 manner, a hare you fire at when crossing at 
 fifty paces is as readily killed as a hare 
 going from you, supposing the shots to be 
 equally well aimed. 
 
 Should a hare come direct towards you, 
 fire low, at the front legs ; should she re- 
 turn on seeing you, fire high, at her head ; 
 if she crosses you, at the shoulders. 
 
 When a hare is on her form in a field, or 
 in an open covert, fire at her when you have 
 started her ; but if in a wood, from the 
 point of your dog ; and if the thickness of 
 the wood or bushes prevent your having 
 a fair sight, fire at what you can see of her 
 sitting. This is termed murdering or smash- 
 ing a hare. Take aim at the head, because 
 
AND HIS DOG. 61 
 
 * 
 
 in such case, as she is probably near you, 
 you destroy any part you hit ; and if the 
 head be lost, the inconvenience is of no 
 importance to your cook. And, on the other 
 hand, the head resists, and is more easily 
 pierced ; whereas the body, covered with 
 fur, is in such case gifted with a certain 
 elasticity, which not unfrequently prevents 
 the shot from entering. I once shot at a 
 hare on her form within twenty paces, which 
 left on the seat a handful of fur, and the 
 beast still ran. 
 
 When the earth is frozen, a hare on her 
 form in a fallow is not easily killed if you 
 fire at twenty-five or thirty paces. Her 
 body well down shows no face, and clods of 
 earth are always at hand for her protection. 
 These clods in ordinary weather would be 
 broken by the shot, which still would hit 
 the hare ; but hardened by the frost, and 
 like stones, they resist and turn off the shot, 
 and the hare runs, to be shot at another 
 day. 
 
 The hare knows twenty-four hours before- 
 hand the weather that it is likely to be, and 
 
 G 
 
62 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 * 
 
 that without the use of a barometer. When 
 starting to shoot, examine always closely 
 the weather. If it rain, or is likely to rain, 
 look for hares in springs, stony places, in 
 those covered with herbs, roots, and gene- 
 rally in dry places out of the wind ; above 
 all, if the wind be from the south. If in the 
 north or east, the hare will care for it only 
 on the two first days ; on the third she no 
 longer fears it, and takes her form with her 
 nose to the wind. I have made this obser- 
 vation a hundred times. 
 
 When it freezes, hares are always to be 
 found in the woods, in coverts, and in 
 hedgerows. Those found in the open are 
 exceptions to the rule. They are often so 
 merely from circumstances, having been 
 disturbed by sportsmen, dogs, or others. 
 In all cases when you have fired at a hare, 
 let your dog follow her : if you see that the 
 hare loses in her distance, you should follow 
 and put your dog on the scent, if he loses it. 
 When you judge further pursuit useless, 
 whistle and recall your dog. 
 
 Always pick up your hare dead ; kill her 
 
AND HIS DOG. 63 
 
 should she still breathe. I have seen them 
 escape even from the jaws of a dog. 
 
 In Germany, sport may still be said essen- 
 tially to belong to the aristocracy ; conse- 
 quently hares are far more numerous than 
 in France. There was a period when all 
 these hares belonged to us by right of con- 
 quest. This was the epoch when "glory" 
 was so often made to chime with victory. 
 Plains of Erfurth, of Gotha, of Weimar ! 
 your delightful recollections make rny heart 
 beat even to this day ! What well-filled 
 game-bags have we brought from our ex- 
 cursions ! We were young and inde- 
 fatigable : no sooner arrived at a canton- 
 ment, after having marched seven or eight 
 leagues, than we started to shoot, which 
 fatigued us little. What do I say ? Why, 
 we sported when performing our duties, and 
 shot while our regiments deployed on the 
 highway their well-trained columns. We 
 marched as sharp-shooters on their flanks, 
 to protect the division from an attack of 
 hares ! That was the day of pleasure ! The 
 
64 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 gamekeepers, the foresters, all these gentle- 
 men allowed us to pass with their hats off. 
 
 In days gone by, the right foot of a hare 
 was presented to the king this on your 
 knee ; more, it was a privilege which those 
 who possessed it were not eager to cede to 
 others. During a long period in France, 
 many were termed " Knights of the Hare," 
 who, not having the title of Knight, were 
 desirous of bearing it. Let me tell you the 
 origin of this title or of this by-name. 
 
 Philip of Valois and Edward III., king 
 of England, were about to commence a 
 battle, when a hare getting up in the centre 
 of the French camp, the soldiers, desirous 
 to catch her, caused a great tumult. Some 
 officers of the rear-guard, fearing the King 
 of France was in danger, rode forward to 
 succour him, and for their expedition de- 
 manded from him knighthood. " I am 
 compelled to refuse you," said the King, 
 " because you would be called Knights of 
 the Hare!" 
 
 It is essential, when you kill a hare, to 
 
AND HIS DOG. 65 
 
 discharge her urine. In order to do this, 
 hold her in your left hand by the ears, and 
 let the thumb of your right hand press the 
 extremity of her belly. Without this pre- 
 caution, the hare will retain a urinous taste, 
 and will be uneatable. 
 
 A hare killed and emptied when warm, 
 cooked and eaten at once, is excellent. In 
 shooting quarters I have often dined on a 
 hare which lived an hour before. If you 
 allow her to become cold and stiff, she is 
 hard ; and in such case she must be hung 
 up several days before you deliver her to the 
 experienced hands of your cook. 
 
 With a hare two excellent dishes are to 
 be made ; the fore-quarters make an excel- 
 lent ragout ; the remainder goes to the spit : 
 nevertheless it can only be so eaten at home. 
 In all other cases, let her be roasted entire 
 in her length, and not larded, as certain 
 idle cooks have the detestable habit of do- 
 ing. I engage those of taste to give three 
 orders ; that she should be sufficiently done 
 to be tender ; not too much done, or she 
 will be worth nothing ; in fact, done to a 
 
66 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 turn. A hare overdone is no longer a hare ; 
 she is wood horn ; she is flesh without 
 taste or flavour, not worth the shot that 
 killed her. 
 
 In order to ascertain if the hare be old or 
 young (an essential thing to a cook), you 
 should bend the paws of the fore legs to the 
 knee. If the separation of the two bones is 
 perceptible to the touch, she is young. A 
 good hare is plump ; her back is strong, 
 large, and broad, but she is never fat. 
 
 The mountain hare is far better than 
 those found in the low grounds ; she feeds 
 on herbs and wild thyme, and her flesh is 
 perfumed with a charming flavour. Gene- 
 rally speaking, the drier the earth the better 
 the hare. In Provence they are delicious, 
 but rare. It is an event to kill one in that 
 part of France ; all are jealous of such luck. 
 
 I could never understand why Moses for- 
 bade the Jews, and Mahomet the Moors, to 
 eat hares. Pork I can understand : in warm 
 climates the flesh is unwholesome ; but the 
 hare is always good. The Greeks and Ro- 
 mans served her on their tables only on 
 
AND HIS DOG. 67 
 
 great occasions ; and they have vaunted her 
 efficacy in certain circumstances which I 
 must decline entering into. Yet, while on 
 this subject, Pliny tells us an old proverb 
 of his time " When you eat hare, you are 
 handsome for seven days following." Seven 
 days ! this is not bad. Martial says, " Inter 
 quadrupedes gloria prima lepus." The Ro- 
 mans were persuaded that the flesh of a hare 
 preserved freshness and beauty. Ladies, 
 then, eat hares ; and, according to the pre- 
 cepts of Pliny, make your husbands eat 
 them also. The Emperor Alexander ate 
 hare at every meal. Among the Greeks it 
 was the emblem of fear, and never was em- 
 blem better judged. According to their 
 custom of deifying, they placed a hare in the 
 rank of constellations. In fact, to say one 
 word in apology for the hare, I will add 
 that Lucullus estimated it infinitely. Lu- 
 cullus do you understand the immense au- 
 thority of this name in practical gastro- 
 nomy ? It is to be regretted that history 
 has not preserved to us the receipt of the 
 sauce served to this gentleman. The most 
 
68 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 material points are ever precisely those 
 which historians neglect. As, however, we 
 have not the receipt adopted by Lucullus, 
 permit me to give you that I use myself. 
 Heretofore I ate hare a la sauce piquante. 
 Since, however, I have done so with simple 
 currant jelly, I have continued so to do 
 without demanding the originator of this 
 taste, and I recommend the same to all. 
 
 I will conclude this chapter by giving you 
 a brief account of the finest hare-chase 
 which exists in the memory of man. We 
 were four hundred thousand men, French 
 and Austrians. The above took place at 
 a certain village named Wagram, a few 
 leagues from Vienna. The plain was co- 
 vered with hares ; at every ten paces many 
 got up before us. Our guns and cannons 
 caused them much fright ; they started, in 
 the hopes of saving themselves ; but at a 
 short distance they met with two hundred 
 thousand Austrians, afterwards beaten, little 
 to their satisfaction. Then they returned ; 
 and you might see them running in troops 
 between the two armies. A charge of 
 
AND HIS DOG. 69 
 
 cavalry, in no manner made on their ac- 
 count, put them to the route; they pierced 
 the ranks, passed between our legs : they 
 were killed by the bayonet or the sword, or 
 taken alive. Alas ! that day we beheld a 
 butchery of men and hares ! A hare killed 
 caused a comrade to be forgotten ; it was 
 the farce to the tragedy. How many balls 
 intended for the enemy were fired at these 
 poor hares ! Never were so many seen, 
 never were so many killed. That night, 
 after the battle, conquerors and conquered 
 supped together on hashed hare. 
 
70 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 THE PARTRIDGE. 
 
 " De la perdrix entendre faut, 
 Qu'elle est lubrique grandement, 
 Et concert naturellement ; 
 Par Taleine du masle chaud 
 La perdrix denote une femme, 
 Mondaine, lubrique, et charnelle, 
 Qui, au detriment de son ame, 
 Attire les paillards a elle." La Sire de Gar gas. 
 
 PARTRiDGEScouplein the month of March; 
 they lay in the month of May, at times in 
 the end of April : about the 28th of June 
 they fty : this is a fact which is proved yearly 
 by experience. The moment the young are 
 hatched, the cock and hen birds move in a 
 body, which is termed a covey. 
 
 Unfortunately partridges make their nests 
 in clover, grass, and sainfoin, often prefer- 
 ring the grass, because it grows more ra- 
 pidly, and offers them shelter; but the 
 mower arrives before the young are hatched, 
 and thus the covey is lost. Alas ! why have 
 
AND HIS DOG. 71 
 
 not these interesting birds sufficient foresight 
 to make their nest in the wheat - fields ! 
 Their eggs would not then be destroyed by 
 the scythe, and we should have the pleasure 
 of killing many another brace. 
 
 Some preservers purchase the eggs thus 
 . found, and place them under hens, and the 
 moment the young are sufficiently forward 
 to provide for themselves they are turned 
 out in the wheat-fields. They start them 
 by dozens in places where there are other 
 coveys, and the new comers are soon ad- 
 mitted to the nursery of a new mother, who 
 is vain of her augmented family. 
 
 Partridges, whose eggs have been taken 
 by the mowers, sometimes make another 
 nest with success, and which are termed 
 relayers, but the young seldom become full 
 grown. The month of September arrives 
 before they are sufficiently strong to help 
 themselves : the dogs catch them ; and bad 
 shots, who are incapable of killing a vigor- 
 ous bird, blush not to destroy these unfledged 
 ones ! The wretches ! They truly commit 
 a crime, and can only be compared to a 
 
72 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 coward soldier, who, in a town taken by 
 assault, tears the child from its mother's 
 breast in order to blood his sword, and give 
 himself the air of a brave man. " I have 
 cut off the arm of an Austrian at the battle 
 of Wagram," said a recruit. " It would 
 have been better to have cut off his head," 
 said I. " Without doubt/' said he ; " but 
 that was already done !" 
 
 All animals have much affection for their 
 young ; that of the partridge is in the ex- 
 treme. Without ceasing she is on the 
 watch ; she listens, looks about her, and 
 calls her brood, covers them with her wings, 
 or flies away with them. But should they 
 not be sufficiently strong to take wing, it 
 is then her motherly instinct finds a method 
 sublime. La Fontaine has, however, so 
 well described it, that it will be useless for 
 me to do so after him : 
 
 " Quand la perdrix 
 
 Vois ses petits 
 
 En danger, et n'ayant qu'une plume nouvelle, 
 Qui ne pent fair encore par les airs le tre"pas, 
 Elle fait la blessee, et va trainant de 1'aile, 
 Attirant le chasseur et le chien sur ses pas ; 
 
AND HIS DOG. 73 
 
 De*tourne le danger, sauve ainsi sa famille : 
 
 Et puis quand le chasseur croit que son chien la pille, 
 
 Elle lui dit adieu, prend sa volee, et rit 
 
 De rhomme qui confus des yeux en vain la suit.'' 
 
 I have frequently seen this interesting 
 family portrait ; each year I have a similar 
 pleasure ; I have ever respected the mother 
 and her young, and I should most truly 
 despise the sportsman who without pity 
 would kill a partridge under such circum- 
 stances. When the spring is wet, whole 
 coveys are often destroyed ; the water covers 
 the nests, the eggs become wet, and the 
 young die before they see the light. 
 
 " Ut flos ante diem flebilis occidit." 
 
 Hail and storms destroy many, notwith- 
 standing the protecting wing of the mother. 
 How many enemies, then, has the partridge 
 of whom to avoid both the influence and 
 the pursuit! In the first rank we must 
 place the magpie. The magpie is the bird 
 which destroys most other birds ; his 
 piercing eye discovers their nests in the 
 midst of a hedge, in trees, and among the 
 
 H 
 
74 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 grass ; he eats everything he finds, eggs 
 and young ; and then, when the partridge, 
 either from luck or cunning, has escaped so 
 many dangers, man arrives armed with a 
 gun, preceded by his dog, and followed by 
 the fatal turnspit. 
 
 Partridge-shooting commences only when 
 the young have attained size, have quitted 
 their first feathers, and are moulted. The 
 same as in man, the right of man is under- 
 stood by the law of honour, which all 
 generals respect ; so in sporting, certain 
 rules exist which should ever be held sacred 
 by a conscientious sportsman. To kill an 
 over-young bird is to cut your crops green ; 
 it deprives you of a future pleasure if you 
 commit a sporting crime : add to this, that 
 it is useless, without taste, without flavour ; 
 it is thrown away, and becomes the portion 
 of the cat. Still further, it causes you to be 
 ridiculed, which is never pleasant, inasmuch 
 as, having returned from a day's sport, when 
 each with pride displays the fruits of his 
 success, jokes and squibs fall on the head 
 of the bungler and the murderer, and during 
 
AND HIS DOG. 75 
 
 dinner it serves as an addition to all the 
 sarcasms of the merry circle. In addition 
 to this, a very young bird does not count 
 as a dead head. In the severe inspection 
 which each makes on his neighbour's game- 
 bag, if it be a question of the best shot, a 
 half-grown partridge, a leveret, and a young 
 rabbit, count for nothing. It is necessary to 
 have game of good alloy, skin or feather; 
 it should, at least, be in youth, but not in 
 infancy. Its wings or its legs should dis- 
 cover this point. In this mutual control, 
 essentially moral, the aim is to punish bad 
 actions, and it is the best means to prevent 
 their committal. 
 
 The red-legged partridge is far more 
 difficult to shoot than the grey, because, 
 instead of following a horizontal line, they 
 mount in the air at an angle of seventy or 
 eighty degrees. As this bird rises almost 
 always on being fired at, it is necessary, in 
 order to touch it, that it should be aimed 
 at on the point of intersection of two lines. 
 Add to which it flies faster, makes more 
 noise, and surprises you the more. The 
 
76 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 sportsman who fires at a red-legged part- 
 ridge for the first time often misses it. This 
 partridge is a noble and beautiful bird. 
 
 When shooting one day near Chenevieres- 
 sur-Marne, I killed four red-legged par- 
 tridges, which I presented to Madame P. 
 at Nogent. Some days after, many jokes 
 were passed on the subject, pretending I 
 had purchased them in the market. These 
 conjectures were grounded on the fact that 
 they had all a green riband on the right 
 leg, an ornament which partridges are not 
 in the habit of attaching to the legs of their 
 young. I knew not what to answer, as I 
 had not seen the ribands in question. The 
 following day I returned to the wood; a 
 red-legged partridge got up and was killed. 
 I examined it, and I found a green riband. 
 I followed my sport : a double shot ; a 
 brace killed ; two green ribands. I soon 
 ascertained that the daughter of an illus- 
 trious field-marshal had nursed these inte- 
 resting birds, and that she had thus marked 
 them with the hope of finding them again : 
 nevertheless we ate them : sic vos non vobis. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 77 
 
 This recalls to my memory another anec- 
 dote. We were in Poland, encamped near 
 the little town of Sochacew, about sixteen 
 leagues from Varsovie. We were told that 
 in a neighbouring forest there was an abun- 
 dance of wolves, and all the sportsmen of 
 the regiment started one fine morning for a 
 wolf-chase. The dogs were thrown in : I 
 placed myself; a wolf appeared within 
 twenty paces ; I killed her. Helas! all the 
 sportsmen ran to see ; the wolf was a 
 superb one, but she had only three paws ; 
 one of her front ones was wanting. " She 
 lost the other at the battle of Eglau," said 
 an old trooper. Another wolf was killed ; 
 we looked : she was similar to the first : 
 her leg was cut off; the skin had grown 
 over the wound ; one might have believed 
 her to have been so born. A third a fourth, 
 fell to our shots, and our astonishment 
 doubled on each occasion ; they had only 
 three legs, and that wanting was invariably 
 a fore leg. A wit of the regiment desired 
 to prove to us that in Poland wolves were 
 so born. Some began to wonder ard be- 
 H 2 
 
78 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 lieve, inasmuch as they could scarcely credit 
 that four wolves should be all wounded in 
 exactly the same manner. I wished to 
 have my heart at ease on this point, and 
 also to know the reason of so curious a 
 fact. I, therefore, directed my steps to- 
 wards the habitation of the forester, about 
 two leagues from the place where we were 
 shooting, and this was his answer: "The 
 skins of our wolves are very valuable as 
 a merchandise. In the spring we endea- 
 vour to discover the place where the female 
 has deposited her whelps, and we cut off 
 the fore leg of all the young females : the 
 mother licks the wound, which soon heals. 
 When the time of rutting commences, they 
 draw from the neighbouring forests all the 
 male wolves, as with three legs they wander 
 less and remain at home, and thus we are 
 plentifully supplied." This explanation ap- 
 peared to me to be very satisfactory, and I 
 astonished our naturalist when I proved to 
 him that in Poland wolves, wishing to remain 
 in the class of quadruped, had the excellent 
 habit of being born with four legs as elsewhere. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 79 
 
 Speaking of wolves when on the subject 
 of partridges, I must admit, is rather an 
 absurd digression, for which I ask pardon 
 of my readers, though without promising 
 not to fall into the same scrape should any 
 similar sporting anecdote occur to me. 
 
 By nature the red-legged partridge is 
 wilder than the common partridge. It is 
 usually found in woods, on mountains, and 
 among rocks, but is rarely met with in the 
 fields. The sport of the former is inces- 
 santly varied ; one mounts in the air, ano- 
 ther plunges down a precipice : it is rarely 
 two are shot in the same manner. In ra- 
 pidity of flight no other game can bear 
 comparison. It requires a good shot to 
 kill a red-legged partridge under any cir- 
 cumstances. At times, from the moment it 
 gets up till it falls, three seconds are al- 
 lowed ; not too much, you will admit. Ad- 
 vantages are, however, often found : these 
 birds do not always rise together : the first 
 gives warning, and you have time to aim 
 well at its followers. Not rising together, 
 they disperse more readily, and on meeting 
 
80 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 with them a third time, you are almost 
 always sure to obtain a shot. They run 
 faster than the common partridge, but a 
 good and well-trained do, who follows 
 through bushes, &c., ends by finding them 
 down when he stands to the point, and you 
 may approach without causing them to 
 move, even be you a thousand paces distant. 
 
 Red-legged partridges change frequently 
 their ground : you may meet with them on 
 spots where you have never previously 
 found them. When they are not where 
 you expect them, it does not follow that 
 they have been killed : they have departed ; 
 the spot has displeased them, that is all. 
 In the neighbourhood of Paris these birds 
 are not in their natural climate; and if 
 exotic herbs are not to be found, for on 
 these they exist, they would die. But they 
 do better, they go elsewhere. 
 
 A sportsman who can readily kill a rab- 
 bit or a red-legged partridge is generally a 
 bad shot at the common partridge, the 
 hare, and the quail. He is in too great a 
 hurry, and for this reason good shots in 
 
AND HIS DOG. 81 
 
 the covert frequently miss in the field. 
 Covert and open-shooting differ materially, 
 and an equal success is rarely obtained : 
 nevertheless some are equally adroit and 
 fortunate in all things; but these are of 
 Nature's privileged class. 
 
 The common partridge may be found 
 everywhere save in large woods. They are 
 easily approached in woody spots, and 
 where covert is found, such as hedge-rows, 
 bushes, potato-fields, and clover. They 
 sometimes run before the dog, who stops, 
 points, moves again; makes another false 
 point, then continues his beat. In such 
 case I follow this method, which I suggest 
 to amateurs. Should you follow your dog, 
 the birds, which each moment improve 
 their distance, rise beyond shot. You should 
 walk then before your dog, causing him to 
 remain behind you. Hasten your steps with 
 as little noise as possible, and when you 
 arrive at the end of the field, give a shout, 
 and the covey will rise. 
 
 When a covey is found in the centre of 
 a stubble or fallow, it is rare to approach 
 
82 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 them; they have their videttes to apprise 
 the battalion, and are off at once. You 
 should surround them, or rather walk round 
 them, without approaching too near. The 
 birds will run into some place for cover : 
 leave them to settle for a minute, then 
 take the wind, and walk direct towards 
 them. 
 
 Partridges are very fearful of man, though 
 you may easily come near them with a 
 horse or in a cart; but it is necessary to 
 do so by a zig-zag path, as though you were 
 besieging a town. 
 
 In France a third species of partridge 
 is found, but these are only in the south. 
 It is similar to the red-legged partridge, but 
 larger. When this bird sings, it continues 
 its song for some time, and always in the 
 same note ; and for this reason it is called 
 the " Bartarrelle," which signifies the song- 
 ster of the mill. This bird has the same 
 habits as the red-legged partridge, though 
 probably still wilder. You require good 
 legs and wind to follow it, as it is found 
 always in wooded, mountainous, and rocky 
 
AND HIS DOG. 83 
 
 places, and is ever moving from one spot 
 to another. It follows a straight line, but 
 the sportsman requires to mount and descend 
 again and again ; in fact, it is a kind of 
 deer-stalking. In the countries where these 
 birds are found it is the custom for several 
 sportsmen to divide, each placing himself 
 on a mountain-side, and in such manner 
 a shot may be obtained by some of the 
 party. 
 
 I have even heard of a fourth species of 
 partridge, smaller than the others, and 
 which is said to be a bird of passage. But 
 I do not know such to be the case, neither 
 have I seen one. At the commencement 
 of the season I have carefully acquainted 
 myself with all the partridges under my 
 command, and have been well satisfied as 
 to the strength of the coveys, but I have 
 never discovered that any such birds of 
 passage have augmented them. At times I 
 have certainly discovered less birds, but 
 never more. 
 
 The partridge, which in the months of 
 
84 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 December and January is very wild, and 
 flies afar when followed by dog or man, 
 becomes tame in February : this is because 
 the breeding time arrives, and the coveys 
 are broken up. Should frost arrive, they 
 again unite, to separate on the first appear- 
 ance of fine days. Amongst partridges there 
 are always more males than females ; and 
 those which are not coupled always make 
 war against the fortunate husbands not a 
 rare case among our own sex. At times a 
 hen bird is pursued by four or five male 
 birds, who never give her rest, not even 
 when she is sitting. It would be well in 
 the month of March to make war against 
 the cock birds. At the break of day, you 
 should start with a hen bird in a cage, and 
 when she calls, you will soon see several male 
 birds arrive. You kill one, and the others 
 are off, but shortly they will return and be 
 killed also. To obtain their wishes they would 
 pass through a brasier. A decoy-bird calls 
 ordinarily only in the twilight. I know a 
 keeper who has used a starling to attract 
 
AND HIS DOG. 85 
 
 the cocks. This bird, caught young, was 
 brought up among partridges ; never had 
 it listened to the paternal song. Like a 
 parrot, it is a good imitator ; it repeats that 
 which it has most frequently heard, and 
 repeats it so well that the cocks themselves 
 are deceived. In this manner your sport 
 may last all day. I have even known 
 sportsmen who could themselves imitate 
 perfectly the song of the hen bird when 
 calling to the male. It is a rare talent, but 
 nevertheless a fact. 
 
 Partridge-shooting, when the pairing sea- 
 son commences, should be followed in open 
 day ; they will hold to the point as in the 
 month of September. The female bird rises 
 first, then the cock, and you shoot the latter 
 only. Very soon will the lady find a fresh 
 husband. It is, however, only during the 
 months of February or in March, and 
 during the breeding season, that the cock 
 rises last. When the month of April comes, 
 the scene is changed ; the cock has no 
 longer desire, and he flies at the slightest 
 noise. This may be termed the " coquet- 
 
86 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 ting" of partridge-shooting. It is, how- 
 ever, a sport which should be very soberly 
 followed. Kill here and there a male bird, 
 and then look forward for the return of the 
 first of September. 
 
 Partridge-shooting offers an unceasing 
 variety. The easiest is when the bird flies 
 parallel to the horizon. In such case you 
 have only one thing to recollect ; it is to 
 aim straight at the centre of the body, and 
 whether you fire a little too soon or a little 
 too late your bird will fall : if it flies 
 straight, the shot cannot fail to strike it. 
 But if the bird rises, you may readily con- 
 ceive it is not easily killed without the line 
 of fire cut that of the flight at the precise 
 point of the bird. The shooter should follow 
 it with his aim, and not cover it too much, 
 but rather to the contrary. It is better to 
 fire too high, because the tendency of the 
 bird to rise may throw it exactly in your 
 fire. Should the partridge plunge down 
 the side of a mountain or gravel pit, aim 
 at the legs, and the shot will strike the 
 centre of the body. Should it come straight 
 
AND HIS DOG. 87 
 
 towards you, and your gun is on a level 
 with it, aim at the head. Should its flight 
 be on the rise, aim a few inches before the 
 head. If it flies very rapidly, and is aided 
 by the wind, aim two feet before the head. 
 The time which elapses between the shot 
 fired and striking is brief, but that occupied 
 in passing two feet by a bird on the wing of 
 fear is not long. Should the bird describe 
 around you a spiral line in rising, you must 
 turn with it without changing your place. 
 Do not be in a hurry ; aim well at the 
 body, and don't pull the trigger till you are 
 well assured of hitting your bird. In such 
 a case a second shot is rarely successful. 
 They call the shot of a king that which a 
 sportsman fires over his head in a vertical 
 position. 
 
 He should aim at the head, or six inches 
 before it, or more, according to the height 
 of the bird. To succeed you should not be 
 on the move. Such a shot is far more 
 difficult when taken by surprise; no time 
 is allowed to prepare the legs or arms. 
 
 When your shot is fired and the bird 
 
88 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 falls, it is either dead or wounded. Then 
 cause your dog immediately to seek it. 
 Should the partridge rise suddenly in the 
 air, it is mortally wounded either in the 
 head or heart. Follow it with your eye, it 
 will rise, rise higher, pirouette, then fall 
 like a stone. This frequently takes place at 
 some distance from the shooter. He ought, 
 from the moment the bird comes to the 
 earth, not to lose sight of it. You should 
 well observe some intermediate points ex- 
 actly in the direction, such as a tuft of 
 grass, a clod, a stone, and thus assure your 
 mind as to the place where the bird will be 
 found, saying to yourself, " Not farther than 
 that tree, not nearer than that bush." Then 
 walk on and seek. Previous to quitting 
 the straight line, in order to search on the 
 right or left for your bird, mark well the 
 spot you have quitted in order that you 
 may be enabled to return to it, having not 
 been successful. Notwithstanding all these 
 precautions, I have lost many birds in this 
 manner. In the centre of cultivated ground 
 it is difficult to judge your distance. When 
 
AND HIS DOG. 89 
 
 the weather is hot, your dog has no nose. 
 Add to which it requires so small a place to 
 hide a partridge. 
 
 The male of the red-legged partridge is 
 known by certain small protuberances which 
 appear on each foot ; that of the common 
 partridge by the chocolate-coloured horse- 
 shoe on the breast. The first of October 
 passed, partridges are full-grown. A sports- 
 man should be easily able to distinguish a 
 young from an old bird. The one should 
 be roasted, the other committed to the 
 stew-pan. Cooks often are deceived, yet 
 all men of taste know the worthlessness of 
 an old partridge roasted. When empty- 
 ing your game-bag they should be divided ; 
 the individuals destined to the spit, and 
 those intended for a puree, or stewed in 
 cabbage, and who figure in the first course, 
 should be pointed out to them. The ex- 
 perienced sportsman well knows a young 
 from an old bird. In the former, the last 
 feather of the wing, which terminates in a 
 point, instead of being rounded, is the colour 
 of the feet, namely yellow ; whereas that of 
 i2 
 
90 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 the old bird is much darker. And with 
 regard to the red-legged partridge, the 
 young bird differs from the old, inasmuch 
 as the second feather of the wing is trans- 
 parent at the extremity. If you look at it 
 in the light you will see an opening appear 
 in two distinct lines. 
 
 A sportsman would always prefer a red- 
 legged partridge to the common bird. It 
 is a much finer bird, more difficult to kill, 
 larger, and fills your game-bag sooner. 
 But a gourmand ought to prefer the common 
 partridge. Many may think this a heresy 
 gastronomic, having always heard to the 
 contrary ; and having believed it. it is pain- 
 ful to get over a long-rooted opinion. I am 
 well aware that in the market the red- 
 legged bird sells at a higher price than the 
 common one, and that the restaurants values 
 it at fifty to a hundred per cent higher; but 
 all this proves nothing. I have made the 
 experiment twenty times at my own table. 
 The two birds have been served together. 
 Some distinguished friends carefully tested 
 their separate merits, and the common bird 
 
AND HIS DOG. 91 
 
 has invariably received an honourable ver- 
 dict in its favour, as possessing more flavour, 
 juice, and taste. Try yourself; forget your 
 ancient prejudices. " What beautiful feet! 
 what beautiful plumage !" will go for no- 
 thing in the judgment you will pronounce. 
 These things are not eaten. 
 
 Partridges are said not to be easily di- 
 gested. It has also other inconveniences. 
 You shall see : 
 
 ' ' Nimirum crudam si ad laeta cubilia portas 
 Perdicem, incoctaque agitas gerietalia coena, 
 Heu ! tune effundis semen, nee idonea pulchrum 
 Materies fundabit opus. Siste ergo per horas 
 Saltern aliquot," &c. 
 
 Certain gourmands pretend that they are 
 enabled to distinguish from taste the thigh 
 on which the partridge sleeps, and say it 
 eats better and that it has more flavour. I 
 have often seriously endeavoured to make 
 this trial, but I have never been enabled to 
 discover any difference. I, therefore, con- 
 clude there is some fault in my digestive 
 organs, which have not all the sensitiveness 
 
92 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 they ought to have. It is a most delicious 
 dish a well-roasted partridge ; but it is 
 necessary that the nice leaf which well 
 incloses his plump body should not permit 
 the escape of any of its juicy flavour. 
 
 I am well aware that Doctor Pedro Recio 
 de Agguero did not permit Sancho Panza 
 to eat partridge, founding his orders on the 
 aphorism of Hippocrates, 
 
 " Omnis saturatio mala, perdix autem pessima;" 
 
 yet as the doctor refused other delicacies 
 at the same time, such as tarts and sweets, 
 we shall pay little attention to his authority, 
 and less to that of Hippocrates. We shall 
 eat many partridges, and wash them down 
 with Burgundy, leaving the digestion to 
 take care of itself. 
 
 To distinguish a gourmand it is commonly 
 said that he does not like partridges without 
 oranges. This proverb alone will prove 
 that oranges are necessary to be eaten with 
 partridges, if the experience of every day 
 had not proved this great truth beyond all 
 
AND HIS DOG. 93 
 
 contradiction. A lemon may be used ; I 
 have known those who, unable to obtain 
 better, have permitted it : yet, when possible, 
 never forget a sour orange. 
 
 A travelling painter had been retained at 
 a convent to take the portrait of its patron 
 saint. His work being finished, all admired 
 it. They placed it with pomp over the 
 altar, with the following inscription in let- 
 ters of gold : " Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam." 
 The painter was thanked, overpowered with 
 praises, and very badly paid. The evening 
 previous to his departure from the convent, 
 wishing to revenge himself on the monks, 
 he got up during the night, rubbed out the 
 portrait, and set to work. With a few 
 strokes of the brush he altered the figure, 
 previously represented in prayer, as sitting 
 on a sofa. Before him was a well-covered 
 table, on which, under his nose, was placed 
 a roast partridge, the steaming odour of 
 which promised to the happy expectant 
 positive joy ; and in the hands, previously 
 pressed in the attitude of devotion, he placed 
 
94 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 a fine orange, from which the saint appeared 
 to squeeze the juice with much satisfaction. 
 
 The following day the monks found their 
 picture still over the altar, the motto was 
 unaltered ; you might still read, " Ad Ma- 
 jorem Dei Gloriam." 
 
AND HIS DOG. 95 
 
 THE PHEASANT. 
 
 THIS bird is the king of game. At its name 
 the eyes of a sportsman sparkle ; his heart 
 beats : listen to him ; if he relate to you his 
 exploits in the field, the word pheasant is 
 never named with indifference. He speaks 
 of partridges, hares, rabbits, with careless- 
 ness ; but when he comes to this noble bird, 
 his mouth is full, and he speaks of it with 
 respect. 
 
 The lucky possessors of property in the 
 shape of coverts, woods, &c., are rarely 
 without pheasants. The great consolation 
 to those who cannot afford to preserve them 
 is, that they are by nature rovers a property, 
 however large, not having sufficient range 
 for them : they ever desire to visit their 
 neighbours. Having then a friendly pre- 
 serve at hand, it is as well to plant a small 
 covert in the immediate neighbourhood, or 
 sow an acre of buck-wheat. Providence is 
 
96 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 generous : it there conducts these noble ani- 
 mals, and you share your neighbour's phea- 
 sants, leaving to him the expense and trouble 
 of preserving them. In foggy weather, the 
 pheasant, when returning from feeding, 
 wanders far, and not unfrequently loses his 
 intended direction. Possessing, therefore, a 
 covert near to a neighbouring preserve, it is 
 as well to visit it during such weather, and 
 rarely will you be disappointed. 
 
 The pheasant nourishes itself in the same 
 manner as the partridge, and rears its young 
 almost in a similar manner, but requires 
 much care. They are generally found in low 
 and damp places, in high grass, on the bor- 
 ders of marshes, and in the thickest parts of 
 hedge-rows. This bird squats at times like 
 a rabbit, and fancies itself in security when 
 its head is hidden : it may then be killed 
 with a stick. 
 
 The pheasant often runs far before the dog 
 without rising, and at times he will not rise 
 at all. This takes place when the wood is 
 extensive, and the green or under-covert is 
 high. Making a thousand turns, retracing 
 
AND HIS DOG. 97 
 
 his steps, he thus deceives the dog, which, 
 getting on several fresh scents, is confounded, 
 put out, and not able to recover himself. 
 I have thus gone over an immense distance 
 after a pheasant. You must follow your dog 
 close, and be prepared for all chances. 
 
 A pheasant will also hold to the point 
 without, steadily, and not run. This takes 
 place when it is surprised. A sportsman, 
 having no dog, may pass near to a dozen 
 without seeing or causing one to rise. Should 
 your dog come to the point in a very thick 
 covert, and you see no chance of killing your 
 bird should it rise, kill it on the run. Re- 
 collect, however, I give this permission to 
 those who meet with a pheasant by chance : 
 with reference to those who have preserves 
 it is quite another question : to them occa- 
 sions will not be wanting to fill their bags. 
 In looking out for the pheasants which lie 
 close, with their heads hidden, it is not diffi- 
 cult to discover the long tail. In such cases 
 aim well at the spot which you suppose to 
 be the body, and, if too near, retire a little, 
 otherwise you destroy the bird. 
 
98 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 It is a rare thing for an inexperienced 
 sportsman to kill the first pheasant he fires 
 at on the wing. No game causes so much 
 emotion. The noise which he makes when 
 rising, the desire one has of hitting so nohle 
 a bird, causes an indescribable sensation ; 
 consequently, too much haste is made, and 
 the shot is missed. As regards myself, I 
 admit with shame that the first pheasant 
 which I beheld I fired at twice from the point 
 of my dog, and missed it with four barrels. 
 Latterly, it is true, I have had my revenge ; 
 and now those which pass within fair dis- 
 tance seldom have an opportunity of relating 
 the result of our interview to their com- 
 panions. A pheasant should not be fired at 
 when it rises in the air, but when it flies from 
 you ; that is to say, at the moment when, 
 ceasing to ascend, it takes a horizontal direc- 
 tion ; and in all cases never aim at the tail. 
 If it rise in a thick wood, fire when you can, 
 inasmuch as, when it flies direct and low, a 
 sight may soon be lost ; but aim at the head ; 
 the ascending movement of the bird will 
 throw it into your charge. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 99 
 
 The pheasant flies heavily when first on 
 the wing, yet when in direct flight it goes 
 rapidly. Should it come towards or cross 
 you, shoot at it as at a partridge. Separating 
 by a thought the body from the tail, aim 
 rather before than behind : the tail saves 
 many a pheasant : it is a pleasing object to 
 the inexperienced, but the shot which hit it 
 count for nothing. This long tail is not in a 
 straight line with the animal : his weight 
 causes him to take almost a vertical position, 
 in a manner that all the shot which pass or 
 cross it fall below it. A shot fired in the 
 tail leaves many feathers in the air : you be- 
 lieve the bird to be wounded, no such 
 thing: like the fox in the fable, he loses his 
 brush in the battle, and is none the worse. 
 
 Coolness is required in pheasant-shooting; 
 in the first place, because his noise in rising 
 is startling, which always upsets the unini- 
 tiated ; and secondly, as many do not desire 
 their hens to be shot, you must satisfy your- 
 self before pulling the trigger. 
 
 A wounded pheasant will often run far, 
 and is more difficult to recover than a part- 
 
100 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 ridge. Allow your dog to do his duty, and, 
 above all, do not fire again should other 
 game rise near you. On such an occasion, 
 I was unwise enough to fire at a rabbit. My 
 dog ran after it, and could never recover his 
 lost scent : thus I missed my rabbit, and lost 
 my pheasant also. 
 
 We are told that a pheasant, when killed 
 by a bird of prey, is far better than one killed 
 in any other manner : this may be the case, 
 but I never had the advantage of practically 
 proving the result. 
 
 This superb bird, when placed in your 
 larder, should never be abandoned without 
 reflection to the capricious arrangements of 
 a cook, who will roast it two days too soon, 
 or two too late, according to the number or 
 quality of your guests. The pheasant should 
 be roasted on the day it should be eaten : if 
 your friends are there, so much the better 
 for them. 
 
 Some people hang them up by the legs, 
 and when from the bird two or three drops of 
 blood are seen to fall, then it is fit for those 
 who do not like it somewhat high. Others 
 
AND HIS DOG. 101 
 
 hang them up by the tail, and when the 
 pheasant falls they judge it worthy a place 
 on their tables. Others, again, more difficult 
 to please, believe that in order to eat a good 
 pheasant he should be kept until he change 
 his position without aid. These must per- 
 mit me not to be of their opinion. 
 
 If the pheasant be a splendid bird to shoot, 
 if it be an ornament to your game-bag, it is 
 nevertheless an equally superb decoration to 
 your table in the second course. 
 
 We are no longer in the time of the Em- 
 peror Heliogabalus, who, from ostentation 
 or stupid prodigality, fed the lions of his 
 menagerie with pheasants. When I kill one 
 of these fine birds I eat it myself. A pheasant 
 should not be eaten as other things are eaten ; 
 it requires a certain solemnity : neither is it 
 without consideration that a subject of such 
 importance should be treated : it should be 
 delicately treated. Being, therefore, incapable 
 to go into the depths of the subject, I shall 
 borrow a page or two from a clever author 
 on The Physiology of Taste. 
 
 " The pheasant is an enigma of which the 
 
 K2 
 
102 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 name is only revealed to adepts ; they alone 
 know how to relish it in all its goodness. 
 This bird, when it is eaten within the three 
 days subsequent to its death, has nothing to 
 distinguish it. It is neither so delicate as a 
 spring chicken, nor has it so much flavour 
 as a quail : but cooked at the proper time 
 its flesh is tender, sublime ; its high flavour 
 combining that of poultry and of venison. 
 The time so desirable to select is that when 
 the bird commences decomposition : it is then 
 the flavour developes itself, and is mixed 
 with an oil which requires a little fermenta- 
 tion to exalt it, as the cup of coffee which is 
 only obtained by torrefaction. This moment 
 is made known to the uninitiated by a slight 
 odour and by the change of colour in the 
 breast of the bird ; but the inspired derive 
 it by instinct. A clever cook decides with 
 the glance of an eye the moment when the 
 bird should be taken from the spit, or allowed 
 a few turns more. 
 
 " When the pheasant is perfectly fit, pluck 
 it, not sooner ; then lard it with great care, 
 selecting the primest and freshest bacon. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 103 
 
 It is by no means an indifferent question 
 that of plucking a pheasant at the proper 
 time. Experience has proved that those 
 which are kept in their feathers are more 
 perfumed and of better flavour than those 
 which have been kept plucked, inasmuch as 
 the air neutralises a portion of the flavour, 
 or that the juice intended to nourish the 
 plumage dries up and injures the flesh. 
 Your bird being plucked, it should be stuffed 
 in the following manner : Take two wood- 
 cocks, and divide the flesh into one portion, 
 the trail and liver into another. With the 
 meat you make a stuffing, by hashing and 
 mixing it with some beef marrow, a small 
 quantity of scraped bacon, pepper, salt, and 
 herbs ; add truffles sufficient to fill up the 
 remaining portion of the inside of the phea- 
 sant. Be careful to secure that stuffing so 
 that none of it escape, which is difficult when 
 the bird has been kept long. Nevertheless, 
 there are several ways of obtaining this 
 point, and, among others, that of placing a 
 crust of bread over the orifice and attaching 
 it with a thread. Prepare a slice of bread 
 an inch thick, on which the bird rests in its 
 
104 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 length. Then take the trail and livers of 
 the woodcocks, and mix them with truffles, 
 an anchovy, some grated bacon, and a morsel 
 of fresh butter : cover the bird with this paste, 
 so that it shall be soaked through with the 
 juice which melts while roasting. When 
 the pheasant is done, serve it on the toast, 
 surrounded with slices of orange, and be 
 satisfied as to the event." 
 
 This delicious meat should in preference 
 be washed down with some of the finest 
 Burgundy, which I have fully decided after 
 some experience. A pheasant thus cooked 
 is food for angels. Already distinguished 
 by its own flavour, it imbibes throughout the 
 savoury and delicious odour which escapes 
 from the woodcock and truffles. The toast, 
 rich in itself, is impregnated in threefold 
 combination by the juices which run through 
 the bird when cooking ; and thus, among all 
 these good things, not an atom escapes its 
 full appreciation : indeed such a dish is fit 
 for the table of kings. 
 
 Animals feed, man eats; but the man of 
 mind alone knows how to eat. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 105 
 
 THE WOODCOCK. 
 
 " Cum nemus omne suo viridi spoliatur honore, 
 Prseda est facilis et amoena scalopax." NEMISIANUS. 
 
 THERE are several species or variety of the 
 woodcock : as, however, they have all the 
 same habits, are found in the same localities, 
 and nearly at the same period, we may class 
 them under one head. 
 
 This bird of passage inhabits high grounds, 
 and there rears its young. Towards the 
 month of October it descends to the woods, 
 preferring those in which pools of stagnant 
 water, ponds, and marshy ground, are found. 
 The east and north-east winds are those 
 which bring most woodcocks ; above all when 
 accompanied by fogs. Woodcocks are found 
 in spots where a collection of dead leaves 
 has produced a sort of mould. It looks out 
 for these as its pasturage, and then makes 
 its toilet on the borders of a pool, in which 
 it washes its beak and feet. The woodcock 
 
106 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 does not make long flights, like the duck or 
 the swallow : changing its climate without 
 changing its country, quitting high moun- 
 tains for woods, and woods for mountain 
 tops, it goes over in a vertical sense the 
 space which the others pass horizontally. 
 
 Woodcocks may be shot to a pointer, 
 although not always seen in a wood. Some 
 attach a small bell to his collar : when it is 
 no longer heard, direct your steps whence 
 the sound proceeded, and you will find your 
 dog immoveable before the bird. The wood- 
 cock remains well to the point, and gets up 
 under the feet of the shooter : the only diffi- 
 culty which presents itself to the success of 
 your shot is, that it rises in the wood where 
 a thousand branches hide it from your sight. 
 A short gun is very convenient when shoot- 
 ing woodcocks. 
 
 The flight of the woodcock is heavy and 
 startling : it plunges behind bushes in order 
 to hide itself, its wings and body offering a 
 large surface to the shot of the sportsman. 
 In elevated woods and among branches, fire 
 when you can ; in open coverts, allow him 
 
AND HIS DOG. 107 
 
 to make his first plunge before you pull the 
 trigger. After having fired, should your 
 dog return with an empty mouth, be not 
 disappointed : walk to the spot where the 
 bird may have fallen. Dogs have generally 
 a great repugnance to carry a woodcock : 
 they would die of hunger with a roasted 
 woodcock at hand without touching it with 
 their teeth. A woodcock, hit or missed, 
 should always be followed to the spot where 
 it has dropped. It is readily put up again. 
 If you amuse yourself by seeking others, 
 you will quit a certainty for an uncertainty. 
 The woodcock has bad sight, particularly 
 during the day : it certainly sees better 
 during the twilight than in broad day, and 
 doubtless for this reason in Spain is termed 
 gallina ciega, blind fowl. 
 
 Woodcocks may be shot to a terrier, 
 though such dog does not come within the 
 scope of this book. Nevertheless we will 
 say, in passing, this sport is very agreeable 
 and advantageous. These dogs give tongue 
 when the bird rises, and the shooter is thus 
 on the alert. 
 
108 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 When shooting in a wood, great precaution 
 should be observed in keeping the line with 
 your companions, otherwise most serious 
 accidents may occur should any one advance 
 too much. A word should be occasionally 
 passed along the line to see that all are in 
 their places. Walk always in a wood with 
 your gun elevated : if it be horizontal, a 
 branch may touch the trigger, and you may 
 kill a poor woman who is collecting the dead 
 wood ; the wood-cutter may become a victim 
 to your imprudence. As a general rule, in a 
 wood never fire the height of a man without 
 seeing clear before you the spot where your 
 shot will strike. How many have missed 
 a hare, and killed a poor devil sleeping 
 behind a hedge ! It would be better to lose 
 a shot what say I? a thousand shots, 
 sooner than fire at hazard in a wood. By 
 neglecting this precaution many a sportsman 
 has had cause to remember it during life. 
 Covert-shooting requires great coolness and 
 much experience, and I would not advise it 
 for beginners. Practice and thought are 
 required before you undertake it. If you 
 
AND HIS DOG. 109 
 
 cannot see a bird get up with coolness; if 
 you fire both barrels by chance and without 
 aim, never go into a wood; and, more, be 
 careful of the labourer in the fields, the shep- 
 herd, the cows and the horses. As regards 
 the animals, you may get off by paying, but 
 the labourer and the shepherd will be ano- 
 ther affair: we are not in Russia, where a 
 man may kill his servant if he pay a fair 
 price. Woodcocks may be well shot in a 
 battue ; but many beaters are required, in 
 order that they may be near together. They 
 should have long sticks in their hands to 
 beat well all the bushes, tufts of grass, &c., 
 and the addition of a few terriers would add 
 to the chance of success. The woodcock 
 rises under the feet of man. Having been 
 disturbed and realighted, it will run ; but the 
 first time it remains close, and if you have 
 no dog, you may pass it ten times without 
 seeing it. After a battue each sportsman 
 has marked the spot where a missed wood- 
 cock or one not shot at has alighted ; they 
 go immediately to the spot, and if the wood 
 is practicable with a pointer, giving the 
 
110 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 beaters time for repose. When shooting in 
 a wood which is not very extensive, it would 
 be as well to have a marker : place him in 
 one of the highest trees, and let him carefully 
 look for the woodcock alighting. If I pro- 
 hibit an unlimited destruction of hares and 
 partridges, I withdraw my veto as regards 
 birds of passage. Interdicting to you, as re- 
 gards the first, means certain to destroy 
 them ; nevertheless I secure your satisfaction : 
 but as regards woodcocks, snipes, wild ducks, 
 plovers, &c., all means are good. Those 
 at hand to-day are gone to-morrow ; others 
 will kill them if you do not : kill them if 
 you can yourself. The gourmand who dines 
 at a table d'hote eats as much as he can, 
 knowing he will be charged no more than 
 others. 
 
 You have woodcocks in your woods, which 
 are too thick readily to tire in. Start either 
 in the morning or afternoon, and place your- 
 self before twilight near the pools they fre- 
 quent ; you will readily perceive the prints of 
 their feet on the moist earth : their droppings 
 white, and without smell. Select the tracks 
 
AND HIS DOG. Ill 
 
 which they follow to approach the water and 
 return to the wood. During the winter they 
 arrive one after another: in the month of 
 March they come in pairs. Place yourself 
 for choice at the end of an avenue or path 
 elevated, from which you can discover all 
 before you. Stand near or behind a bush, 
 never under a tree, the branches of which 
 may prevent your firing. For such sport 
 it is necessary to be all eyes ; and, above all, 
 be prompt to fire, as the woodcock passes 
 rapidly, and always at the moment when 
 twilight commences or ends. 
 
 Woodcocks are found all over the world ; 
 in the ancient Continent as in the new ; in 
 Siberia as in Senegal. It is an excellent 
 bird when plump, and always best during 
 frost. They should never be drawn. By 
 pounding woodcocks in a mortar a most 
 delicious puree is made, and if on such puree 
 you place the wings of partridges piquees, 
 the happiest culinary result is obtained. 
 The woodcock should not be eaten too fresh, 
 otherwise its flavour will not be sufficiently 
 developed : you will have meat without 
 
112 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 taste or delicacy : cooked as a salmis, its 
 perfume mixes charmingly with that of 
 truffles. Roasted with a breastplate of 
 bacon, it should be watched over by the 
 eye of a sportsman : a woodcock too much 
 done is worthless; but a woodcock done to 
 a turn, and placed on a toast black and 
 unctuous from the trail, is a most delicate 
 and delicious morsel, the most savory which 
 a man can eat ; and if he take the precau- 
 tion to wash it down with some first-rate 
 Burgundy, he may flatter himself that he 
 has dined well. 
 
 The President of the tribunal of Avignon 
 had dined with the Prefect. In the double 
 quality of a distinguished gourmand and of 
 an intrepid sportsman, he officiated always 
 with a good conscience. Having taken his 
 coffee to facilitate digestion, and arrived at 
 his third little glass of cognac to qualify the 
 passage of the coffee, his host accosted him 
 as to whether he had dined well? " Why, 
 yes," he replied. This answer appeared to 
 be accompanied by restrictions. " Eh, no! 
 I have dined well enough." " Well enough 
 
AND HIS DOG. 1 13 
 
 signifies nothing." " Yes, yes, I have dined 
 very well/' " I can understand you, my 
 friend; you regret those fine woodcocks 
 which left the table uncut." "Why, yes, 
 I could have eaten my share." " Wait a 
 moment, and they shall be served for you." 
 " After the coffee? after the liqueur? it 
 is impossible." " Nothing is impossible to 
 a stomach like yours." 
 
 The order was given a small table laid 
 in the adjoining room the woodcocks were 
 served, and the happy President ate them. 
 
 This respectable magistrate said one day, 
 " We have just been eating a superb turkey: 
 it was excellent, stuffed with truffles to the 
 neck, tender, delicate, and of high flavour ; 
 we left only the bones." " How many of 
 you were there?" said I. "Two," he re- 
 plied. "Two?" "Yes, the turkey and 
 myself." 
 
 An original said to me one day : " See 
 
 how admirable is Providence: it has caused 
 
 all the rivers to run by large towns." We 
 
 ought to be thankful to that same Provi- 
 
 L 2 
 
114 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 dence, as doubtless it is for us that voyaging 
 instinct has been given to certain birds. 
 Each successive year quails are sent to us 
 to be roasted, or served en papillotes, the 
 only good way of eating them. Some serve 
 them en salmis and in patties ; but this is a 
 great mistake : indeed it is an act of the 
 greatest ignorance. The perfume of the 
 quail easily evaporates: the moment it is 
 put in any liquid whatsoever, the flavour no 
 longer exists : you have still a delicate meat, 
 but insipid and tasteless, and no longer a 
 quail. 
 
 Nevertheless there are circumstances 
 when you may permit yourself to eat a 
 boiled quail : it is when on a shooting party 
 you find yourself in some isolated or village 
 inn, where no means to practise the culi- 
 nary art are found. It is doubtless very 
 good, but that does not satisfy a correct 
 appetite. You have neither time nor pa- 
 tience to roast your birds, and have not all 
 the necessary additions at hand. Then pluck 
 and draw your quails, and suspend them by 
 a string over the boiling pot ; allow them to 
 
AND HIS DOG. 115 
 
 remain five or six minutes, and serve them 
 hot. You will find them passable, and it is 
 perhaps a dish that requires the least time. 
 But this is only an exception, which confirms 
 the rule that quails should be eaten roasted : 
 and if you desire a proof for there are 
 some who never believe your assertions 
 you shall have one of much antiquity, 
 viz. " that the Israelites found them roasted 
 in the desert ; " and as they apparently 
 had neither guns, pointers, nor cooks, they 
 would scarcely have known what to do 
 with them, had not a higher Power pro- 
 vided them. Nevertheless these quails could 
 not have been larded, as the Jews never eat 
 bacon, and were probably not so good as 
 ours, as the larding is indispensable. 
 
 All rails furnish the cook with a pleasing 
 task, delicate, and of high flavour : pre- 
 pared in the stew-pan, their flavour de- 
 velopes itself: the spit too often dries them 
 up. I therefore recommend their being 
 eaten en salmis, seasoned with truffles or 
 mushrooms. Nevertheless, they are excel- 
 lent roasted : it requires, however, the eye 
 
116 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 of one who understands his business to su- 
 perintend them. Never place entire confi- 
 dence in your cook : a slight circumstance 
 may cause you to be disappointed : your 
 rail may be overdone, and in such case you 
 may as well offer a burnt mutton-chop to 
 your friend. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 117 
 
 THE WILD DUCK. 
 
 " Ainsi dans leur saison les canes du Lapland 
 Partent, formant dans Pair un triangle volant." 
 
 THIS beautiful bird of passage arrives in 
 the autumn and departs in the spring. 
 There remain here and there a few that 
 make their nests in France ; they select 
 marshes, pools surrounded by wood, in which 
 they lay their eggs. The desire of these 
 idle ones appears to be simply that of afford- 
 ing to the sportsman the pleasure of killing 
 the young birds, which grant to the gastro- 
 nome the ineffable delight of eating a bird 
 of such exquisite flavour. 
 
 The flocks of wild ducks are sometimes 
 very numerous, the great difficulty is to 
 approach them. It is generally necessary 
 to use a boat as well as a duck-gun ; even 
 then your shots are at some distance, though 
 you may bring down ten or a dozen at a 
 time. Among those hit, many are not killed, 
 
1 18 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 only wounded; they still swim, though they 
 can no longer fly : it is necessary to pursue 
 them, bat a second shot generally effects 
 your desire. But it is not exactly of that 
 species of sport that we here write ; we must 
 not forget that we are sporting with a dog. 
 
 In the first place, you must prepare your- 
 self with some long water-proof boots, 
 strong and pliant. In order to obtain these 
 I could recommend you to many places, as 
 also give you an excellent receipt to keep 
 them in order ; but in the present day there 
 is scarcely a town in which you may not be 
 creditably supplied. 
 
 Be careful to keep your dog close. Wild 
 ducks rise at some distance from the shooter, 
 more particularly when the flock is nume- 
 rous. As with the partridge, a single bird 
 is far more easily approached than a covey. 
 Do not then allow your dog by too much 
 eagerness to render the chance more diffi- 
 cult. Charge your gun with large shot, 
 No. 3 or No. 2. The wild duck, above all 
 water-birds, has generally the thickest plum- 
 age ; you must therefore have a large shot 
 
AND HIS DOG. 119 
 
 to penetrate this covering, more particularly 
 when the bird rises at some distance. Hunt 
 with care all the sides of the pool ; beat well 
 the long weeds and rushes, and do not hurry 
 too much, or you may leave a bird behind 
 you. In this manner you may find snipes, 
 rails, &c. When duck-shooting, something 
 is always to be met with. In marsh shoot- 
 ing the best of dogs will sometimes lose his 
 scent : the water which penetrates the nos- 
 trils, or the particles of mud, is the cause. 
 It will be as well, therefore, sometimes to 
 allow him to rest, dry himself in the sun, 
 and begin again. It is almost needless that 
 I should add, that in .duck-shooting, as in 
 all other shooting save that of snipe, it is 
 necessary to have the wind. A good wind 
 in sporting is a sine qua non. 
 
 The wild duck is perhaps the game which 
 causes the most noise when rising. The 
 flapping of its wings in the water, and soon 
 after in the air, astonishes a novice. It is 
 on this account that Varron gives it the 
 name of quassa gipenna. 
 
 In firing at a wild duck on the wing you 
 
120 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 have far more chance of killing it than on 
 the water. In the first case the feathers are 
 separated and more readily penetrated, in 
 the second it is quite the contrary. If you 
 fire at a duck on the water, aim always at 
 that part of the bird immediately above the 
 surface of the water. The duck will some- 
 times dive; in such case be prepared to fire 
 with your second barrel the moment it rises 
 again. When firing at this bird on the wing, 
 it will be as well to fire rather high than 
 too much at the body : in fact, let your aim 
 be at the head. It is sometimes very diffi- 
 cult to recover a wounded wild duck; the 
 best dog may be at fault : the bird dives, 
 and re-appears twenty yards off; the mo- 
 ment the dog approaches he dives again, 
 and so on ad infinitum. If in a boat this is 
 soon ended, as you get another shot : if on 
 land, I pity you. The spaniel is the best 
 dog for marsh shooting : as for the setter, 
 he is too soon done ; rheumatic and other 
 pains distress him, and destroy his scenting 
 powers : this is a sport too rough for his 
 constitution. Should you see afar off some 
 
AND HIS DOG. 121 
 
 wild ducks on the bank of a river, mark a 
 tree or stone in their immediate locality ; 
 then make a circuit sufficiently extended to 
 prevent their hearingor seeing you, and make 
 towards the spot where they are. If the bank 
 be high, you will easily approach them, but 
 take care your dog is behind you. Should 
 the sun throw your shadow on the water they 
 will be off the moment they discover it, the 
 manner of hiding the shadow of a sportsman 
 being not yet discovered. In a marsh it is 
 very easy to attract wild ducks by placing 
 there some tame ones ; this method may be 
 dated for centuries back. We have already 
 said an idle wild duck will occasibnally re- 
 main in our climate, where they breed, lay, 
 and rear their young. When a nest of young 
 ones is found they are easily destroyed. This, 
 however, must, of course, only be done when 
 they are fit to hand over to the cook. Having 
 decided on killing them, the old hen must 
 first be shot ; after this, the young ones, de- 
 prived of their guide, are easily brought to 
 reason : they are found one after another in 
 the long grass, or in the rushes, and should 
 
 M 
 
122 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 one remain, it is readily enticed the follow- 
 ing day by attaching near to the river a 
 tame duck; the young ones take it for their 
 mother, and are not long in coming to be 
 killed by its side. It is very difficult to judge 
 distances on the water : in order to do this 
 well requires much practice. Some who 
 possess large pools or lakes, where many 
 wild ducks are found, cause stakes to be 
 placed in the water: these stakes, all within 
 shot the one of another, serve as a guide to 
 the shooters, as beyond such distance shot 
 would be wasted. 
 
 Wild ducks, geese, and teal have admir- 
 able instinct in their flight; the flock sepa- 
 rates in two wings, forming exactly the letter 
 V. That one seen flying at the head of the 
 two columns at the spot where the two 
 branches of the letter unite, has necessarily 
 less fatigue than the others : all fly behind 
 him, following the direction which he traces 
 in the air : he is the pilot. A flock of wild 
 ducks is an army, of which each soldier be- 
 comes a general in his turn. After a certain 
 time, which is always the same, the rear one 
 
AND HIS DOG. 123 
 
 hastens his pace, and takes the lead until 
 another supplies his place, and so on. 
 
 Scarcely has the swallow taken its depar- 
 ture, than on the winds of the North are 
 seen advancing a colony who come to replace 
 the travellers to the South, in order that no 
 void should remain in our fields. In the 
 grey time of autumn, when the keen wind 
 whistles through the branches and carries 
 off the remaining leaves, a flock of wild 
 ducks, all arrayed in file, traverse in silence 
 a melancholy sky. Should they perceive 
 from their airy height any Gothic manor 
 surrounded by pools, lakes, and forests, it is 
 there they purpose to descend. They await 
 the night ; and, making their evolutions 
 above the woods, the moment the shades of 
 evening darken the valley, with neck ex- 
 tended and whistling wing they descend all 
 at once on the waters which tempt them. A 
 general cry, followed by a profound silence, 
 is heard in the marsh. Guided by a small 
 light which probably shines through the 
 narrow window of a tower, the travellers 
 approach the walls, favoured by the rushes 
 
124 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 and the night : then flapping their wings, 
 and crying out by intervals amidst unceasing 
 winds and rain, they salute the habitation of 
 man. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact, that teal, wild 
 ducks, snipes, plovers, lapwings, which all 
 serve as food to man, should come at the 
 moment when the earth is unfruitful ; where- 
 as strange birds which come during the fruit 
 season have only pleasurable relations with 
 us : they are musicians sent to charm amid 
 our shrubberies. Some may be excepted, such 
 as the quail and the wood-pigeon, of which 
 the shooting does not take place till after 
 the harvest, and which fatten themselves 
 with our wheat to be served on our tables. 
 Thus the birds of the North are the manna 
 of the North winds, as nightingales are the 
 gift of the Zephyrs. From whatever point 
 of the horizon the wind blows Providence 
 sends us a present. The wild duck is the 
 species of game the most known : all over the 
 world you hear of their having being killed ; 
 they are the hope of the shipwrecked. Aban- 
 don a man in any part of the known world, 
 
AND HIS DOG. 125 
 
 give him a gun, powder, and shot, and he 
 will kill wild ducks for his food. 
 
 The wild duck is of higher flavourand more 
 savory than the tame duck: whether roasted 
 with mushrooms, or en salmis with truffles, 
 the wild duck is a most distinguished meat. 
 
 All that we have said in reference to wild 
 ducks applies to the teal, and in general to 
 all water-birds. We shall only add a few 
 observations with regard to the moorhen, 
 which you meet with when shooting snipes, 
 rails, and wild ducks. 
 
 This meeting is agreeable : it is a good 
 shot which kills a water-fowl, but it should 
 be well aimed that it strike fully : if the 
 slightest life remain, he dives and disap- 
 pears. The moorhen possesses an astonish- 
 ing instinct in order to avoid the game-bag 
 and the spit. She swims for some time under 
 water, and, instead of re-appearing as the 
 wild duck, places itself under the leaf of a 
 lily or among rushes, and, allowing its beak 
 to appear, takes breath and remains immov- 
 able. It requires a good dog to find them: 
 he should beat the rushes and the reeds on 
 
 M2 
 
126 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 the borders of a pool, and often double, as 
 the water-fowl will make a hundred turns 
 to deceive him. The moorhen is otherwise 
 very easily shot. It gets up under your feet: 
 allow it to fly ; take good aim at its body, 
 and do not fire till you are sure of success. 
 When it remains immovable, it may be 
 taken, from its black plumage and the white 
 mark on its head, for an heraldic bird fallen 
 from the crest of an ancient cavalier. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 127 
 
 THE SNIPE. 
 
 As much as the snipe resembles the wood- 
 cock in its plumage, in an equal degree do 
 its habits and actions differ. Snipes are 
 found in marshes, in low and wet grounds, 
 whereas the woodcock seeks the mountain 
 or the wood. As a general rule, wherever 
 you find snipes, never look for woodcocks, 
 and vice versa. The snipe arrives in France 
 during the autumn, and disappears during 
 the cold weather, returns during the spring, 
 and then directs its flight again to the North, 
 where it breeds. Some may produce their 
 young in France, but these are exceptions. 
 
 It is a very agreeable sport that of snipe- 
 shooting, but neither the shooter nor his dog 
 must fear the water. Supply yourself with 
 water-proof boots ; walk and look out ; you 
 will find amusement. This shooting requires 
 as much experience as address. The snipe 
 flies with great rapidity, but this is the least 
 
128 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 inconvenience. It commences by starting 
 straight for several yards, makes two or 
 three plunges, and then flies straight again. 
 If you wait till these two or three plunges 
 have been made before firing, it is far away, 
 without it has risen under your feet. If you 
 fire during these doubles, you will generally 
 miss it. If you are prepared, it is better to 
 fire at once, and you have then the chance 
 of the second barrel should you fail with the 
 first after the three doubles; but to shoot 
 thus you must be very quick few are very 
 successful ; nevertheless I have seen many 
 who, from constant practice in snipe-shoot- 
 ing, can kill them as easily as partridges. 
 
 The snipe can be shot at from morning 
 till night. Those once put up will be found 
 again. You may fire always, and often miss: 
 in no shooting is so much powder wasted. 
 It may be as well to charge your two barrels 
 with different-sized shot, the right with No. 
 1 ; the left with No. 6, or even No. 5. The 
 small shot may be used in double charge, or 
 at least a charge and a half; as you will fire 
 it at a short distance it will bind better. It 
 
AND HIS DOG. 129 
 
 will be as well to diminish the charge of the 
 larger shot by a quarter or a third, as it is 
 required to carry further, and if you fire with 
 correct aim there will still be sufficient. 
 
 The snipe allows itself to be easily found 
 by the dog, and it is the only kind of game 
 which can be hunted with a bad wind. It 
 is even better to have the wind in the rear, 
 and for this reason, the snipe has the habit 
 of facing the wind, and of flying straight 
 before it. If you find him with a contrary 
 wind, it starts before you ; if not, it whirls 
 in the direction of the wind, and then such 
 whirls, added to the plunges which it never 
 omits, greatly complicate the question. 
 Snipes are more readily shot during cloudy 
 than bright weather. The jack-snipe lies 
 close in thick tufts of grass, and gets up 
 almost always under the feet of the shooter. 
 But the larger snipe has all the allurements 
 of the water-rail : it runs, is put up with 
 difficulty, and does not fly till far from the 
 dog : it then fancies itself out of danger, but 
 the gun often damages such ideas. Bour- 
 gainville found snipes in the Malonnes Isles, 
 
130 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 and ascertained they possessed habits differ- 
 ent from those which we deem them to have 
 in Europe. As there is nothing to disturb 
 them in such latitudes, they make their nests 
 in the open country, and are easily killed ; 
 they have no fear, and omit the doubles 
 when rising. Advice to those who are dis- 
 concerted by these movements : they have 
 only to make the voyage and they may kill 
 snipes as easily as quails, which may pro- 
 bably be sufficient compensation. Snipes 
 are everywhere to be found, as woodcocks. 
 Their eating is delicate and delicious, and 
 as regards their culinary preparation, we 
 refer you to our receipt for the woodcock. 
 
 Sporting gastronomes, and they are in a 
 large majority we desire, but scarcely know 
 how, to give them the receipt of the salmis 
 des " Bernardins." It may be applied to all 
 sorts of game. These good fathers do not 
 disdain any science. In those days the 
 cloister produced men who knew a thing 
 or two. 
 
 Take four snipes, roast them, but not too 
 much : cut them up according to the rules 
 
AND HIS DOG. 131 
 
 of the art, then divide the wings, the legs, 
 the breasts, and the backs, and arrange 
 them on a dish. On the dish on which you 
 dissect them, and which ought to be of silver, 
 crush the livers and the entrails of the bird, 
 on which squeeze the juice of four lemons 
 and the rind finely mixed of one. On the 
 members already prepared sprinkle a few 
 pinches of salt and of allspice, two spoonsful 
 of excellent mustard, and half a glass of 
 first-rate sherry : then place the dish over a 
 heater of spirits of wine, and stir it well, so 
 that the whole be well impregnated with the 
 seasoning, but let none unite. Take great 
 care not to let it boil ; but when it ap- 
 proaches that degree of heat, sprinkle it 
 with some fine olive oil : diminish your 
 heat, and continue to stir for several minutes. 
 Then take off the dish, and serve it imme- 
 diately, so that it may be eaten hot. 
 
 Recollect, when you meet with this dish, 
 to use your fork, as in case you touch it with 
 your fingers you will devour them. 
 
132 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 CHANCE GAME. 
 
 " Tros Tyriusve mihi nullo discrimine agetur." VIRGIL. 
 
 WE shall unite under the above title all 
 birds, which, without counting them among 
 the hope of the sportsman who shoots to the 
 pointer, may nevertheless occasionally aid in 
 filling his game-bag. When in the field he 
 meets with them within shot, he ought to 
 take advantage of the chance without per- 
 mitting himself to think of the necessity. 
 
 Lapwings and plovers are birds of pas- 
 sage ; they arrive in large flocks, but they 
 are very cunning and approached with diffi- 
 culty. It is rare that a dog points to them, 
 and it is only by surprise that such an event 
 occurs. When, by the nature of the ground, 
 or in a high wind, the shooter meets with 
 them on a sudden, then a double shot fired 
 into the centre of the flock causes a desirable 
 result. Although the guignard is a species 
 
AND HIS DOG. 
 
 133 
 
 of plover, it forms an exception to the gene- 
 ral rule; it allows itself to be pointed by the 
 dog. I have killed several in this manner. 
 In the month of September, when the wea- 
 ther is warm, they are easily approached, 
 and at times may even be fired at sitting. 
 This is a bird much esteemed by gastrono- 
 mists, though little known. Its flesh is 
 extremely delicate, and very superior to 
 lapwings and other plovers. In countries 
 where plovers abound many may be taken. 
 The sport of trapping, netting, snaring them, 
 and other means, are resorted to in war 
 against them: of these means, however, we 
 shall not write, inasmuch as we sport only 
 with the dog. When shooting the hare and 
 partridge, one frequently meets with the 
 wood-pigeon and sometimes the turtle dove, 
 which is agreeable as being a chance. Such 
 birds add to the game-bag; and often the 
 shooter has to thank such chance game for 
 the pleasure of a day's sport. 
 
 The plover, the lapwing, and the wood- 
 pigeon, may be added to the contents of a 
 game-bag : as regards the dove, opinions 
 
 N 
 
134 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 differ. Many do not consider it as game. 
 I do not agree with them : it is shot on the 
 wing, and often at a great distance. 
 
 As regards the thrush, the blackbird, and 
 the lark, they can only be counted on in the 
 kitchen ; even were your bag so filled it 
 would not be with game. Nevertheless this 
 should not prevent your killing a thrush, 
 should occasion offer, of which there are 
 four species in France. The common thrush 
 is found in September among the vineyards 
 and in gardens; it is the best of all; is very 
 delicate eating, and very savory. The others 
 differ in size and period of the year when 
 most easily shot, but they are all good on 
 the table. When thrushes are abundant, 
 the shooting of them is by no means wanting 
 in sport. You should have a companion : 
 place yourselves on each side of a vineyard ; 
 send your dogs into the centre, and each fire 
 at those which rise, and, if good shots, you 
 will soon be well supplied. In this manner 
 you may get an unusual number of shots, 
 and such practice is of great advantage to a 
 young sportsman. He accustoms himself to 
 
AND HIS DOG. J35 
 
 look out and be prepared to follow the bird 
 with his aim before pulling the trigger. The 
 thrush does not always rise in the same 
 manner : sometimes it flies straight, at 
 others makes many plunges ; at other times 
 its flight is undulated as the waves of an 
 agitated sea : at last it rises in the air and 
 falls again, describing the course of an 
 arrow. A sportsman who can under all 
 circumstances kill a thrush will seldom miss 
 a partridge. When the thrush is fat it runs 
 between the vines, and is put up with diffi- 
 culty. A stone must be thrown at it, or a 
 piece of earth, to start it; but you must be 
 ready to fire, for it will settle again within 
 ten or twenty paces. 
 
 Thrushes may also be shot when seated 
 on the branches of trees, but they are not 
 easily seen, and at times you may be quite 
 close without discerning them. If you find 
 yourself within twenty or five-and-twenty 
 paces of a tree on which a thrush had set- 
 tled, aim at the place where it settled, and 
 fire : I have often succeeded in this manner. 
 All thrushes are birds of passage. Never- 
 
136 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 theless some always remain in France during 
 the winter, as well as larks, &c. : in fact it 
 would appear, with regard to birds as with 
 men, that there are workmen and pretenders, 
 active and idle. 
 
 The country where most thrushes are seen 
 is on the borders of the Baltic Sea, at Dant- 
 zic, &c. In that country their number is 
 really prodigious at the season for flight. 
 Every tree, indeed almost every branch, has 
 its thrush: you may fill your bag, and there 
 is scarcely a table on which they are not 
 served on silver skewers half a yard long. 
 A spit of fat thrushes, roasted and larded, 
 is a most delicate dish. They should never 
 be drawn not more so than a woodcock; 
 the toast placed under them will always be 
 improved. Some eat them en salmis, others 
 make pies of them: this is a mistake never 
 dine with such people, or you will contract 
 their bad habits. In the neighbourhood of 
 Paris, and even farther north, ortolans may 
 be found: indeed, I kill several each season. 
 Although this excellent bird is rarely fat till 
 it has passed some time in cage, we have 
 
AND HIS DOG. 137 
 
 eaten many tolerably plump, and not with- 
 out merit. Few sportsmen know an ortolan : 
 they will pass it by without looking at it : 
 they disdain it. We pity them. 
 
 A dog will point well to the lark, and 
 with the same firmness as to the quail or 
 the partridge should the shooter desire it, if 
 he fire on each occasion, and cause his dog 
 to bring back the dead bird. But when a 
 shooter punishes his dog for false points to 
 these birds, he soon ceases to notice them. 
 For a beginner the shooting of larks on the 
 wing is good practice, which he may often 
 repeat, as these birds are found at each step 
 in certain seasons. It requires quick sight 
 to shoot them, as they are certainly more 
 difficult to kill than the quail or the partridge. 
 It is no longer as the swallow, which passes 
 and repasses before you, and which you fire 
 at when it suits you. With the lark you 
 must seize the moment, which, when once 
 lost, will not be recovered. 
 
 In countries where game is not abundant, 
 the shooting of larks with a looking-glass is 
 an amusement taken advantage of from want 
 
 N2 
 
138 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 of better. In those where much game is 
 found, when partridges can no longer be 
 shot, larks may be so. Whether from co- 
 quetting or curiosity, the lark likes to ap- 
 proach a brilliant object : it looks, and 
 admires itself while singing. 
 
 Looking-glasses are made which turn 
 themselves, and move like a clock by the 
 aid of clock-work. They are very ingenious, 
 but the rays which they throw out are very 
 uniform. I prefer the ancient glass which 
 our fathers made use of, and which were 
 turned with a string. According as the sun 
 was strong or weak, so we could accelerate 
 or retard their movements. This sport is 
 carried on in the morning during the month 
 of October, when the weather is clear, till 
 two o'clock. A single glass is quite suffi- 
 cient for many shooters if the larks are 
 abundant. It is one of those sports where 
 most powder is burnt, and as it is necessary 
 to load quickly, it is as well to make use of 
 cartridges. If the lark is difficult to shoot 
 when rising from the field, it is quite the 
 contrary when shooting with a looking-glass ; 
 
AND HIS DOG. 139 
 
 it soars, flaps its wings, and hovers without 
 changing its position. It is like shooting a 
 bird sitting on the branch of a tree. A spit 
 of larks, fat and well-dressed, has its merit: 
 they must neither be drawn nor roasted too 
 much. I am aware that great hunger is 
 not easily appeased with larks, but they do 
 very well with other dishes. 
 
 We were one day in the fields, and we 
 saw a shooter at some distance, who appeared 
 desirous of leaping a hedge. Our friend 
 had his right leg behind him as if to take 
 his jump, and then he stopped. " He'll 
 jump," said one, " He won't," said another; 
 and his movements began again. " The 
 ditch must be very large," said I, "since he 
 hesitates so long." " It is quite small," said 
 one. " It is deep," said another, " It is 
 dry." " It is full of water." To be brief, 
 when we approached him we found an 
 honest sportsman shooting larks, who turned 
 the looking-glass with a string attached to 
 his leg : he had no thought of jumping a 
 ditch, since there was none. 
 
140 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 INTREPID SPORTSMEN. 
 
 Ad limina nota 
 
 Ipse domum sera quamvis se nocte ferebat. 
 Hunc procul errantem rabidse venantis lull, 
 Commovere canes." VIRGIL. 
 
 IF the weather be not agreeable for shoot- 
 ing it will nevertheless do very well for keen 
 sportsmen. Bad weather is sometimes the 
 best. If you are young and fearless, if the 
 rain does not frighten you, start : your first 
 steps will alone appear distasteful, and with 
 a detonator you have nothing to fear. 
 
 During a fine rain partridges are easily 
 approached : they rise from your feet ; their 
 flight is heavy and not fast, and you soon 
 find them again. Some of the best partridge 
 shooting I ever had has been during rainy 
 weather in a beet-root field ; clover is not 
 so good, as they have no shelter, whereas 
 the beet-root plant, well supplied with 
 
AND HIS DOG. 141 
 
 leaves, serves as an umbrella for a whole 
 covey of partridges. They huddle together, 
 idleness retains them, and they only rise at 
 the last extremity. 1 should, however, also 
 observe that dogs have less scent ; the water 
 which enters their nostrils neutralises the 
 powers of smell, and which is only supplied 
 by continual marches and counter-marches. 
 If the wind be very high, still you may 
 shoot ; game hears you less. The hare is 
 easily surprised, and is not more difficult to 
 shoot than in calm weather. This is not the 
 same with regard to partridges : the height 
 of the wind adds to the quickness of their 
 flight ; they start precipitately, in which 
 you must be a good shot to knock them 
 over properly. It has been proved by a 
 thousand observations that the hare allows 
 itself to be more readily approached when 
 the wind is from the south in winter, and 
 from the east in summer ; the west and 
 south-west winds are good in all seasons. 
 The real sportsman starts in all weathers ; 
 he rarely consults the barometer : he acts 
 according to the state of the atmosphere, 
 
142 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 but he sports because he likes sporting. 
 He understands the habits and the move- 
 ments of game : he beats the fields if the 
 weather be fine. If the wind be high, he 
 tries the hedge-rows and the sheltered spots: 
 he shoots when it is cold, when it is hot ; 
 he shoots during rain, during hail ; he 
 always sports. He starts at midnight in 
 order to arrive at the corner of a wood 
 where woodcocks are likely to be found at 
 break of day : the woodcocks are not there : 
 what avails it? he has enjoyed the hope 
 to-morrow he will rejoice in the feast. 
 What do I say ? The day is long and is 
 not finished. The sportsman starts for the 
 fields, beats all the corners of the wood, and 
 finds nothing. He has been twenty miles 
 without firing a shot : he returns fatigued, 
 disgusted, harassed, but in his path a hare 
 gets up and is killed. From that time adieu 
 to fatigue; nothing rests so much as the 
 weight of your game-bag. 
 
 Previous to killing it you were tired, and 
 walked with your head down ; but the mo- 
 ment this interesting quadruped was safe in 
 
AND HIS DOG. 143 
 
 your game-bag, as a sailor in his license, 
 your frame expanded, your eyes shone 
 again : you carry your head high : you are 
 no longer the same man. When I meet 
 with a sportsman in the field, I decide, at 
 fifty yards, if he has been successful or not, 
 and am rarely deceived. 
 
 For all sportsmen, sporting is a passion ; 
 it is necessary to fatigue yourself to be 
 satisfied : but that fatigue is a pleasure. 
 The shooter knows that on his return he 
 can rest, that a good repast and a good fire 
 await him ; the longer such pleasures are 
 delayed the more are they enjoyed. What 
 gratification, in fact, to dine near a brilliant 
 fire, with dry clothes, with clean linen, after 
 having been out all the day in mud and 
 wet ! To many sportsmen shooting is more 
 than a passion ; it is a rage. I have seen 
 them during the month of November place 
 themselves among rushes with the water up 
 to their middles, and in this to watch for 
 four or five hours together a flock of ducks, 
 which rarely come within shot ; others, who 
 would pass the whole night near a wood for 
 
144 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 a chance shot at a roe-deer, when sometimes 
 a rabbit might appear in the neighbourhood. 
 One day two ten days pass without sport ; 
 at last they are successful, and from that 
 moment all their troubles are forgotten. 
 
 In England sporting is the rage of old 
 and young. A professor of mathematics 
 at Cambridge hunted at seventy-five years 
 of age, and was then blind. His horse fol- 
 lowed that of his groom. Addison, passing 
 a joke on the Scotch, stated that on one 
 occasion a fox passed through an encamp- 
 ment, and all the army followed it. 
 
 During the year 1830, immense flocks of 
 wild ducks appeared on the banks of the 
 Maine. These young ladies had fine ears, 
 and were most difficult to approach. In 
 order to kill them it was necessary to await 
 their time. But how to wait for ducks 
 during the night with the barometer at 15 ! 
 An honest butcher proved the possibility. 
 During one month this honest man never 
 went to bed. He had several holes made 
 near the river, in which he hid himself, and 
 there remained throughout the night watch- 
 
AND HIS DOG. 145 
 
 ing wild ducks. He killed and sold more 
 than he did legs of mutton or rounds of beef. 
 Yet few are found sufficiently hardy for such 
 an undertaking. I have never tried such 
 experiments, because I am not fond of hidden 
 shooting ; and more, I am unable to en- 
 counter severe cold and wet save on the 
 move : but at all times, and during all 
 weathers, I can shoot when walking. 
 
 When the ground is covered with snow, 
 partridges huddle together in order to keep 
 themselves warm, and they may then be 
 easily approached should you deem it worth 
 your while to dress yourself in white, which 
 may be done by wearing white trousers and 
 putting a shirt over your other clothes, and 
 placing a white handkerchief on your head. 
 By no other colour appearing in the field, 
 the partridges do not observe you far off; 
 and if you have the wind, and take advantage 
 of the ground to hide yourself, you are sure 
 of a few good shots. Rabbits should not 
 be ferreted during snow : the rabbit is chilly 
 and idle, and will not leave its burrow ; in 
 fact, he will allow himself sooner to be 
 
 o 
 
146 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 eaten. In such case you must wait long 
 enough, as the ferret, which fears the cold, 
 will not hurry itself to return. I have tried 
 this, and can assure you it is not very agree- 
 able to wait four or five hours in the snow 
 by a rabbit-hole. Generally, all kinds of 
 sport during snow, cold, and rain should be 
 made on the move, to circulate the blood ; 
 the movement heats you, and it is dangerous 
 to stop: you must walk and walk on, and 
 should you feel fatigued, return to your own 
 fire-side, leaving more serious affairs to the 
 following day. 
 
 There are many intrepid sportsmen who 
 have broken their arms and legs in the heat 
 of the chase ; many fingers, hands, and even 
 eyes have been lost : all these accidents have 
 not prevented the sufferers from sporting 
 again. Whether it be hunting, shooting, or 
 rat-killing, sport will be ever sport. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 147 
 
 THE SELFISHNESS OF SPORTSMEN. 
 
 " Sensible a la gloire, 
 Fier de la victoire, 
 A qui veut te croire 
 Tu le conteras r 1 Robin des Boi*. 
 
 THE self-love of sportsmen may be com- 
 pared to that of authors, actors, and billiard- 
 players ; with all it is in the extreme. 
 Should a bird rise, and four shooters fire, 
 does it fall, each one declares to having 
 killed it all are sure; they all give their 
 words to the fact. I have known quarrels 
 take place on the subject of a partridge. 
 The good shot, however, will always give 
 way sooner than cause a dispute, which is 
 generally sustained by him who has no con- 
 fidence in his own shooting, and fears to 
 return with an empty game-bag. But if all 
 act with courtesy, which should ever be the 
 case among gentlemen, these differences 
 
148 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 rarely occur. As a general rule, the head 
 of game belongs to him who stops it in 
 flight or course. One should always allow 
 the game time when fired at by a companion. 
 Fire yourself only when you are sure it is 
 not wounded, and not even then without 
 you are shooting with friends. Never fire 
 to the point of a dog to which another 
 person is shooting without being requested 
 to do so. Neither ought you to follow up 
 the bird put up by another shooter. The 
 hare which runs is not dead. All have a 
 right to fire at a hare which runs. Never- 
 theless if it be wounded by one of your 
 companions, if his dog follows it near, you 
 should not fire ; or, should you do so, con- 
 sider it the shot of him who has wounded it. 
 I found myself in the fields with a stranger: 
 we fired at a partridge, which fell. "It is 
 mine," said he. " I could claim it, since 
 we both fired," said I. " Yes, but I saw it 
 fall to my shot, I am certain ; I give you 
 my word." "Take it," said I. As we 
 were loading our guns, I observed, from the 
 height of his ramrod, that my friend put in 
 
AND HIS DOG. 149 
 
 a double charge. By my advice he made 
 use of his drawing-rod, and perceived his 
 last charge had never gone off. His gun 
 had snapped, whereas mine was discharged. 
 My friend had been quite certain of having 
 killed, and had given his word to that effect. 
 He was desirous to give up the partridge ; 
 I begged him to accept it. At this he was 
 not sorry, as there is pleasure in showing 
 something on your return home. A sports- 
 man who returns without anything avoids 
 meeting his acquaintances, and, should he 
 see any one, gets out of the way. If, on the 
 contrary, his bag is well filled, with a face 
 radiant in smiles he fearlessly walks on, 
 that his game may be seen by all. 
 
 During several years, when I have en- 
 joyed some good shooting with an old mili- 
 tary friend, on our return he was asked by 
 his wife if he had had good sport ? " Yes," 
 said he, " I have killed ten brace and he 
 has killed six." Yet, on the following day, 
 if I had killed twelve brace and he five, he 
 would answer, " We have killed seven-and- 
 twenty brace." This amiable woman then 
 o 2 
 
150 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 never failed to say to me, " You have killed 
 the most, as he speaks in the plural number." 
 " Sportsmen are very amiable, and very gal- 
 lant/' said a lady ; " they rise at four o'clock 
 in the morning ; they take great precaution 
 quietly to descend the stairs ; they never put 
 on their thick shoes till they are ready to 
 start; they fear to disturb us by their noise ; 
 and then they discharge their guns under 
 our very bedroom window." Observe a 
 sportsman who has missed his shot, will he 
 not ever have a good reason for so doing? 
 The bird was too far ; the gun hung fire, &c. ; 
 the next time he will be more careful ; or, 
 his powder is not sufficiently strong his 
 shot is mixed, not sufficiently round, and 
 scatters too much a tree prevented his 
 aim if not a tree, the sun, or, probably, 
 the moon ! He will tell you a thousand 
 such tales. Be assured it is never his fault 
 that he has missed. A shooter always 
 augments the distance ; he fires at thirty 
 paces, and says it is fifty ; he does not touch 
 the bird; this is easily accounted for it 
 rises too far off. If he kill it, he takes to 
 
AND HIS DOG. 151 
 
 himself the merit accordingly. It required 
 far more address, far better aim, better 
 everything than others have, but which he 
 possesses. 
 
 And then the lost birds ! this is the great 
 battle-horse two wounded partridges, which 
 the dog could not find because the weather 
 was too hot ; a rabbit hit, which disappears 
 in its hole ; a hare with its leg broken the 
 dog was in the act of catching it when the 
 hare doubled, and, being close to a wood, 
 escapes. All this signifies, that " had I as 
 much luck as address my bag would be 
 full." To which may be answered, " When 
 you find a partridge wounded by another, 
 keep it yourself." If your dog catch a hare 
 running which some else has wounded, say 
 nothing, all is grist to the mill. Sportsmen 
 are fabulous ; this is a proverb admitted at 
 all times and in all countries. The proverb 
 is true ; but if it were not so, it would be 
 necessary to become so for the honour of 
 the proverb, which ought never to be 
 blamed. Nevertheless it is not well to push 
 
152 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 the question too far, and thus by doubt to 
 revoke all the tales of sportsmen. 
 
 When shooting, extraordinary things are 
 met with ; and frequently, from fear of 
 the above proverb, I have scarcely dared 
 to relate facts which have actually oc- 
 curred to ine, as it is not agreeable to see 
 a smile of incredulity on the face of your 
 listeners. 
 
 One of my ancestors was shooting on a 
 mountain covered with snow ; he was on 
 the summit, near a precipitous descent ; 
 he fired at a hare, which fled down the 
 descent ; the hare turned over and over, the 
 snow attaching itself each time until it 
 literally formed a ball, which became larger 
 and larger. Hurried on by its weight, which 
 augmented the ball, it continued its way to 
 the foot of the mountain, and became so 
 large and so hard that with difficulty was 
 it broken up to take out the hare. This 
 anecdote, ridiculous as it may appear, is 
 nevertheless perfectly true. When sport- 
 ing circumstances multiply and combine in 
 
AND HIS DOG. 153 
 
 such a manner that something new is ever 
 occurring. 
 
 A young and inexperienced sportsman, in 
 despair at each day returning without suc- 
 cess and becoming a laughing-stock to his 
 companions, bought one day a hare, and then 
 went to the field exhibiting his game, pre- 
 tending a pleasure which he did not feel. 
 On the hare being examined, however, it 
 was soon discovered that it had been killed 
 ten days previously, and was already nearly 
 in a state of decomposition. The fraud was 
 discovered, and he became a greater butt for 
 his companions. Several days afterwards a 
 peasant met him, with his game-bag, as usual, 
 empty, and presented to his alluring eye a 
 superb hare. He bought it, after assuring 
 himself that it was fresh ; he had not forgot- 
 ten on this occasion to see that its eyes had 
 not sunk into its head, and that its belly 
 showed the white. Here was another cause 
 of laughter ; on the hare being examined, it 
 was found not to have died by the gun, but 
 to have been taken in a snare. 
 
154 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS. 
 
 " La pere en prescrira la lecture a son ills." 
 
 IT is impossible to be too careful when 
 you have a terrible arm in your hands 
 which can cause two deaths. We shall 
 repeat in this chapter all that we have pre- 
 viously said on this head, at the same time 
 adding the advice which long experience 
 has dictated to us. We do not fear the 
 repetition ; the only inconvenience will be 
 that we may forget. Never keep too much 
 powder in your house ; far better to procure 
 it from time to time as you may require it ; 
 a spark may ignite it, and the effects are 
 terrible. Always keep your powder in a 
 dry place, which is locked and far from the 
 reach of children. Should you have occa- 
 sion to meddle with powder, let it be done 
 during the day. If you absolutely require 
 to fill your powder-flask at night, do it as 
 
AND HIS DOG. 155 
 
 far as possible from the candles, as a spark 
 may send you and your house into the air. 
 At an inn, in a farm-house, or any other 
 place of meeting for a shooting breakfast, 
 let your guns be so placed as that neither 
 children nor your dogs may throw them 
 down. A detonating gun may explode by 
 the falling of the hammer if the shock be 
 on the side of the caps. If you approach 
 the fire, do so without your powder-flask ; 
 a few grains only need escape to throw you 
 into the air as a shell. The town of Eyse- 
 nach, in Saxony, was destroyed in this 
 manner in 1810; a convoy of artillery was 
 passing through it, a few grains of powder 
 escaped from a barrel, the shoe of a horse 
 ignited it the barrel exploded ; another, a 
 hundred ; and in a minute three hundred 
 houses were destroyed, and two thousand 
 persons killed. 
 
 " Quseque ipse miserrima vidi." 
 
 When you return from the field always 
 discharge your gun ; having once entered 
 your house you may possibly forget it. You 
 
156 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 have many things to say ; to dress for 
 dinner ; your appetite hastens you. You 
 place your gun in a corner ; a child finds 
 it, and if it be loaded all is possible. If for 
 your personal protection you desire to 
 retain a loaded gun in the house, let it 
 not be that with which you sport. Have 
 another ; place it in security during the 
 day, and be careful where you place it 
 during the night, though ready to your 
 hand. The charge of such gun should 
 from time to time be changed ; this point is 
 necessary. If you go to your shooting 
 ground in a carriage, keep your gun well 
 cased in leather. Flint guns will sometimes 
 go off without being touched ; this never 
 takes place with detonators. The cock 
 should be always down when not loaded. 
 These guns probably require more precaution 
 than others. If the cock which is down 
 on the cap finds itself raised by anything 
 whatever, should it fall ever so lightly, its 
 force is sufficient to ignite the powder. I 
 one day returned wet from shooting. I was 
 wiping my gun, which I held at length on a 
 
AND HIS DOG. 157 
 
 table ; when, passing the cloth over the 
 locks, my hand touched the trigger, the gun 
 went off and lodged the contents in the side 
 of the room. Since that time I always dis- 
 charge my gun before entering. On another 
 occasion I had just fired, and was re-loading 
 the barrel discharged. During the operation 
 a partridge rose from my feet. I was in the 
 act of raising my gun to take aim, when 
 the cock, hitching in some part of my dress, 
 pulled it back ; it fell, and the charge passed 
 within six inches of my head. These two 
 accidents could not have occurred with a 
 good flint gun. 
 
 Should your gun fall, and a certain 
 quantity of dirt introduce itself into the 
 barrels, be careful to remove it by passing 
 the ramrod several times into the interior. 
 I should then advise you to place another 
 wadding ; this wad will force the particles 
 of sand which may have remained on the 
 charge, and prevent an accident. When 
 you jump a ditch, always uncock your gun. 
 If you pass through a hedge, a thick covert, 
 
 p 
 
158 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 or underwood, care is not less required ; 
 and in many positions the mere uncocking 
 of your gun is not sufficient, you must 
 remove your caps ; but having done so, let 
 down your cocks : without this precaution 
 the powder may escape by the nipples, or 
 become wet. In both cases your gun will 
 miss fire, which is always a great annoy- 
 ance. 
 
 When in the open, carry your gun at an 
 angle of forty-five degrees ; when in a wood 
 it ought to be at fifty, that is to say, 
 straight. Let your hand always be on the 
 small of the gun, that the finger never 
 comes near the trigger till you take aim. 
 If your companion do not follow these 
 precautions, give him a hint ; if he regard 
 it not, get out of his way : fly such people 
 as a pest ; they are worse than the cholera. 
 Ordinarily never walk in a line save with 
 experienced sportsmen and reasonable men. 
 Fly from incautious youths ; they sometimes 
 wound a man, always miss a partridge, and 
 often kill your dogs. When your gun 
 
AND HIS DOG. 159 
 
 snaps, elevate the barrel in a vertical posi- 
 tion ; often it only hangs fire, and will go 
 off the moment after. 
 
 Be careful riot to overcharge or ram down 
 too hard, and see well that no air is left 
 between the wadding and the charge ; this 
 want of precaution may cause your gun to 
 burst, particularly when the barrels are 
 dirty. When alone, never fire when facing 
 a wall, as the shot may recoil in your face ; 
 this inconvenience would not take place 
 had you fired obliquely. If in company, 
 never fire against a wall, against a heap 
 of stones, or on a paved place ; your shot 
 is always dangerous to some one. In my 
 own neighbourhood a gentleman recently 
 lost his eye in this manner. His companion 
 fired at a rabbit amongst some stones ; he 
 was thirty paces on the other side; the 
 same shot which lost him his eye killed the 
 rabbit. Should you fire on the water recol- 
 lect that your shot ricochets, and be careful 
 of your neighbours. Never fire into the 
 middle of a hedge without being assured no 
 one is on the other side; you may kill a 
 
160 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 sleeping shepherd, and it would be a pity to 
 put an end to his dreams and prevent his 
 awaking. In a wood never fire at man's 
 height, or on the ground, without seeing 
 before you. In vineyards it is very danger- 
 ous to fire low ; children are sometimes 
 stealing the fruit, and they hide themselves; 
 it is not with a gunshot they should be 
 punished, moreover, this is not your busi- 
 ness. Always uncock your gun when enter- 
 ing a boat, the unsteadiness may cause your 
 foot to slip, and bang goes your gun. 
 Always take off your caps when entering a 
 carriage. These little precautions prevent 
 many misfortunes and regrets. Not only 
 should every sportsman follow them, but he 
 should cause others to adopt his good ex- 
 ample. If it be terrible to cause the death 
 of a man from imprudence, it is equally 
 disagreeable to become the victim of want 
 of care in your neighbour. If you are 
 accosted by an insolent keeper orv rude 
 peasant, by people who endeavour to injure 
 you with their tongues, who seek to dispute, 
 who irritate you, uncock your gun ; fear 
 
AND HIS DOG. 161 
 
 the temptation arising from passion ; walk 
 away, and allow them to abuse; the better 
 you are armed the more courteous you can 
 afford to be. I admit that great patience is 
 sometimes required ; yet by this will you 
 prove yourself the gentleman and the sports- 
 man. 
 
 p 2 
 
162 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 THE THEORETICAL EDUCATION OF 
 SPORTING DOGS. 
 
 " Gardant du bienfait seul le doux ressentiment, 
 II vient lecher ma main apres le chatiment. 
 Souvent il me regarde ; humide de tendresse, 
 Son ceil affectueux implore une caresse : 
 J'ordonne, il vient a moi ; je menace, il me fuit ; 
 Je 1'appelle, il revient ; je fais signe, il me suit ; 
 Je m'eloigne, quels pleurs ! je reviens, quel joie ! 
 Chasseur sans interet, il m'apporte sa proie." 
 
 DELILLE. 
 
 " THE good sportsman makes the good 
 dog;" all the secret consists in knowing when 
 to punish him and when to reward. The 
 showman's dog daily makes this reflection : 
 " If I do not jump I shall be beaten, my 
 master gives me nothing to eat, he prevents 
 my sleeping ; if I jump I shall eat, drink, 
 and be caressed; let us jump;" and he 
 jumps. Imitate the showman. Your words, 
 whether harsh or soft, your caresses or your 
 lashes, should be so regulated as to cause 
 
AND HIS DOG. 163 
 
 ideas to find place in the habits of your 
 young dog. The moment he can run, you 
 should occupy yourself with his education ; 
 take him out walking, accustom him to 
 your voice, and make him obey you. You 
 should also accustom him early to the noise 
 of your gun. I have known dogs, with 
 regard to which this precaution has not 
 been taken, being frightened at the report. 
 After his name, the first words made known 
 to him ought to be u to heel ;" these should 
 be repeated on every occasion when you 
 call him to your side ; caress him when he 
 obeys, punish him when he disobeys. But 
 his punishment should be light; content 
 yourself with a few harsh words and a shake 
 of the whip. 
 
 The dog is by nature very sagacious and 
 intelligent ; he loves his master ; profit by 
 this : act with patience and temper, and 
 consequently only punish him when he does 
 not do what he knows he ought to do. It 
 is dreadful to see a sportsman breaking the 
 ribs of his dog with the whip; the poor 
 beast crouches at the feet of his master, 
 
164 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 licks his hand, and seems to say, " Why do 
 you beat me? teach rne what to do, and I 
 will do it ; I ask no better." 
 
 The moment the master has spoken, the 
 dog should obey ; you must not, however, 
 omit anything, above all at the commence- 
 ment : but never punish him, not even by 
 harsh words, till he has learned and under- 
 stands that which you desire of him. His 
 obedience should be repaid by many caresses; 
 a few kind words he readily understands, 
 and knows well how to show his gratitude. 
 You should therefore be prodigal of kind- 
 ness, and at the same time avaricious of 
 punishment. The dog delights in flattery ; 
 caressed by the voice and gesture, he feels 
 even the severity of your look, and a quick 
 word is a still greater punishment. Then 
 comes the threat of the whip ; then a light 
 pull of the ear ; then a little more severity ; 
 the lash only on great occasions, and this 
 should only be resorted to in extreme mea- 
 sures, in cases of absolute necessity. Propor- 
 tion the punishment always to the fault, and 
 when your dog, having been chastised, 
 
AND HIS DOG. 165 
 
 finishes by obeying, double your caresses ; he 
 knows and feels the difference, and will profit 
 by the lesson. During your walk, take the 
 precaution to study the character of your 
 young dog. If he is gentle and timid, act with 
 much management ; if he is wild, wicked, 
 and cunning, be severe. You are his lord 
 and master ; he should read his destiny in 
 your eyes. A word from you ought to make 
 him tremble; another ought to make him 
 jump with joy. But, above all, be careful 
 to make use of the same expressions to 
 obtain the same result. The language of 
 dogs does not admit of synonymes ; it re- 
 quires technical terms, and the vocabulary 
 is of no great length. You should occupy 
 yourself personally with his education ; 
 another voice than your own will disturb 
 his ideas; the inflections will no longer be 
 the same, and the animal will understand 
 nothing. 
 
 When your dog is for some time accus- 
 tomed to this passive obedience, the base of 
 his education, that he comes to you the 
 instant you call him, stops his gambols and 
 
166 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 his fun at the slightest word from your 
 mouth : you must instruct him to lie down 
 at your command ; the front legs should be 
 elongated, the rear ones placed under him. 
 Your dog should always take this position 
 the moment that with a loud voice you cry 
 out " Down. " Soon he will attain this 
 habit, and the slightest sign of your hand 
 be sufficient to cause him to obey. Thus 
 placed, you will hold him fixed when walk- 
 ing round him; when you call him he will 
 rise, but not sooner. A well-trained dog 
 should lie down in an instant. 
 
 He should then be taught to fetch and 
 carry ; this may be done in playing with 
 him, but it does not always succeed. You 
 commence by throwing before him a linen 
 cloth, and the moment he seizes it call him; 
 caress him when he returns, arid take the 
 cloth from his mouth. Should he drop the 
 cloth previous to your taking hold of it, 
 place it in his mouth again : repeat this les- 
 son continually. The same exercise may 
 be carried on with a stick, which should be 
 covered with a hare or rabbit-skin in order 
 
AND HIS DOG. 167 
 
 to prevent his holding it too fast with his 
 teeth. He should seize it by the centre : 
 should he seize it by the ends, do not allow 
 it, but commence again. You see dogs which 
 will not fetch or carry, and others which will 
 readily do so : in the former case, you must 
 make use of forcing collars : these collars 
 are made with small spikes within ; a string 
 is attached to the collar, and a pull causes 
 the spikes to give severe pain : this should 
 be used carefully at first : if, however, the 
 dog be obstinate, a few severe pulls will 
 bring him to reason. 
 
 When your dog brings readily any object 
 thrown for him, then make him bring dead 
 game a partridge, a quail, or a rabbit. 
 It is only when the dog is full grown and 
 strong he should be made to carry the hare. 
 If he has a hard mouth, and injures the 
 game with his teeth, try the effect of putting 
 pins in the birds. 
 
 Your dog carries ; he obeys when you call 
 him ; he understands the words "to heel/' 
 " fetch it,' 1 "give :" you must teach him to 
 seek : his vocabulary is augmented by the 
 
168 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 word " seek." In shooting, the dog ought 
 to go over a hundred times more ground 
 than his master. He should always range 
 in zigzag, to the right, to the left, and never 
 pass a tuft of grass without beating it. To 
 teach him this manoeuvre you should act 
 thus : 
 
 The dog ranges before you at a distance of 
 fifteen or twenty paces ; you should never 
 allow him to be further: you call him on, 
 changing suddenly your direction. The dog 
 comes to you ; you make him a sign to ad- 
 vance in saying " Seek/' This time you go 
 in a contrary sense : you begin again, and 
 always the words " turn " and " seek " 
 accompany all your movements ; and gene- 
 rally dogs will at once take to this manoeuvre 
 from the dislike they have of losing sight of 
 their master when they observe that he 
 changes his direction. 
 
 The natural instinct of a well-bred dog 
 will cause him to "seek" the moment he 
 has a knowledge of game, which experience 
 will tell him where to find : he will then 
 alone seek it without being told, as a dog 
 
AND HIS DOG. 169 
 
 has no less pleasure than his master in 
 sporting. 
 
 Your dog brings, seeks, and beats ; he 
 obeys ; the question is then to teach him to 
 point. The greater portion of pointers point 
 naturally : I have known them when six 
 months old follow their mother to the field, 
 and, on seeing her point, quietly place them- 
 selves behind her, elongate their noses, 
 elevate the paw, stretch out the tail, and 
 remain till the gun is discharged. 
 
 Throw for your dog the cloth or the stick 
 as before, saying at the same time " Seek :" 
 the moment he approaches it, draw the spiked 
 collar, at the same time crying out to him 
 "Hold." When he has remained a few 
 moments, say to him " Bring," and begin 
 again. You may also throw to the dog 
 bread-and-butter, or anything else, without 
 allowing him to take it till he has pointed 
 before it to the word " hold." When he is 
 on the point, fire your gun, only charged 
 with powder, and do not allow him to touch 
 the bread till you have fired. Repeat this 
 lesson until he well understands it, and till 
 
 Q 
 
170 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 he points without the use of the collar. 
 Many sportsmen in such case cry " Seize it" 
 to their dog : I condemn this manner. In 
 the open as in the crowd a good dog ought 
 never to rush in. Game should rise itself, 
 and when the shooter approaches quietly. 
 
 If a dog throw himself among partridges 
 or quails, they will rise frightened and wild, 
 and will be far more difficult to hit. When 
 getting up before a shooter, they will fly 
 straight. If they be red-legged partridges 
 that the dog runs into, they will rise at 
 once ; in a contrary case, they rise the one 
 after another. For a hare or a rabbit, the 
 inconvenience of rushing in is still more 
 serious, as the dog once started, will follow 
 the animal : if he is near, you will forbear to 
 shoot ; and if you do shoot, you risk the life 
 of your dog. In a marsh the case differs : a 
 dog ought to rush, but you should never 
 permit him till he is well grounded in good 
 principles, and not until you have no fear 
 that this habit will induce him to force his 
 point in a wood or in the fields. 
 
 Young dogs are generally full of spirit ; it 
 
AND HIS DOG. 171 
 
 is necessary to calm them. When you see 
 your pupil carried away by excitement be- 
 yond the distance of twenty paces, stop him 
 with a severe voice. When he rejoins you, 
 give him a sign to advance again, saying 
 "Gently, gently :" moderate your voice, if his 
 ardour is too great. All these lessons, re- 
 peated with patience, will not be lost on a 
 dog of pure breed. You should well know 
 how to distribute your recompenses as well 
 as chastisements : give them at the proper 
 moment, and be prodigal with your favours. 
 
 When your dog knows all that we have 
 here named, he is broken, theoretically 
 speaking. Many sportsmen exact more. 
 The education of a pointer is very trifling : 
 he is formed by Nature ; in his youth he is 
 so excited that he forces and starts the game, 
 but he soon knows better: the instinct of the 
 chase causes him to reason ; he continues his 
 gallop, but he stops when necessary. 
 
 A sportsman understands the powers of 
 his dog : his listeners, who have scarcely 
 believed his tales, are surprised by facts. I 
 know a man who took a burning stick from 
 
172 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 the fire, threw it into the centre of the hall, 
 and desired his dog to bring it. The dog 
 walked round the burning brand, fearing to 
 touch it: the order being repeated to him, 
 he at length approached it, and having first 
 extinguished the fire with his urine, seized it 
 in his mouth, and dragged it to the feet of 
 his master. Si non e vero. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 173 
 
 THE PRACTICAL EDUCATION OF 
 SPORTING DOGS. 
 
 " Le bon chasseur fait le bon chien." 
 
 Sagresse de Nation. 
 
 PROCURE a living partridge and cut his 
 wings: secure it from time to time, from 
 distance to distance, in sundry grassy spots. 
 Then attach your bird by a string to a tree 
 or bush. It will at first endeavour to escape, 
 but finding that impossible, it will soon lie 
 close ; allow it to remain so, and leave it. 
 Your dog not having observed these prepa- 
 rations, take your gun and the wind, and 
 with him approach the ground that has been 
 touched by the bird. Then repeat the les- 
 son to " seek." Your dog will become 
 impatient : as soon as he scents the game, 
 he starts; stop him with a gentle remon- 
 strance; make him return to your side, and 
 Q2 
 
174 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 cool his ardour by the words " Gently, 
 gently." As you have only one partridge, 
 and that must die in the lesson, be careful 
 of his life, and allow the practice to last as 
 long as possible. Tell your dog to seek ; 
 make him turn to the right and the left ; 
 and lastly, when he approaches the game, 
 cry loudly to him to " hold." Should he 
 not stop, a good pull at the spiked collar 
 will instantly have the effect. Then approach 
 your dog, saying to him quietly, " Hold, 
 hold!" Walk round him: your voice and 
 looks will fix him to the spot he has taken. 
 When you have done this several times, take 
 the partridge, put it under his nose that he 
 may scent it without permitting him to touch 
 it. Then let the bird go behind you : take 
 your dog away, and recommence your lesson. 
 Do this several times, and above all follow 
 the advice given you before : and the moment 
 your dog has pointed at the bird without the 
 aid of his collar, kill the partridge and make 
 him bring it. When the dog precipitates 
 himself on the bird, and enjoys the pleasure 
 of holding it in his mouth, cut the string by 
 
AND HIS DOG. 175 
 
 which it has been attached. Assure your- 
 self that he does not bite the bird, and that 
 he gives it you the moment you desire him. 
 Throw it three or four times in order to 
 make him bring it again, and recommence 
 this practice as often as you can procure a 
 living bird. 
 
 This lesson may be also followed up with 
 a rabbit in a court-yard. It is not necessary 
 to secure it; this animal, accustomed to live 
 in burrows, will not endeavour to save itself 
 in an open space : it will remain quiet. If 
 your dog runs after a hare or a rabbit which 
 gets up, he should be severely punished : this 
 custom will cause you to miss many a shot ; 
 he should not move till your gun is dis- 
 charged. 
 
 We are now arrived at the period to take 
 your dog to the field. If he is wild, place 
 the collar on him and allow the cord attached 
 to it to trail on the ground ; you will then 
 always master him by placing your foot on 
 it. The animal receives a severe shock, the 
 sharp points run into him and soon correct 
 him. But each time that you so stop him 
 
176 THE SPORTSMATs 7 
 
 you must tell him the reason. If he is wild 
 on his beat, you must say " Gently, gently." 
 If a bird rise before him and he desire to 
 follow it, say " Hold, hold." These ex- 
 pressions, or any other constantly repeated, 
 will end by being perfectly understood, and 
 each time you pronounce them your dog will 
 understand your desire. When you are shoot- 
 ing to a young dog, fire under his nose, if 
 you have the chance, at the game he has 
 pointed. The bird is often so destroyed : 
 what does it signify ? such will not ever be 
 the case. 
 
 Several of these practical lessons will con- 
 firm the dog in his points ; and he will soon 
 make the following reflection : " If I move, 
 the game is off; if I stop, it will be killed ; 
 and I shall take it in my mouth, and plunge 
 my nose in its blood. I rejoice. Do not 
 move." 
 
 Some partridges rise : you kill two or 
 three ; your dog only brings back one ; do 
 not ask him for the others ; they will serve 
 each in their turn for an excellent lesson. 
 You charge your gun with powder only; 
 
AND HIS DOG. 177 
 
 take your dog with the wind towards a dead 
 partridge it is still hot ; your dog will soon 
 seek it, and will point to it as to a living 
 bird. A general fault among young dogs is 
 to beat with their noses on the ground ; they 
 follow their game by the track, and take it 
 against the wind. This must not be per- 
 mitted, as in such manner their scent is less 
 strong : at times they do not scent it at all. 
 The moment you see your dog with his nose 
 on the ground, approach him, make him 
 hold up his head, and oblige him to seek 
 elsewhere. The moment he receives by the 
 wind some particles of scent, he will follow 
 them with his nose in the air. Partridges 
 hold far better before a dog which hunts by 
 the wind than before one that follows on their 
 track. If in the latter case he point, it is 
 only by chance, and when the game is sur- 
 prised and lies close under his nose. 
 
 Never allow your dog to run after par- 
 tridges : the first time he does it punish him 
 severely. Slip on the cord, and give him a 
 smart shock of the collar, using the words 
 " hold" and " to heel." On a second occa- 
 
178 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 gion the whip must be applied, having care 
 at the same time to make him sensible by 
 words of the cause of his chastisement. 
 There are dogs with whom both the above 
 modes of correction have not the desired 
 effect: their excitement carries them after 
 the game, and they become deaf to the voice 
 of their master : they require a more severe 
 lesson, a charge of No. 7 from your gun 
 from forty paces in their flanks. At this dis- 
 tance such is not dangerous ; it tickles, causes 
 a few drops of blood to flow, and the dog is 
 none the worse. All my dogs have had this 
 dose, and they are as well as I am. You 
 finish by preventing this bad habit; their 
 own judgment and experience soon prove 
 that the advantage is on the side of the wings. 
 But as regards the hare, running as them- 
 selves on the ground, they always hope to 
 catch it, because they recollect having taken 
 several ; they forget the fact of their having 
 been first wounded. " 1 caught one yester- 
 day,' 7 says the dog ; " why not another to- 
 day?" If it be possible, you must prevent 
 their being followed : if you are not success- 
 
AND HIS DOG. 179 
 
 ful, do not be too angry. The first time you 
 find yourself shooting in company, and have 
 a young dog, be careful to prevent his run- 
 ning to the discharge of another gun. A few 
 lashes of the whip will generally in such 
 cases have a desirable effect. If your dog, 
 when on the point, endeavours to snap at a 
 hare or a rabbit, a quail or a partridge, and 
 by chance he seize the game, you should run 
 up to him, threaten him, oblige him instantly 
 to drop it, and kill it with your gun. If you 
 suffer this enormity, your dog will believe he 
 knows better than you ; he will endeavour 
 to seize your game on all occasions, will seek 
 it, and you will lose your shots. The dog 
 must be well satisfied that he can do no- 
 thing with game without his master which 
 is the fact. 
 
 When your dog has committed a serious 
 fault, and you judge an application of the 
 whip necessary, you must seize him suddenly 
 and apply it. But if, knowing his fault, he 
 hesitates to approach you, you must not call 
 him as a friend in order to punish him : this 
 would be a treason he will not forget. Ap- 
 
180 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 proaeh him angrily, and catch him if you 
 can : in all cases, if he flies, he is aware of 
 having committed a fault. 
 
 Now that your dog knows all that he ought 
 to know, there is only one thing wanted : it 
 is to make him take to the water. Be care- 
 ful never to face him, or to throw him in, 
 neither to select cold weather ; if you do so, 
 you will make it ever repulsive to him. This 
 lesson should be taught during the summer, 
 when the water is warmed by the sun. Take 
 him to the side of a stream which is not deep, 
 so that he may enter the water gradually. 
 Throw in a stick or anything else, and make 
 him bring it. If he refuse, wait till he is 
 hungry, then throw in some pieces of bread, 
 at first near, then farther, and caress him 
 when he obeys you. By and bye, when you 
 find that he seems without fear, throw in at 
 some distance a dead partridge, which you 
 have previously caused him to scent, and 
 without hesitation he will throw himself 
 into the water. To finish this lesson, put a 
 duck into a pond, and tell your dog to bring 
 it ; the duck will plunge, and the dog will 
 
AND HIS DOG. 181 
 
 pursue without catching it. When you have 
 amused yourself sufficiently with this chase, 
 shoot the duck, and your dog will proudly 
 bring it on shore. 
 
 The good sportsman makes the good dog : 
 kill plenty of game, and your dog will be- 
 come perfect. The sporting dog judges his 
 master as a soldier judges his general. If 
 he be a bad shot, the dog becomes careless. 
 It is certainly by egotism that man causes a 
 dog to submit to all his lessons, that he 
 chastises him with the collar smd the whip ; 
 but he also provides for him pleasures, 
 which on the other hand he never would 
 have enjoyed. If the dog could speak, he 
 would thank you : without him you could 
 do little ; without you he could do no- 
 thing. The sporting dog loves the chase 
 above all ; he loves it as much as the most 
 ardent sportsman. If he is such, the sight 
 of a gun animates him ; if he is lame, he 
 will drag himself after you ; if he sleep, he 
 dreams of partridges, rabbits, and hares. I 
 have even known dogs wake up at the words 
 "gun," "quail," " partridge." This effect 
 
182 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 has been caused without being said on pur- 
 pose ; merely the expression in conversation 
 has caused them to move the head or sigh. 
 The dog is man's best friend ; it may be 
 said he was created for his companion. 
 Frederick the Great was one day in the 
 midst of his courtiers, who assured him of 
 their devotion to his person. The king 
 listened to them, when, at the moment, the 
 door opened, and his dog came bounding 
 into the room. " You say well, my friends," 
 added the king ; " but here is my best 
 friend." 
 
 It would require ten volumes to relate the 
 history of celebrated dogs ; I shall there- 
 fore confine myself to one, as a finish. Dur- 
 ing the Emigration, a marquis of my 
 acquaintance was received at the residence 
 of a German baron. On the first day his 
 astonishment was great at remarking at the 
 baron's table an enormous dog, seated in an 
 arm-chair. When an attempt was made to 
 serve any one before him, some tremendous 
 sighs burst from his breast, and he was ap- 
 peased on his plate being filled. " You are 
 
AND HIS DOG. 183 
 
 surprised, sir," said the baron, " to see a dog 
 at my table, and treated as we are. When 
 you are informed as to the value I place on 
 the attachment of this admirable beast, you 
 will not blame me, I hope. My chateau 
 took fire during the night ; I was asleep ; 
 my servants fled and forgot me. I should 
 certainly have been burned to death, when 
 my dog seized me by the feet, awoke me, 
 led the way through the flames, and I was 
 saved. I owe my life to him, and I do not 
 feel that I do too much for him, when, for 
 the rest of his days, I give him all the enjoy- 
 ments I can provide for him." 
 
184 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 THE TRICKERY OF WAR. 
 
 " La division Vedel aurait du se trouver & Baylen: elle 
 resta en arriere, et son absence decida de la perte de 
 1'armee d'Andalousie. Les soldats, manquant de vivres, 
 se levraient au plaisir de la chasse, en poursuivant des 
 troupeaux de chevres que les Espagnols avoient laches tout 
 expres dans les montagnes." Memoires d'unApothicaire. 
 
 I HAVE already said, we shoot, but we 
 commit no murder. Our dogs, our guns, 
 give us sufficient advantage over the game, 
 without the necessity for making use of nets, 
 gins, or snares, which are only good for 
 those unfortunate poachers who live by the 
 sale of stolen goods, and are consequently 
 unworthy the use of a gentleman. The 
 thorough sportsman, who respects himself, 
 throws away such unworthy means, as 
 
AND HIS DOG. 185 
 
 despicable ; he would blush to take ad- 
 vantage of them ; he even joins the 
 battue only under rare or particular cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 Game has its wiles and cunning to serve 
 its turn : we can meet them with other 
 tricks, but it should always be allowed a 
 chance of escape. For instance, all the 
 world knows that a hare, running direct 
 towards a sportsman who is behind a hedge 
 or tree, is a dead hare. Unquestionably a 
 schoolboy could annihilate him. It is wil- 
 ful murder. I have often met at a battue 
 with very inexperienced shots. This is 
 the manner in which I conduct myself, 
 and I advise all others to follow the 
 example. 
 
 It is forbidden, under a heavy penalty, to 
 fire from behind a hedge, &c. Do not en- 
 deavour to avail yourself of such tricks; 
 look out, mark, and fire. 
 
 The hare returns, doubles, manoeuvres in 
 this manner. If you miss it, so much the 
 better for him ; if you kill it, your con- 
 
 R2 
 
186 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 science is clear ; you have acted fairly. 
 You will, however, probably say, Less are 
 thus killed. Agreed: the following year 
 you will kill more. With regard to part- 
 ridges, fire at them as you may, you will 
 find it far more difficult to kill them in 
 battue, and this must be your consola- 
 tion. 
 
 When you are shooting, should you hear 
 a shot fired in your vicinity, be on the look- 
 out in case anything may come in your 
 direction. Listen ; should you hear a dog, 
 you may be pretty sure a hare precedes him: 
 if it is at some distance, stoop down and call 
 in your dog ; if the hare is near you, remain 
 perfectly quiet. Your dog may perhaps see 
 the hare, and prevent its coming towards 
 you : you run a risk; but if you call your 
 dog, the hare may hear your voice and take 
 another direction. 
 
 This animal once shot at sees no longer 
 before him : do not move, and he may 
 pass between your legs. If your neigh- 
 bour has fired at partridges, follow them 
 
AND HIS DOG. 187 
 
 with your eyes, and mark where they 
 alight. 
 
 You are passing near a wood, a covert, or 
 plantation in fact, any sort of covert : you 
 have sent your dog therein, and placed 
 yourself at a corner in order to see two 
 sides. A hare runs out, squats, and looks 
 around : do not move ; the slightest noise 
 will send him in again ; let him take his 
 course, and the moment that you think him 
 sufficiently far from the wood that he cannot 
 return without your hitting him, take aim 
 and fire. 
 
 Should it be a rabbit, you must fire as 
 soon as possible at least if another be not 
 near him. Then it is probable he may 
 advance ; if not, he returns to the wood, 
 will make a hundred turns to deceive the 
 dog, and will never take the open again, as, 
 being well aware he is not so fast as the dog, 
 he will soon be taken. A rabbit is often 
 found in the open, but he never leaves 
 the wood in presence of man for the 
 fields. 
 
188 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 When several are shooting together, the 
 moment you come to a covert you should 
 surround it : let every one take his place at 
 the sides before the dogs are thrown in. 
 This should be quickly done, without talking 
 or noise. When all are placed, he who 
 hunts the dogs may animate them with his 
 voice and gesture as much as he likes. Let 
 it be well understood, however, that in such 
 cases you shoot only such game as come 
 without, and do not fire within the covert. 
 A hare has started before you ; he has been 
 missed with both your barrels, inasmuch as 
 you have seen the dust fly ten paces from 
 him. If your dog follows it, you must 
 recall him ; whistle and halloo with all your 
 lungs ; and this for two good reasons, which 
 I shall explain to you. 
 
 In the first place, so useless a pursuit 
 tires and winds your dog, and henceforth 
 he slackens in his duty. Again : the hare 
 runs much further, and you may lose the 
 hope of finding it again ; whereas, by al- 
 lowing him to go quietly away without 
 
AND HES DOG. 189 
 
 hurry, he stops, looks around him, starts 
 again, and squats in a field of potatoes, 
 clover, or stubble, and you meet with him 
 again before the day closes. 
 
 You are shooting on your own ground, 
 and you see your neighbour shooting on his. 
 With a glance of the eye you ought to know 
 if he understands his business. If on the 
 contrary, profit by his inexperience. Ex- 
 amine if he takes the wind : if he does not, 
 take advantage of his error by placing 
 yourself in the same line with him. The 
 hares which he sees will get up at a 
 distance without his getting a shot. You 
 will have a right wind for them : the 
 moment they get up, stoop down and be 
 quiet ; you will kill them under his 
 nose. 
 
 You are in the field with ambitious youths, 
 who desire to beat the whole ground at 
 once, who run to be the first at a large 
 clover or beet-root field : let them go, and 
 remain behind ; shoot alone, wisely and 
 soberly ; glean ; your supply will be better 
 
190 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 than that of these bunglers. While ten 
 sportsmen crossing in a field have put up 
 four hares, I will engage to find at least 
 six more. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 191 
 
 THE SPORTSMAN'S NIGHTMARE 
 THE GAMEKEEPER. 
 
 " Cerberus haec ingens latratu regna trifauci 
 Personat, adverse recubans immanis in antro." 
 
 WHEN sporting, the most honest man 
 always poaches a little. We are all most 
 conscientious, that is evident ; have infinite 
 probity, that is incontestable. 
 
 A shilling ill got would disturb our rest ; 
 should we find the purse of a neighbour, 
 doubtless we should return it : nevertheless, 
 one kills three of his hares without remorse, 
 ten partridges without sleeping the worse, 
 a brace of pheasants with delight. Such 
 are the trifles of the human heart. I have 
 myself experienced this. 
 
 A hare killed in the clover of an enemy 
 is a hundred times better than another. 
 
 Pain qu'on derobe, et qu'on mange en cachette, 
 Vaut mieux que pain qu'on cuit et qu'on achete. 
 
192 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 It causes more emotion. We live from 
 emotions ; without them we should not act. 
 The heart beats quick, as, knowing you are 
 in the wrong, you fear the keeper he 
 whom you fancy always either behind a 
 hedge, lying in a ditch, or stuck up in 
 a tree. Ah, the keeper ! that repulsive 
 figure saves the life of many a partridge. 
 
 At the same time it is not the gun which 
 does most harm. It it not against such 
 poaching that an active keeper should give 
 his greatest attention. It is against your 
 night poachers, your carriers of nets, gins, 
 and traps, diabolical inventions, capable of 
 destroying all the game on your land in a 
 few hours. Yes, your night poachers, who 
 sleep during the day, and wake during the 
 night, will take advantage of you and us 
 also. 
 
 A sportsman should have a well-filled 
 purse, and not forget to take it with him. 
 This purse should contain money of all 
 sorts : the louis d'or should be mixed with 
 the five-franc piece, francs, &c. You should 
 understand, when occasion offers, whether 
 
AND HIS DOG. 193 
 
 to give the one or the other : this will 
 depend on the nature of the case. At 
 times this bribery is useless ; incorruptible 
 keepers are found : I have seen half an ecu 
 refused with dignity. 
 
 I one day put up a covey of partridges, 
 which alighted within two hundred paces 
 of me, in a field of clover. This clover was 
 surrounded by a ditch, from which a voice 
 appeared to say to me, " Stay where you 
 are." 
 
 This was all very well ; but the partridges 
 being there close to me, the covey complete, 
 my game-bag empty, in an instant I could 
 secure a brace at least : who the devil could 
 resist ? The temptation was too great for a 
 poor mortal ; I felt myself devoured by it ; 
 and I gave in to it in order to deliver 
 myself, which is the best means. 
 
 Caesar passed the Rubicon ; I was a little 
 Caesar, and I jumped over the hedge. 
 
 My dog at the point the birds rose 
 a double shot; all this was done in an 
 instant. 
 
 This keeper was the " Hacktintirkoff " of 
 
 s 
 
194 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 keepers, the Cerberus of the plain, the terror 
 of poachers. As serpent he hid himself 
 in the coverts, climbed trees like a squirrel, 
 and there, perched on a branch, his eagle 
 eye overlooked the fields and penetrated 
 the coverts. Did he see a sportsman, down 
 he came like a cat ; he ran like a hare. 
 Always invisible when you sought him, he 
 rose from the earth at the moment you 
 least expected him. Like a certain heroine 
 of M. Arlincourt's, he was everywhere and 
 nowhere, never and always to be found. 
 
 Keeper. I declare you to have broken 
 the law for having fired on my master's 
 grounds. Where is your license? 
 
 Self. You have not the right to ask it : 
 understand, my friend, a private keeper is 
 only a servant ; you should be aware that a 
 license can only be demanded by a keeper 
 of the forests, a gendarme, the mayor, or 
 his deputy. 
 
 Keeper. We shall see that. 
 
 Self. It is already seen. With regard 
 to the partridges which I have killed, it is 
 another question : I was in the wrong, I 
 
AND HIS DOG. 195 
 
 admit : take this, said I, slipping a five- 
 franc piece into his hand, and drink my 
 health. 
 
 Keeper. No, sir : I shall do my duty. 
 
 Self. Do your duty and keep your feet 
 warm. It is an excellent prescription, re- 
 commended by all the faculty. 
 
 Putting my money into my pocket, I 
 turned my back on him. I will take 
 advantage of this circumstance to recom- 
 mend all sportsmen to avoid all sorts of 
 quarrels. 
 
 You should be careful not to get angry 
 with a loaded gun in your hand ; the end 
 may become tragic : it is a question of 
 amusement, and not of acting melodrama, 
 when you are in the field. You are taken 
 in a flagrant act : endeavour to arrange the 
 affair amicably, or at least to lighten the 
 consequences. We no longer live in a time 
 when the death of a hare will send you to 
 the galleys. You will get off for a pound 
 or two ; often for less, sometimes for no- 
 thing. 
 
 Having returned home, I wrote to Mr. 
 
196 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 , the proprietor of the fatal clover-field. 
 
 I availed myself of a little diplomacy : I 
 arranged my premises ; my tones were 
 courteous ; briefly I proved that if I had 
 killed the partridges it was their fault and 
 not my own. The wretches were dead, and 
 I felt certain they could not appear to con- 
 tradict me. Mr. replied to me as a 
 
 gentleman who knows the strength of a 
 sportsman's conscience when he sees two 
 partridges within twenty paces of him as 
 if conscience had eyes on all occasions 
 and the affair was arranged. 
 
 The following day I had a visit from the 
 keeper, who was desirous to receive his tip. 
 Of course I never dreamed of giving it : we 
 had changed our position, and the following 
 dialogue passed between us. 
 
 Keeper. Good morning, Mr. Blaze: 
 hope you're well ? 
 
 Self. And you ? 
 
 Keeper. So so, well! My master has 
 replied to your letter. 
 
 Self. There is plenty of game this 
 year. 
 
AND HIS DOG. 197 
 
 Keeper. A great deal. I spoke up for 
 you, otherwise the law must have taken its 
 course. 
 
 Self. Unfortunately we had much rain 
 during the month of May : many coveys 
 must have perished. 
 
 Keeper. I said you were not a poacher ; 
 that although I had taken you on his grounds, 
 you were ignorant that the field belonged 
 to him. 
 
 Self. That which also occasions our 
 having less birds than we ought to have is 
 the quantity of grass meadows. 
 
 Keeper. Any one else would have been 
 indicted to appear at the sessions. 
 
 Self. They are mown too soon, and the 
 eggs are not hatched. 
 
 Keeper. Which is always disagreeable. 
 
 Self. The mother abandons them. 
 
 Keeper. It is also expensive. 
 
 Self. And the mowers make omelets of 
 them. 
 
 Keeper. Last year I put in an action 
 against a man, which cost him at least fifty 
 francs. 
 
 s2 
 
198 
 
 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 Self. Which omelets ought to be very 
 bad, inasmuch as the eggs were addled. 
 
 Annoyed at thus playing a game at cross- 
 questions, he came to the point. 
 
 Keeper. If you like now to give me what 
 I yesterday refused, I will accept it. 
 
 Self. No ; I offered it to you to avoid the 
 disagreeable necessity of writing an apology 
 to one with whom I was unacquainted. My 
 letter has been written, and I am money in 
 pocket by it. You are the loser ; but your 
 conscience is clear, which is an enormous 
 compensation. If during your rounds you 
 should meet with Mr. Azais, he will explain 
 this to you better than I can. Good bye! 
 take care of yourself, and keep your feet 
 warm. 
 
 Hacktintirkoff went off much disap- 
 pointed. Some days after we met again on 
 the field of honour : I threw him double 
 that which I had previously offered, and we 
 became the best of friends. When he saw 
 me in the open, he went into the wood. 
 
 You have no right to shoot game off your 
 own ground, being personally on it. Should, 
 
AND HIS DOG. 199 
 
 however, a bird fall on that of your neigh- 
 bour, being hit on your own, you are justified 
 in seeking it. If some over-zealous keeper 
 make any opposition, do not listen to him, 
 but walk on. Give him the example of 
 Louis XIV. The huntsman of M. Popilau 
 followed a stag into Versailles, which was 
 taken in the court of the palace ; the guards 
 were desirous to prevent the huntsmen from 
 securing it, but the King permitted them, 
 at the same time declaring that a stag found 
 on your own ground may be taken any- 
 where. 
 
 One of my friends was shooting in the 
 neighbourhood of Conde. The keeper of a 
 rich landowner came up and warned him 
 off. Without disturbing himself, he said to 
 him, " Ah ! there you are : well, never mind ! 
 I could have done without you, although 
 your master promised you should be here 
 
 earlier. Go to the chateau, tell Mr. that 
 
 in an hour I will be with him to breakfast." 
 ' ' By what name shall I announce you, sir ? " 
 "The Count of Beaumanoir, Commander 
 of the Citadel of Conde." 
 
200 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 After having given some good hints to my 
 friend as to where he would find most game, 
 the keeper returned to the chateau. When 
 he had delivered his message they laughed 
 at him, and told him that of which he was 
 previously ignorant, that in the town of 
 Conde (in his own neighbourhood) there 
 never had been a citadel. 
 
 The forester is generally a natural, to be 
 treated with, his duty not being to prevent 
 you from shooting, but to protect the crops 
 and fences which you may injure on the 
 ground. 
 
 Recollect that the first day of shooting is 
 to him as New-year's-day is to the porters 
 of Paris : they are on the look-out for some- 
 thing to drink and all the world must live. 
 The first of September is a chapter of receipts 
 in his account-book. Ill luck to him who 
 by ignorance or niggardliness deceives the 
 hopes which rise without ceasing at the ap- 
 pearance of a fresh sportsman ! Abused, 
 worried, conducted to the mayor, he loses 
 two hours in absurd disputes, and ends by 
 paying a fine. Far better is it to commence 
 
AND HIS DOG. 201 
 
 by so doing. The forester has seen you ; 
 from that moment you become his property, 
 a machine for something to drink. All 
 with guns in their hands who trespass on the 
 public grounds of the common deliver a toll, 
 as were they passing the Bridge of Arts. In 
 the same manner as M. de Pourceaugnac 
 became the prey of his surgeon, the sports- 
 man becomes that of the forester, and the 
 traveller of his postilion. He is another 
 astonishing being, the postilion. How many 
 glasses, how many gills, how many pints, 
 his immense interior ingulfs each day ! 
 
 Was France populated by postilions and 
 foresters, from this moment the export of 
 wine would be longer possible; foreign com- 
 merce would be at an end; all would be 
 drunk on the premises. A forester can only 
 be compared to a postilion ; a postilion to a 
 forester. They are two beings quite assi- 
 milar : they cannot enter into any known 
 comparison. Why has not Buifon classed 
 them? 
 
 The moment you meet a forester, throw 
 him a piece of thirty or forty francs : he will 
 
202 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 prefer the last, inasmuch as it contains at 
 least two more bottles of wine. Enter into 
 conversation with him; be courteous and 
 polite; a little flattery is not lost. If he 
 snuffs, offer him a pinch ; should he smoke 
 a cigar, in all cases offer him your spirit- 
 flask, and he will accept some of its con- 
 tents: the forester always accepts. Show 
 him attention ; these gentlemen love to be 
 thought of importance: and, above all, re- 
 collect that you have before you the last link 
 in the chain of administration, which com- 
 mences with the prime minister and descends 
 to the forester. Consult him as to your 
 movements ; he likes to be consulted ; his 
 nature is talkative. Use a little tact with 
 him : he will very soon, without being aware 
 of it, point out to you the most likely spot to 
 find a hare where there are most partridges 
 and the exact abode of the rabbits the 
 snuggery which the quails prefer ; and you 
 will neither lose your trouble nor the value 
 of your money. 
 
 One of my friends was shooting, when a 
 forester approached and threatened him with 
 
AND HIS DOG. 203 
 
 an action. " Understand, sir, that on meet- 
 ing with me, you should take off your hat/' 
 From the end of his gun the sportsman threw 
 down his hat. " Ah ! I understand, you were 
 not desirous to show me your old wig. 
 Let us see." He took off his wig, threw it 
 into the air, fired at it, and knocked it into 
 a thousand pieces, and gave twenty francs 
 to the stupified forester, saying, " Buy your- 
 self a wig if you have not got one." Both 
 were contented. 
 
 The forester is essentially a poacher. Al- 
 ways in the field, he knows every run of a 
 hare ; he can find you a covey in a moment ; 
 his pockets are always filled with gins and 
 wires of every description. At night he sets 
 his traps ; and in the morning, he, who is 
 employed to watch the grounds and protect 
 the crops, creeps like a cat here and there 
 on his knees, destroying the golden blades 
 of wheat ; and, in order to gratify his gains 
 alas ! often too abundant, he does im- 
 measurable harm to the farmer. 
 
 The first restrictive laws as to the right 
 
204 THE SPORTSMAN 
 
 of carrying arms in France were made by 
 Henry II.; he forbade it on the penalty of 
 death. At a later period, his successors 
 made some modifications ; but in 1609, 
 Henry IV. and I am sorry for him re- 
 newed with severity the laws of Henry II. 
 Several examples were made ; one, amongst 
 others, by the Parliament of Grenoble. 
 This severity existed till the reign of Louis 
 XIV. The carrying of arms was then for- 
 bidden by law to certain persons and certain 
 classes in the most decided manner. 
 
 In the present day the license is altogether 
 an affair of fifteen francs, a tax on your 
 pleasures which you ought to pay. There 
 is no more restriction or guarantee to per- 
 sons than the giving of a porte d'armes: 
 nearly every one can procure it. It is a 
 formality in law, as the stamp on a news- 
 paper. It is one of the thousand rivulets 
 which lose themselves in the ocean of the 
 Budget. 
 
 The consequence to him who shoots out 
 of season, or without a license, is the con- 
 
AND HIS DOG. 205 
 
 fiscation of his gun ; but his case must be 
 decided by the laws. The police officers 
 have only the right of bringing the action, 
 and not of depriving you of your gun. In 
 such case a sportsman may resist. No man 
 of heart allows himself to be disarmed. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON : 
 Printed by Schulze & Co., 13, Poland St. 
 
NOW HEADY, 
 By the same Author, 
 
 SCOTTISH SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS PLATES. 
 
SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 AND 
 
 PASTIMES. 
 
 HERBERT BYNG HALL, ESQ. 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 "THE SPORTSMAN AND HIS DOG," 
 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN AND DANIEL A. DARLING. 
 
 1850. 
 
LONDON: 
 Printed by Schulze & Co., 13, Poland-street, Oxford-street. 
 
SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 AND 
 
 PASTIMES, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " Auspicium melioris eevi." 
 
 FROM the earliest periods of history, the inhabi- 
 tants of Great Britain have been celebrated for their 
 chivalry in arms, and not less so for their prowess in 
 the chase. 
 
 As the love of liberty induced our forefathers to 
 become warriors, in like manner necessity compelled 
 them to pursue, for the means of subsistence, the 
 antlered monarch of the mountain, and the feathered 
 tribe of the woodland. Indeed, the fact scarcely 
 needs comment, that the activity and physical 
 energy acquired from the pursuit of game, com- 
 prising every species of out-door amusement termed 
 sport, has, even to the present day, greatly contri- 
 buted to that success which, under God's blessing, 
 
2 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the armies of England have, and it is to be hoped 
 ever will maintain, over those of foreign powers. 
 
 During the period termed the Golden Age, our 
 ancestors looked on the chase not only as a means of 
 diversion, as by peers and commoners of the present 
 age implied, or as a means of unlawful gain by 
 poachers and pot-hunters, but simply as that which 
 nature had liberally provided them for the well 
 stocking of their larders, and the consequent suste- 
 nance of themselves or their followers. Never- 
 theless, they sported, in every sense of the word ; 
 and, by this active and manly pursuit which caused 
 them to be constantly under the canopy of heaven, 
 in all weathers and during all seasons they gained 
 health, strength, and nerve, for the more serious 
 bloodshed of the battle-field. 
 
 Dwelling during the summer months on the 
 moorland or the mountain-top, when the rigours of 
 winter approached, they sought the sheltered valley 
 and the glen ; no millionaire, with boundless acres 
 no unnecessary preserver of pheasants, and conse- 
 quently, in many cases, destroyer of foxes 
 no velveteen-clad forester presented himself in 
 person, or by the ruinous arm of the law, to disturb 
 their wandering footsteps o'er the land of liberty. 
 Ramblers in pursuit of game, no circumscribed 
 limit for their sport was marked; their footsteps 
 were free and unmolested killing all they could, 
 and eating all they killed. Those were no days of 
 entails or rent-rolls no agents no pilfering lawyers : 
 unthinking, unshackled free, wandering merry 
 lads were they. Industrious labour was, however, 
 soon taught by nature to appreciate the gifts which 
 she so bountifully supplied, and they, good men ! 
 with equal bounty appropriated ; for, in those days, 
 men hunted as they fought, and fought as they 
 
AND PASTIMES. 3 
 
 hunted the best sportsman killed the most game 
 and ate it ; the best fighter, having won the battle, 
 selected the best land and kept it. Many centuries 
 have, however, elapsed having a bad memory, 
 we forget how many since that pleasant sporting 
 and fighting era. It is, nevertheless, vastly agree- 
 able to reflect, as we now write in an easy chair, 
 that it was long, long ago. We refer more particu- 
 larly to the fighting ; for, as regards the hunting 
 and shooting, the love of rural sports then engen- 
 dered in the hearts of Britons has, from age to age, 
 been handed down from generation to generation, 
 and the passion burns in the breasts of Englishmen 
 with an ardour undiminished : and a very pleasant 
 passion it is, without fear of contradiction ; but, like 
 all other passions, it is sometimes sadly abused. In 
 fact, the transports which excite the minds of all true 
 lovers of field sports, at the relation of a glorious 
 day's fox-hunting a good run with harriers a 
 shooting excursion a coursing meeting-- indeed, 
 any sporting details, to all a source of amusement, to 
 most is a source of unmitigated delight. 
 
 "The Golden Age" defunct, we come to the 
 Middle Age. Then there were kings with their 
 horses, and hounds, and henchmen ; and they sallied 
 forth from their castles and palaces with a noble 
 retinue of fair ladies and bold barons, and they 
 brought a stag to bay ; and the king looked on, and 
 the ladies looked pleased, and the barons blew their 
 fyorns, and they all went home to dinner. And the 
 next day, the weather being fair, and the sky clear, 
 the palfreys stood caparisoned before the baronial 
 hall, and a sprinkling of sporting neighbours and 
 pages were in attendance, and they all went forth to 
 a hawking expedition, selon la regie of sporting 
 barons in baronial times. 
 
 B 2 
 
4 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 Then came the Age of Squires, real bond fide 
 squires not squires in their present undefined title, 
 but real solid squires, with their packs of hounds, 
 and well filled stables of hunters, and their equally 
 well filled cellars and larders ; and we are told 
 they rose before day-break, and started to hunt the 
 fox ; and that they rode some twenty miles to covert 
 on a strong, half-bred, dock-tailed horse, which 
 identical animal also carried them through a long 
 and hard day's chase, and home again. After 
 which, they hospitably and bountifully entertained 
 their friends as well as themselves, with barons 
 and sirloins of beef, and sundry bottles of good old 
 port. These gentlemen had robust limbs, fat faces, 
 and red noses ; and their sporting costume was 
 generally a very thick pair of yellowish ancestral 
 buckskins, with brown tops to their boots. They 
 invariably attended the parish church on the Sab- 
 bath, whatever might be the weather; and after- 
 wards, in the society of the parson, who was always 
 a Sunday guest at the squire's table, they drank 
 two bottles of port to the prosperity of the chase, 
 in the first instance, and then to the king's health ; 
 and were termed, perhaps justly so, by their neigh- 
 bours, good and honest men, who injured none 
 but themselves ; and, as this injury was, of course, 
 the fault of the port, they were sinless. 
 
 Swearing and tippling, in those days, were con- 
 sidered simply as sporting accomplishments ; to be 
 d d by a master of fox-hounds was merely to be 
 addressed in sporting language as our legislators, 
 in these days of refinement, sometimes courteously 
 address one another in parliamentary language, which 
 is easily learnt, with a little attention to the duties 
 of your constituency, during one session. And as 
 for coming drunk into the presence of ladies after 
 
AND PASTIMES. 5 
 
 dinner, it was supposed to be simply the natural 
 consequences which followed the excitement of the 
 hunting field : and a sound nap in an easy chair, from 
 which issued a chorus of snores, was, doubtless, 
 highly pleasing to the fair sex. 
 
 The age of Melton, however, was not far distant ; 
 and it came with the rapid strides of a race-horse, as 
 did those of battues, grouse-shooting, and latterly 
 deer-stalking. The hour for meeting hounds was 
 later, the horses better bred, with more natural tails ; 
 till at length we find thorough-bred horses and first- 
 rate riders, and tails in the fulness of nature's beauty, 
 unadorned by docking thus decidedly, as regards 
 the horse, adorned the most assembled at th~e 
 co vert- side at a reasonable hour in the morning. 
 
 French and English male artistes have taken the 
 place of female roasters of sirloins, who nevertheless 
 serve eatables more agreeable to the palate, and more 
 conducive to keep the frame lighter for the saddle > 
 though no offence to roast-beef and Yorkshire pudding, 
 excellent both in their way. Good claret in modera- 
 tion is now drunk instead of bad port in abundance ; 
 and very white and well-made leathers have banished 
 the yellow buckskin; whereas well cleaned tops 
 adorn the legs of peers and commoners, instead of 
 dirty ones. The provincial counties have followed in 
 the wake of Melton foxes are killed in one hour 
 instead of four; and more pheasants are found on 
 one estate, and more partridges in one turnip-field, 
 than heretofore lived and flew in a county. 
 
 Young England has made rapid strides in the 
 character of sportsman, and, as regards ourselves, we 
 feel perfectly satisfied with the system of the present 
 age, without entering into any discussion with refer- 
 ence to the merits or demerits of the Game Laws. 
 As in all other matters of life's career, there are un- 
 
 B 3 
 
6 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 questionably many objections to be found in the 
 selfish bigotry and illiberal monopoly of game, and 
 the no less objectionable manner of its undue pre- 
 servation by some extensive landholders; happily, 
 however, they are in the minority ; and where you 
 will find one man of this nature, you will find twenty 
 open-hearted and real sportsmen, who preserve simply 
 as a means of sport and recreation to themselves, 
 but far more so for their friends ; liberally compen- 
 sating their tenants for injury done, allowing them 
 also in many cases to participate in their pleasures, 
 and in fact doing far more good than harm to their 
 neighbours and their farmers. 
 
 Melton may be a trifle " too fast," to use a sporting 
 term, for those who have not good breeding and long 
 purses. There is, however, sufficient breadth of land 
 and a sufficient number of packs in Old England for 
 all parties ; therefore let those who cannot, or ought 
 not to go there, find their proper position, and go 
 elsewhere ; sport is to be had, and first-rate sport, 
 all over the kingdom, alike in England, Ireland, and 
 Scotland. Good horses, good hounds, and better 
 riders than heretofore were ever known, notwith- 
 standing their apparent dandyism in dress and ap- 
 pointments, are to be met with in every hunting 
 field ; and hunting has become a source of unequalled 
 delight and excitement, instead of a comparative toil 
 mixed somewhat too copiously with the source of 
 your enjoyment. You may now have a splendid 
 day's hunting, ride home afterwards, make yourself 
 agreeable to the fair sex, play a game of billiards, 
 and then dress for dinner drink a glass or two of 
 sherry and a pint of claret, and be fit society for 
 women, as well as for those men who do not exactly 
 participate in your sporting propensities. Cigars, 
 disagreeable as their aromatic effluvia may bo to 
 
AND PASTIMES. 7 
 
 some, even in a hunting field, nevertheless close the 
 lips of many heretofore given to damn a little. Then, 
 as regards shooting, in these days of sixty miles an 
 hour by express oh ! 'tis a pleasant pastime to see 
 your dogs range with a certainty of finding game, 
 instead of walking o'er hill and dale for twenty miles 
 in search of a brace of birds for your next day's 
 dinner. Now, you have sport and pleasure without 
 toil and disgust excitement without fatigue pas- 
 sion without weariness. Which do you prefer the 
 Golden Age, the Baronial Age, the Squires' Age, or 
 the age in which we live and sport ? 
 
 Our ci-devant "kilted" neighbours beyond the 
 Border, where kilts are now at a discount, and c ' breeks' ' 
 at a premium, have also made some wonderful and 
 pleasing advances in reference to sporting matters 
 though in most others they follow but slowly in the 
 steps of reformation, inasmuch as " siller" is required 
 to open the floodgates in all matters of civilization : 
 and this and perhaps they are right is not just the 
 substance they are over fond of parting with. Never- 
 theless, they, like we humble Englishers, or foreigners, 
 as we are generally termed anent the Border, have 
 had their ages ; but, like wise and canny men as 
 they are, they have managed to terminate precisely 
 where we began namely, with the Golden Age in 
 all matters of sporting. First came their age of bar- 
 barism, then of clanship, then chief tainism ; and now 
 lairdism is the law and will of the land. But even 
 in this humility, a spark of ancient pride still lingers 
 in the Highlands ; for there, amid those vast and 
 magnificent hills, no man possessing an acre of land 
 but is designated, not by the name given him by his 
 godfather and godmother, if he had any, but they 
 assume, by what law or right we have hitherto been 
 unable to, learn, the cognomen of the clay from which 
 
8 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 they draw their means of existence. Thus we find 
 the Laird of Cockpen, and the Laird of Glengarry ; 
 and if a man gloried in the proprietorship of some 
 dozen acres of swampy marsh land, doubtless he 
 might, should it so please him, be called the " Laird 
 of Mud Marsh." These, however, are insignificant 
 trifles ; as harmless, in fact, as theory. Beware, 
 nevertheless, should chance or pleasure lead you to 
 the land of the mountain and the flood, not to call 
 any gentleman by his right name such as Mr. 
 MTherson, or Mr. Ross, or Mr. M'Donald, and so 
 forth but, on the contrary, let your courtesy induce 
 you at once to address your friends as, " How are you, 
 Cockpen?" "Hope you 're better, Mud Marsh?" 
 
 But to resume. The barbarous sportsmen shot all 
 game which came within range, and not unfrequently 
 shot one another, by way of diversifying the sport : 
 on the one hand, to supply the "pot au feu;" and, 
 on the other, to secure their revenge, or possess 
 themselves of some snug retreat and a few broad 
 acres which their neighbours had appropriated, and 
 for which they had had a longing, like ladies in the 
 family way, when it is unwise to refuse them. 
 
 With regard to the chieftains, they hunted, like 
 our kings of yore, with much rude magnificence at 
 least as regards the number of their retainers ; whose 
 duties were twofold the one to drive the deer and 
 game into the toils, or towards the stations where 
 their leaders were prepared, with deadly aim, to 
 bring down the venison with which they supplied 
 their larders ; the other to assist in any little 
 marauding party against their neighbours' beef and 
 mutton, which, in preparation for the butcher's 
 knife, still grazed upon the heathered hills. In fact, 
 the chase, with them, was only a prelude for collect- 
 ing their vassals for a more serious pastime in the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 9 
 
 pursuit of bipeds. And thus they amused them- 
 selves till an Act was passed, prohibiting such 
 warlike demonstrations for a morning's deer-stalk- 
 ing. 
 
 Then came the days of Scotch breakfasts and 
 Scotch hospitality kippered salmon, porridge, mar- 
 malade, and whisky ad libitum, like our own days of 
 squirearchy port wine and sirloins. Then was the 
 wanderer from the South welcomed in the North, 
 whether in search of pleasure or of sport, from Tay 
 to Pentland Frith ; riimporte, if he could swear he 
 had a grandfather, or knew his own mother suffice 
 it he was a stranger, and every house was open to 
 receive him. These pleasant times have somewhat 
 changed, however, since the introduction of steam 
 throughout the land ; and King Hudson, were he to 
 visit John o' Groat's House which, by the bye, 
 exists only in name would find the best welcome 
 obtained for a consideration. Foreign importations 
 for we have already stated that Englishmen are 
 termed foreigners in the Highlands being some- 
 what more numerous, and consequently less select, 
 bring, then, a letter of introduction from your aunt, 
 Lady Banknote, or your uncle, Lord Millionaire, 
 which will be the surest means of securing you a 
 seat above the salt ; and this precaution can scarcely 
 be condemned, when polished boots from the neigh- 
 bourhood of Whitechapel glitter in the sun-rays on 
 the top of Ben Lomond, and Moses, or one of his 
 firm, is met with in half the glens of Argyleshire. 
 The sporting generation of Scotchmen, however, and 
 Highland sports, are making rapid advances towards 
 perfection in the craft. Like our own young Eng- 
 lish sportsmen, whom some wise malcontents are 
 ever declaring as totally unfit to cope with those of 
 days long since- in which opinion we must beg 
 
10 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 leave entirely to differ with them there are many 
 first-rate sportsmen to be found in Scotland. 
 
 Those who annually cross the Border to hunt at 
 Melton, or take up their abode at Leamington or 
 elsewhere, we do not include ; inasmuch as the 
 majority of them merely return to the Highlands, as 
 do the visitors from England, during the season of 
 grouse-shooting, deer-stalking, salmon-fishing, &c. 
 But herein has been the downfall of many a noble 
 estate, and not less so the misery of many a noble 
 Scotch family. Not many years have elapsed since 
 Highland lairds, who possessed some twenty thou- 
 sand acres of wild heather and mountain land, on 
 which stood a castle with barely the accommodation 
 of an English villa, and a proportionate rental of two 
 thousand per annum riches in the land of their 
 ancestors, doffed their kilt and bonnet, and bidding 
 farewell to their adoring clansmen, sought the plea- 
 sures of a London season looked in at Tattersalls', 
 visited Epsom, Ascot, Doncaster, and Newmarket ; 
 entered their names at White's and Brooks's, and 
 even ventured to send a stud to Melton. Good 
 fellows, pleasant companions, good riders, and first- 
 rate shots doubtless were they, but the southern 
 atmosphere of England banished from their minds 
 their usual national prudence. They totally forgot 
 that although the number of their quarterings, and 
 the unquestioned antiquity of their ancestry, might 
 admit them within the narrow limits of first-rate 
 society, that they could never cope with men who 
 had ten times their means, or follow, without speedy 
 ruin, in the same career. What to the one was a 
 matter of course, to the other was a rapid advance to 
 beggary, and tended solely to [enrich the W. S.'s of 
 Edinburgh and elsewhere. As, however, some may 
 not clearly understand the meaning of these letters, 
 
AND PASTIMES. 11 
 
 we will give them precisely the explanation that 
 was given to us on our arrival in Scotland. On 
 requesting to be informed as to what might be 
 understood by the distinction of W. S. to the names 
 of so many northern lawyers, the reply was, Sir W. 
 Scott was a Writer to the Signet ; and being learned 
 in the law, all were doubtless desirous to follow in 
 his footsteps ; therefore, by the payment of a douceur 
 to whom deponent sayeth not numerous attorneys 
 were permitted to add W.S. to their names, anxious, 
 no doubt, to be thought writers to the signet also, or 
 "Wise Solicitors," or "Wealthy Solicitors," or W. 
 anything else you like to call them, commencing 
 with an S. We cannot presume to say what may 
 be the particular duties of a Writer to the Signet, 
 but they are certainly important, as it requires some 
 thousands to perform them. 
 
 To conclude this chapter, however, the Wizards of 
 the North remained at home, shot their own grouse, 
 killed their own venison, caught their own salmon, 
 and ate their own mutton and very good mutton it 
 is, we can answer for : whereas, the lairds who fled 
 to England for recreation, returned back to sorrow, 
 and half the fine estates in Scotland are now in trust 
 of the W.S.'s ; and we believe we may refer to one 
 instance without fear of contradiction, namely, that 
 of " Culloden" a name never to be forgotten while 
 the heather yearly flowers o'er his moors a name 
 whose present possessor is every way worthy to 
 inherit. And yet this laird has known even the 
 want of a daily meal, while those who held his land 
 in trust or agency, were revelling in luxury at his 
 expense. The Scotch sportsmen who came to Eng- 
 land, however, made, justly, many friends, and con- 
 sequently induced those friends to cross the Border, 
 and share in the sports, then little known or appre- 
 
12 SCOTTISH 6POBTS 
 
 ciated, of grouse-shooting, salmon fishing, and lastly, 
 save fox hunting, the most noble of all sports 
 deer- stalking, which has become the passion of all 
 Englishmen who can afford it ; a passion which 
 vents itself most pleasingly and sensibly into the 
 pockets of those lairds who are wise enough still to 
 kill only their own mutton from the hills which 
 supply such abundant sport to their neighbours from 
 the south. To them, it is unquestionably the 
 Golden Age. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 " It's up Glenharchan's braes I gaed, 
 And o'er the brent of Killiebraid, 
 And many weary cast I made 
 To cuttle the moor fowl's tail. 
 
 " If up a bonny blackcock should spring, 
 To whistle him down wi' a slug in his wing, 
 To strap him on to my lunzie string. 
 Right seldom would I fail." 
 
 COME with us to the Highlands, and take a walk 
 o'er the rugged mountain top, and flowery heathered 
 hill, through many a wild and silent glen, in the 
 rocky centre of which rushes the clear and rapid 
 trout stream o'er many a rugged fall, to join its 
 waters with the calm and beauteous lake. Come 
 with us to Scotland, 
 
 " For there on every wild and wondrous scene, 
 The Wizard's many-coloured touch hath been." 
 
 We are off for the land of the mountain and the 
 flood ! our heart beats with excitement, from antici- 
 pation of sport and pleasure ! we go to visit the 
 beauties of nature in reality, to see pictures in fact, 
 not in theory ; for Art, glorious as it is, can but 
 faintly imitate Nature. Come with us, then, knee 
 deep in flowery heather, and tread the mountain 
 side in search of game. The sun is up, the sky is 
 bright and clear : fancy its exhilarating effects on 
 
14 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the Highland hills, as, with a light heart and firm 
 foot, you start on your first expedition to the moors. 
 Come to 
 
 " The moors ! the moors ! the bonny brown moors, 
 Shining and fresh with -April showers ! 
 When the wild birds sing 
 The return of Spring, 
 And the gorse and the broom 
 Shed the rich perfume 
 Of their. golden bloom, 
 'Tis a joy to revisit the bonny brown moors ! " 
 
 LIDDELL. 
 
 The Castle of Meggernie, which is situated in 
 Glen Lyon, Perthshire, a small, narrow, and secluded 
 valley, which reaches almost to the confines of 
 Argyleshire, is in truth one of the most romantic 
 and beautiful to be found throughout the Scottish 
 dominions. The house, or, more properly speaking, 
 the castle, for it bears in parts much the resemblance 
 of an ancient French chateau, is placed almost in 
 the centre of the above-named valley or glen, in a 
 singularly sequestered part of the country, being 
 actually some fourteen or fifteen miles from the 
 residence of any but one other laird or proprietor, 
 and about the same distance from a medical man or 
 post-office two -most essential neighbours in so 
 remote a locality. A noble avenue, principally of 
 lime-trees, running parallel with the river Lyon for 
 the best part of a mile and which avenue, were it 
 within twenty miles of the metropolis, from its 
 natural beauties would attract thousands forms the 
 approach of Meggernie from the east. The castle 
 itself stands clear on a beautiful lawn (which it 
 might be), and grassy park (which it really is) ; on 
 which are scattered some of the finest trees to be 
 found in the Highlands. The place, in fact, is one 
 of peculiar beauty and interest, not only from its 
 
AND PASTIMES. 15 
 
 natural position, which, appears as if isolated from 
 the rest of the world, but also from its great an- 
 tiquity, and neighbourhood to the scenes of many 
 a bloody Highland conflict. 
 
 The house is one of those ancient piles, constructed 
 in times of danger, where strength was the first and 
 greatest object; the walls are accordingly of immense 
 thickness, and the doors defended by iron gratings of 
 prodigious size and weight. A donjon, excavated 
 from the foundations, is even to the present day 
 adorned with hooks, on which the finishing stroke of 
 the law, or rather the will of barbarous and despotic 
 chiefs, has, we are told, been frequently executed. 
 Alas ! would the ghosts of some of these departed 
 victims but deign to make their appearance in this 
 said donjon during the shooting season, we question 
 whether they would not be somewhat " mazed," as 
 the Scotch term it, and instead of resuming their 
 places as " damp, moist bodies," on the hooks, they 
 would probably hang a cauldron thereon, in which 
 to make a stew of the abundant game they there 
 would find, or mull a few bottles of good port or 
 claret, with which the bins that now adorn its sides 
 are well filled. In all other respects it remains as 
 in the time of Robert the Second. 
 
 There is much accommodation, and all required 
 comfort, to be found in the interior of Meggernie 
 Castle, both as regards the more modern portion of 
 the building, and also in the fine old tower which 
 forms one of its extremities, and is divided into many 
 good sleeping apartments, to which the turrets form 
 admirable dressing-rooms ; none of them are, how- 
 ever, large, which is not surprising when we con- 
 sider the remote age in which they were built, and 
 the great object of safety which the founders must 
 have kept in view. Some old portraits, both of the 
 
 c 2 
 
16 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 Menzies branch, and also of the Stewarts of Cardnay, 
 adorn the walls ; likewise those of the late Mr. and 
 Mrs. Menzies. The proprietor is descended in the 
 male line from Sir John Stewart of Cardnay, son of 
 King Robert the Second, from whose eldest son he 
 is the fifteenth in descent. From the second son of 
 Sir John, the family of Stewart of Dalgarne, in 
 Athol, is descended. By the female line, Mr. Menzies 
 possesses the estates of Meggernie and Culdares, and 
 is a branch of the family of Menzies, of Castle 
 Menzies, chief of the same. The present owner of 
 Meggernie has very recently attained his majority, 
 and he wisely prefers following the example of 
 numerous other Highland lairds, of letting his 
 ancient chateau, and its glorious shooting manors to 
 a noble and generous English sportsman, (who keeps 
 the one from falling to decay, and preserves the other 
 with the greatest care,) to residing in a place which 
 notwithstanding its many beauties, save in the sunny 
 months of summer or autumn, would be a sort of 
 living grave. But we must dwell as briefly as possible 
 on family history or historical facts, and lead on, as 
 quickly as may be, to those details more congenial 
 to our sporting readers ; or say, doubtless in the 
 feelings, if not in the words, of many a Highland 
 chieftain who formerly lived on his own domain, 
 consisting of some leagues of heathered hills, 
 watered by many a trout-stream and salmon- 
 river, killing his own game, and eating his own 
 venison, surrounded and beloved by his clansmen 
 
 " My hawk is tired of perch and hood, 
 
 My idle greyhound loathes his food, 
 
 My horse is weary of his stall, 
 
 And I am sick of captive thrall. 
 
 I wish I were as I have been, 
 
 Hunting the hart in forest green, 
 
 With bended bow, and bloodhound free, 
 
 For that 's the life is meet for me," 
 
AND PASTIMES. 17 
 
 Indeed, scarcely a quarter of a century has 
 elapsed since the possession of a Highland shooting 
 quarter a source of such great autumnal enjoyment 
 was heard of, and frequently spoken of with delight 
 and longing, by the genuine sportsman. At that 
 period however, it was a gratification only practically 
 known to, and participated in by, the affluent or 
 aristocratic members of society ; in fact, the posses- 
 sion of a Highland shooting quarter inferred also a 
 place in the highest ranks of society, with the 
 frequent addition of a stud at Melton, and a house 
 in the lordly west of the metropolis. The question, 
 " Do you go to the Moors this season ?" was uttered 
 by the same voice which remarked your attendance 
 at Almack's or the Opera. And few, even of these 
 high-born cavaliers, of England at least, could prac- 
 tically speak in truth of the blackcock and ptarmigan ; 
 and then, among those, how few had pulled a trigger 
 at the noble red deer, the fleet and bounding roe ! 
 Whilst, for those of a humbler class, or more 
 humble means, although their sporting qualities 
 might be of the highest order, and their aim 
 unerring, let them talk of thirty brace of par- 
 tridges, twenty brace of pheasants, five couple of 
 woodcocks, nineteen hares, eleven rabbits, &c., as 
 having fallen to their redoubtable Mantons between 
 an early breakfast and late dinner, yet grouse, ptar- 
 migan, and blackcock were never entered on their 
 game-books. They heard of such birds in Leaden- 
 hall Market, and might, perchance, have seen them 
 on the table of a friend, or read of them on heathered 
 mountains afar off. They imagined the delight of 
 shooting them ; and they might occasionally, per- 
 chance, fall on a paragraph in the daily journals 
 
 w r hich informed them that the Right Honourable 
 
 had, since the close of the session, enjoyed sixteen 
 
 c 3 
 
18 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 days of splendid sport in the Highlands, having 
 bagged, with his own gun, two hundred and forty- 
 three brace of grouse, eighty-four blackcocks, seventy- 
 three white mountain hares, a roe deer, seven brace 
 of ptarmigan, and three golden plovers ; that his 
 health and appetite had been greatly renovated 
 thereby ; and that he had proceeded southwards to 
 Doncaster previous to returning to Castle Ardeii for 
 the pheasant shooting, where he proposed receiving 
 a select party of sportsmen, and thence to Melton for 
 the hunting season ; and if such were true, though it be 
 a vice, " we envy him." They heard, also, that the 
 Duke of Blair had killed nine stags, and missed five 
 on account of the dreadful state of the weather no 
 fault of his, surely ; and that the chief of Glensel- 
 fishstream, Sir Murray McPherson, McGregor, Clan 
 Alpine Macthousand we trust he may pardon us 
 had surpassed all his prowess in shooting of former 
 years, at his splendid moors near Creiff, in the county 
 of Perth. 
 
 But the grouse shooting of other days is o'er; that 
 is to say, the monopoly of this most charming sporting 
 privilege is no longer confined to high blood or the 
 millionaires of England, though the best of it, 
 doubtless, will ever remain for the rich. For the 
 Highland lairds have, with much truth, discovered 
 the value of such property, and consequently a good 
 price is, for the best moors, still demanded and 
 readily paid for the exclusive enjoyment of this 
 delightful sport. Yet are the shootings to be 
 obtained far more numerous than heretofore, and 
 consequently they may be secured at from fifty 
 pounds to fifteen hundred per annum. Thus the 
 true sportsman, though his means be confined, may 
 still comparatively partake of all the numerous 
 agremens enjoyed by the more wealthy, while 
 
AND PASTIMES. 19 
 
 treading the sweet-scented heather in search of 
 game. Some particulars of these shootings, both 
 large and small, however, good, bad, and indifferent, 
 we shall hereafter endeavour to detail, for the infor- 
 mation of all true sportsmen, who desire to enjoy 
 even one season of such glorious sport. And with 
 all humility w r e undertake this pleasing task, yet 
 practically and fearlessly, inasmuch as we scarcely 
 know the hill-side or mountain-top, road or beaten 
 track, from rapid Tay to Pentland Frith, German 
 Ocean to Irish Channel, that we have not seen or 
 walked over ; though we confess to be no lover of 
 the " banks and braes of bonny Scotland," save as a 
 fishing and grouse-shooting country, and this alone 
 from June to September ; indeed, it is the most 
 unpleasing portion of Her Majesty's dominious we 
 have ever cast our eyes on, or spent a sum- 
 mer's, far more a winter's, day in. That it 
 contains many a kind and hospitable heart, we 
 most fully admit, but they are in a pitiful 
 minority; and as for Scottish hospitality, so much 
 vaunted, Scottish breakfasts, and Scotch abun- 
 dance, believe us, they exist only in the anxious 
 hopes of the tourist, or in the novels of Sir Walter 
 Scott, who deserves all, and far more than he has 
 ever received at the hands of his countrymen. But 
 the romance which has found place in English 
 minds, pictured by his glorious imagination, in stern 
 reality, is as great a fallacy as the news now crying 
 through the streets of London, which means that the 
 insolent vaunting of President Polk may be bought 
 for sixpence, but is not worth a farthing. We speak 
 not of the natural beauties of the country, though 
 they also will be found, few and far apart. Indeed, 
 divest Scotland of its romance and lakes, including, 
 of course, Lochs Lomond, Katarine, Earn, Tay, and 
 
20 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 Loch Ness, in fact, that portion principally visited by 
 our gracious Sovereign during her recent tour, and 
 no more desolate, bleak, and treeless portion of the 
 wide world exists. 
 
 In days lang syne, we read and heard of the 
 beauties of the Rhine. Nature in its loveliness has 
 to us charms and enjoyments which we should vainly 
 endeavour to describe : and, like others, we made 
 the grand tour, and we freely own the gratification 
 we experienced. Yet we love nature in the truthful- 
 ness of its delineation, and not exactly as it is pic- 
 tured in the lively imagination of the enthusiast ; 
 and we therefore own that, having also seen the river 
 Thames from source to mouth, we feel satisfied that 
 there are few rivers which surpass it in beauty none 
 to exceed it. We had read Sir Walter Scott again 
 and again : we had heard of the Highlands : we had 
 even listened to the song, " My heart 's in the High- 
 lands," from as pretty a pair of lips as are seen but 
 once in a life ; but more, we heard of salmon, taken 
 with the fly, of 201bs. in weight, and trout of half 
 that size ; we heard of a hundred brace of grouse, 
 and we were told of red deer, and roe deer, and of 
 rough deer- dogs noble animals ; even such sport as 
 a chase of the deer by these splendid brutes. Could 
 we then refuse, when pressed repeatedly by a kind 
 friend to visit his sporting quarters in the Highlands ? 
 No, the temptation was far too great to be resisted ; 
 and the manner in which we broke through all the 
 barriers and difficulties which surrounded us, decided 
 our fate in obtaining this great source of delight to a 
 sportsman. 
 
 " ' Times are changed/ said this friendly man ; 
 
 ' There 's a steamer from the docks, so no word of can ; 
 There 's a railway from E. -square, on the narrow gauge plan. 
 There 's a boat from Liverpool/ said this true gentleman, 
 
AND PASTIMES. 21 
 
 ' You may be in the Highlands in the passing of a span : ' 
 Such inducements were held out by this gallant sportsman. 
 So warmly we replied, ' We '11 come, be it in a van ; 
 But money is the rub for a poor gentleman ; 
 Yet we'll borrow or steal a few pounds, if we can, 
 Of our banker in the city, who 's a canny Scotsman ; 
 We can pay them to his uncle, the chief of his clan, 
 When we meet in the bothy of that proud Highland man.' 
 
 This latter determination we, of course, at once 
 proceeded to put in force ; and having been success- 
 ful, with a purse tolerably well filled, anticipations of 
 sport, dogs, grouse, romantic scenery, marmalade 
 from Keillor's, short-bread, salmon, and whisky for 
 the asking, we jumped into a cab, drove, as directed, 
 to Euston-square, deposited ourselves in a comfortable 
 first-class carriage, and went off with a whistle and 
 a puff for Liverpool. The scent was good, and we 
 ran into the tunnel of this celebrated sporting place 
 with only one slight check at Birmingham, owing to 
 the odours which arose and fumigated the air from 
 the kitchen at the Queen's Hotel. During this check, 
 however, we had ample time to decide on the merits 
 of this celebrated railway restaurant at least, as far 
 as we were individually concerned ; and we only do 
 justice to the landlord when we declare, that it has 
 rarely been our good fortune to obtain such excellent 
 cookery and such ample fare for the trifling demand 
 of two shillings, as we did on that occasion, when 
 seated at the board with some three-score or more of 
 as hungry and determined eaters as could easily be 
 found on a keen autumnal morning. Mange qui 
 pent, and as much as you can for your money, appears 
 to be the decision come to by general acclamation at 
 such gastronomic halting-places on such occasions ; 
 and we may fairly and truly add, that if the whole 
 party there assembled ate as we did and, in good 
 faith, most of the company there, according to sport- 
 
22 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 ing phraseology, were tolerably good feeders why, 
 then they had the worth of their siller, and no mis- 
 take. Yet they tell us the concern is a most profitable 
 one ; and we sincerely trust it may long continue so 
 to be, if things are kept up in the same style of plenty 
 and confort. Ad interim, we shall be glad to acknow- 
 ledge one of the landlord's celebrated potted tongues, 
 whenever time and inclination may suit him to offer 
 one to our taste and approval. The public, however, 
 are fond of quick travelling ; and railways wait no 
 man's pleasure, though they may, perchance, at times, 
 break down, much to his displeasure. So, forward, 
 gentlemen ! We stood on the deck of the " Princess 
 Royal," a celebrated steamer from Liverpool to 
 Glasgow, and vice versa, in twenty hours, weather 
 permitting seldom the case. We had a tolerable 
 Havannah in our mouth, and a warm coat on our 
 back. The weather was fine, the wind was fair, and 
 a grouse-hill was in our imagination. What could 
 we desire more ? 
 
 " A glass of hot brandy-and- water, steward !" 
 " Hot brandy-and- water ? Yes, sir !" 
 And it quickly arrived : thus we sipped and puffed, 
 puffed and sipped, and looked upon the rippling 
 waters, and thought what ? Why, simply that we 
 felt very comfortable when, lo ! a lanky, red-haired, 
 male individual stood beside us, and also smoked and 
 looked not upon the briny deep but very dirty, and 
 somewhat merry withal, or with whisky, with which 
 he was mightily perfumed ; and he said, in a language, 
 a few words, of which we shall only endeavour to 
 repeat 
 
 "Ye 're ganging to bonny Scotland, I ken?" 
 This was sufficiently explicit ; and we courteously 
 replied 
 
 " We hope to visit the Highlands." 
 
AND PASTIMES. 23 
 
 " Ah ! you 're on a shooting excursion, doubtless ?" 
 
 " We hope to have some sport." 
 
 " And you 're a first-rate shot, we presume ?" 
 
 " A tolerable hand at partridges, but we never 
 shot a grouse no, never." 
 
 " Then you will soon have another tale to tell. 
 You should ken the Isle of Skye. I have been out 
 in the morning before breakfast, and killed four 
 stags on Macdonald's ground ; and after breakfast, I 
 have had a bang at the grouse and bagged my fifty 
 brace. Then I 've dined, you see, and in the evening 
 had a cast for a salmon, and killed some twenty 
 pounds before night-fall." 
 
 We .had heard of Lord Macdonald's splendid deer 
 forest in the Isle of Skye, and of the grouse-hills, and 
 of the fishery ; and we declare to have seen there as 
 fine a sight as sportsman need cast his eye on, one 
 brilliant evening in July viz. , a herd of some four- 
 score red-deer. But the assertions of our red-haired 
 friend we could not swallow as we had the brandy- 
 and- water. Will it be believed, sporting readers, 
 that the relater of such exploits was none other than 
 an exciseman, who never had pulled a trigger, save 
 at a gull ! and yet such sport as he thus named in 
 Skye is by no means actually impossible for a first- 
 rate sportsman. Having satisfied ourselves, however, 
 that his rhodomontade, if not exactly to be credited, 
 was amusing so amusing, that we regret the space 
 allowed us does not admit of our offering many of 
 his wonderful exploits to your notice we submitted, 
 till another and another glass of whisky laid him 
 snoring on the deck, and a few short hours saw the 
 moon sink, and the sun rise in brilliancy on the 
 heathered hills of Scotland as we entered the Clyde ; 
 of which river we will leave tourists to write, though 
 we fear we shall never agree in their praises of it 
 
24 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 save in a commercial point of view. The Isle of 
 Arran was, however, in sight ; 
 
 ts Crowned with dense mists that shine like alpine snow, 
 Lo, Arran's hills their rocky summits shew." 
 
 And to us this had far greater charms, and those of 
 another nature ; for there the noble red-deer ranges 
 in pride and freedom, there the beautiful and glossy- 
 feathered blackcock and the heather-feeding grouse 
 are abundantly to be found. This glorious shooting 
 quarter is the property of the Duke of Hamilton, 
 and is generally shot over during the season by his 
 son, the Marquis of Douglas, and his friends. The 
 game is abundant and well preserved ; and there are 
 few spots in Scotland more desirable as a shooting 
 quarter, being easy of access, beautiful by nature, 
 plentiful in game of all kinds, not difficult to preserve, 
 and easily walked over. But we must steam on to 
 Glasgow, and thence travel to the fair city of Perth. 
 We have little inclination, however, to give our 
 readers an account of the one city or the other, as 
 many have done so before us, and doubtless more 
 ably, and our pen is that of a sportsman not of a 
 tourist ; yet we could tell a tale or two of both : 
 we shall content ourselves, however, by the simple 
 observation, that the citizens of the former are mer- 
 cantile and proud, and those of the latter equally 
 proud, and somewhat less mercantile. But there are 
 sportsmen, and good ones, in both, and some kind, 
 good, and hospitable fellows gentlemen with whom 
 we ate grouse, and salmon, and trout, and tasted 
 whisky-toddy, cold with, and hot without, as also in 
 its nature unadorned. But strange to say, we never 
 could abide it ; and from the hour we first entered 
 the Trongate of Glasgow, to that of our embarking 
 from the Bromiclaw on our return to England, the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 25 
 
 smell, always disagreeable to us, never fairly quitted 
 our nasal organs. 
 
 So we left the toddy at 1 A.M., and at six we were 
 off for the fair city. There is much interest in the 
 route from Glasgow to Perth ; at Dunblane we saw 
 the cathedral, but, unfortunately, sweet Jessie was 
 not at home ; and the proud Castle of Stirling towered 
 in grandeur on a hill from which there is a splendid 
 view of salmon rivers, and grouse hills, and hunting 
 fields, and race courses. Indeed it is a very plea- 
 sing ride, and we were still more agreeably sur- 
 prised at the splendid view which presented itself, 
 as we rattled down the hill to the ancient metropolis 
 of Scotland. 
 
26 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 i stood upon the bridge of Perth, kind reader, 
 Dt on that of " Sighs ;" and, in good faith and 
 
 WE 
 
 truth, 'tis a pleasant spot to stand on, if the heavens 
 be but clear, and the sun be shining a good shine. 
 
 " Across the shire of valleys and of hills 
 
 Breadalbane and great Athol's dread domain 
 Swoll'n by the tribute from a thousand rills, 
 The Scottish Tiber thunders to the plain." 
 
 The sparkling and rapid Tay we beg pardon of 
 the Romans is as superior to the Tiber, in spite of 
 all their " ecce's" as is the Thames to a muddy ditch. 
 We speak from personal knowledge ; and we per- 
 fectly agree with the salmon in their selection. The 
 distant Grampian mountains form a most agreeable 
 background to the bright and beautiful picture seen 
 from this spot. Scone Palace, a modern mass of 
 red stone, unadorned by the most remote attempt at 
 architectural beauty, stands forth prominent in ugli- 
 ness amid the loneliness of nature by which it is 
 surrounded on your right hand, the coverts of which 
 are full of game, with a fox or two in the bargain ; 
 a salmon river flows before and under you ; a race- 
 course skirts this rapid stream, and no end of grouse 
 hills rise on your left ; all most agreeable sights to 
 a sportsman, who, having long admired the beauty 
 
AND PASTIMES. 27 
 
 of the scene, seats himself comfortably on the parapet, 
 and thinks of the coming slaughter of the morrow. 
 
 Our companion on this bridge, or "brig," as the 
 Scotch call it we presume because it bears people 
 over the water was a breechless loon of a Low- 
 lander, but nevertheless a most civil and intelligent 
 person. We commenced our acquaintance with this 
 individual by tipping him the value of a glass of 
 whisky or two well knowing how pleasing is the 
 touch of siller to palms that itch beyond the Border. 
 Our donation, being conveyed in the most delicate 
 and inoffensive terms, had the desired effect, and we 
 forthwith questioned him as to the salmon fishing, in 
 which, though on the top of the bridge parapet, he 
 evidently had a personal interest. He then informed 
 us he was "peering" for the fish (Anglice, look- 
 ing out), on which we requested he would gladden 
 our eyes and satisfy our wishes for a sight of one of 
 these noble, beautiful animals, actually alive and 
 swimming in its element though we confessed to be 
 no good fishermen. Few minutes elapsed ere he 
 pointed out to our view, as clearly and distinctly as 
 possible, a heavy fish, which we saw from head to 
 tail, floating leisurely against the rapid stream ; 
 another and another soon passed on, many of which 
 had almost numbered the minutes of their existence. 
 How well they swam ! how hard and firm and bril- 
 liant they looked, when drawn from dozens to the 
 shore, enclosed in a powerful net, on the far-famed 
 Northern Inch of Perth, celebrated by Walter Scott 
 as the scene of the battle in the " Fair Maid," 
 celebrated as one of the best race-courses in Scot- 
 land, on which the Caledonian Hunt holds their 
 yearly meetings celebrated to golf-players and sal- 
 mon-netters, and latterly become celebrated to 
 cricket-players, a club having recently been estab- 
 
 D2 
 
28 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 lished celebrated as a pleasing summer walk to the 
 fair maids of Perth (ugly ones, of course, there are 
 none) beautiful by nature to the eye of man, but 
 made at times most unpleasing to the eye of a sports- 
 man, (who looks on such unequalled turf as fitted 
 only for the plate of a race-horse or the roll of a 
 cricket-ball,) when covered, as it is, by the dirty 
 shirts of the lord provost, bailies, elders, and citizens 
 of Perth, who, by some unfortunate ancient but 
 barbarous law granted in former ages, and unre- 
 formed in these, are there permitted to hang out 
 their summer unmentionables. No offence, my lord 
 provost, and you magisterial bailies ; but dry your 
 linen at home. 
 
 Let us now take off our hats to the bailies, and 
 return to the salmon better companions, with lob- 
 ster sauce, any day in the week. A man is seated 
 on the bridge of Perth, who watches the progress of 
 the fish up the stream, the netters being fully pre- 
 pared with their nets, in a boat by the river's bank. 
 The moment the man on the look-out sees a fish, he 
 gives the sign ; a boat is at once cast off, and the net 
 rapidly dropped across the river ; and the chances 
 are four to one that Monsieur Saumon finds his way 
 into its meshes, from whence he is removed to cool 
 himself in a box of ice, takes his passage on board 
 the first steamer from Dundee, and is landed, passage 
 free, at Billingsgate; and probably, if handsome, 
 firm, and robust, he finds his way to Mr. Groves, 
 in Bond-street, and thence is immediately invited to 
 dine at Buckingham Palace, Sefton House, the Re- 
 form Club, or any other pleasant house, where the 
 cuisine is soignee that is to say, if he is fresh, and 
 has plenty of " sauce piquante" which is always an 
 agreeable addition in well-bred society. 
 
 Time and the tide, however, await no man's 
 
AND PASTIMES. 29 
 
 bidding be he Prince Albert or Ibrahim Pacha. 
 The hour of four had already sounded from the 
 clocks of Perth, when the Defiance coach rattled 
 over the "brig," and we after it, to the Salutation 
 Hotel, where we arrived in time to see the reins of 
 a very creditable team cast to the ostler, from the 
 hands of a no less celebrated dragsman and master 
 
 of hounds than Ramsay, Esq., of Barnton, 
 
 formerly owner of Lanercost, and now of Malcolm, 
 &c., one of the best whips and best sportsmen in 
 Scotland, who delights not less in steering the first- 
 rate cattle of this admirably- established coach, than 
 he does in cheering his gallant pack of fox-hounds to 
 death and glory. " Peering" into the interior, clad 
 in so-termed Glengarry bonnets, and wrapped up in 
 plaids, like all young English tourists in Scotland, 
 we discovered the friends whom we had come to 
 join as boon companions to the Castle of Meggernie, 
 permission to enjoy some day's sport at that de- 
 lightful shooting quarter having been kindly pro- 
 vided for us by the liberality and courtesy of its 
 noble owner. 
 
 We will briefly pass over the enjoyment of that 
 never-to-be-forgotten evening ; it will amuse few 
 to know how much claret we drank, or how 
 much toddy we endeavoured to swallow, in com- 
 pliment to the national beverage, and how greatly 
 we endeavoured to persuade ourselves we liked it ; 
 enough that we rose early on the following morning, 
 our palate a trifle bitter as to taste, we must admit, 
 and somewhat feverish withal. Our dreams, how- 
 ever, had been of a refreshing nature ; grouse had 
 risen within shot bang ! they were down, and 
 bagged ; and the reality, not in its bitterness, but in 
 all the delight of a fine fresh autumnal morning, 
 came forcibly on our spirits, as we jumped into a 
 
 D3 
 
30 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 Perth britska, in which we were about to journey to 
 the scene of our expected amusement. In order to 
 arrive at this noble Highland sporting quarter, there 
 are doubtless many routes, such as they are : we 
 shall, however, name only two, taking our points 
 from Glasgow, if approached by the west, and Perth, 
 if travelling from the east. Railways and steam- 
 boats, however, have brought her Majesty's Highland 
 dominions so near at hand, that a citizen of London 
 scarcely now exists but can tell a tale of the High- 
 land wonders he has witnessed with his own eyes, or 
 write a sonnet on the beauties of the lakes ; and can 
 picture to the world Fair Ellen's Isle, and Stirling 
 Castle, as readily as he heretofore dwelt on the 
 beauties of Ramsgate or Boulogne, or, if a greater 
 rambler, the sparkling waters of the Rhine, which, 
 generally speaking, are as muddy as ditch-water. 
 We humbly question, however, with all such know- 
 ledge of routes and scenery, whether they ever found 
 themselves on the top of Schiehallion on a bright 
 October morning, or on the summit of Ben Lawers 
 in a snow-storm ; nevertheless, we shall leave to 
 them the task of describing the broad ways of Scot- 
 land, and tread ourselves the heather ed paths, simply 
 adding, that during the fine months of summer and 
 autumn there is a steamer from Glasgow to the end 
 of Loch Lomond and a most agreeable steam it is, 
 weather permitting, with Ben Lomond in good 
 humour, and a sunny smile upon his summit ; from 
 thence a most interesting highland route via Inve- 
 rarnan to Killin, which, though fifteen miles distant, 
 is the post-town, baker's shop, and, in fact, the 
 market- town of Meggernie Castle. Civilization in 
 the nineteenth century, requires such depots; but 
 wait awhile, and we will tell you of the venison and 
 the game with which the chieftains of days lang 
 
AND PASTIMES. 31 
 
 syne filled their larders, ere breeks were worn as 
 they now are, even in these wild glens, where at 
 least costume ought to have remained sacred from 
 the inroads of fashion, if only in memory of " Glen- 
 garry and Lochiel." 
 
 Killin was also our present point, though travelling 
 from Perth ; and with the aid of post-horses, cigars, 
 a ham, cold pie in abundance, and merriment ad 
 libitum, we managed to while away as agreeable a 
 day's excursion as ever we recollect having enjoyed. 
 
 Journeying via CriefF to Amulrie, across the excel- 
 lent grouse hills shot over by Mr. Fox Maule to 
 Kenmore, and thence by Loch Tayside to Killin ; 
 unquestionably, in our humble opinion, save the 
 route by Lochearn, the most beautiful in all Scotland 
 to say nothing of our vicinity, when at the former 
 place, to the forest of Glenartney, a name ever plea- 
 santly brought to the memory of the sportsman by 
 the beautiful lines of Sir Walter Scott, when he 
 describes, in the " Lady of the Lake" 
 
 " The stag at eve had drunk his fill, 
 Where danced the moon on Mona's rill ; 
 And deep his midnight lair had made 
 In lone Glenartney's hazel shade." 
 
 With such subjects of conversation, and so many 
 of pleasure to the sight, the hours passed rapidly 
 away ; and ere we had arrived at our last halting 
 place, previous to mounting the steep sides of Ben 
 Lawers, on our approach to Meggernie, the towering 
 points of Benmore, hitherto beheld in the centre of 
 the longest distance, were fast losing themselves in 
 the shades of coming night ; and 
 
 " The western waves of ebbing day 
 Kolled o'er the glen their level way ; 
 Each purple peak each flinty spire 
 "Was bathed in floods of living fire,," 
 
32 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 When arrived at Killin, however, we were still, as 
 already explained, some fourteen or fifteen miles 
 from the scene of our expected enjoyment ; an inter- 
 vening space, which could only, within these last 
 ten years, have been honoured by other wheels than 
 those of a peat-cart ; yet what is there money and 
 determination cannot accomplish ? The noble tenant 
 of Meggernie has done this much with the aid of 
 siller and kind persuasion. Nothing can be done 
 without the former in Scotland above all places. 
 That which was heretofore comparatively a sheep- 
 track, literally up the mountain side of Ben Lawers 
 for seven miles, and down the other seven more, is 
 now fit to be rolled over by a London chariot and 
 four Killin posters. Lucky for the occupants of the 
 carriage, however, be they not rolled over also, 
 inasmuch as for many miles on the descent to Glen 
 Lyon, in the centre of which stands the chateau, the 
 mountain rises steep and abrupt from the road on 
 the one side ; and the declivity which presents 
 itself on the other, to a bright and rapid trout stream, 
 is sufficient to send an ejected from dog-cart, curricle, 
 or britska, rolling without a check, till his head 
 thumps against one of the numberless rocks over 
 which rushes the silvery stream, or, if his mouth be 
 open at the moment of his fall, he may chance to 
 catch a trout with his fly. 
 
 Never can we forget the last hour of our journey 
 on this, our first delightful sporting expedition, to a 
 Highland shooting quarter. One of our companions, 
 a most amiable, light-hearted, and first-rate sports- 
 man who, alas ! has since fallen a victim, like many 
 other of our friends, to an Indian campaign was 
 convulsed with laughter the whole descent of the 
 mountain side, at the fears expressed by another of 
 the party as to the probability of our being food for 
 
AND PASTIMES. 33 
 
 the eagles ere morning dawned. The night had 
 become dark as pitch ; lamps we had none ; and the 
 Highland postillion, fearless of all danger, with a 
 loose rein and lolling seat, rattled us down the 
 declivity of the mountain at a sharp trot. How the 
 nags, such as they were, kept their footing, heaven 
 only knows ; indeed, we admit the fact, that the 
 thought passed occasionally through our mind as we 
 neared the side of the precipice, as it appeared in 
 the dark, that if we escaped an upset or a broken 
 limb, 
 
 " The heath this night must be our bed 
 The welkin, curtain for my head." 
 
 At length, however, we reached the bottom of 
 this interminable hill, and, rattling over an old stone 
 bridge barely of sufficient width to admit the 
 passage of the carriage, underneath which the river 
 Lyon rushed foaming and roaring over a bed of 
 rocks we made a sharp left angular twist, whirled 
 up a bit of a brae, and came to a dead halt before a 
 gate, as it then appeared to us, in the very centre of 
 a thick covert. Post-boy descended, and opened 
 wide the portal, as we concluded and prayed, of 
 Meggernie Castle. Devil a bit of such luck we had 
 still an avenue to pass and such an avenue ! (but of 
 this more anon,) the river still rushing by our side. 
 Oh, ye salmon and trout ! what a cool and pleasing 
 retreat ! The darkness became more profound, and 
 the stillness of the night, broken only by our carriage- 
 wheels, more solemn, as on we poked our way, till at 
 last we approached what, in the density, appeared a 
 noble pile of massive stone. Not a sound was heard 
 without, not a light was seen within. What a 
 welcome and pleasing termination, thought we, to 
 the sunshine of the morning ! Ghosts and goblins 
 of departed chiefs might be housed there, with little 
 
34 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 to eat and nought to drink, for all we knew ; for all 
 was silent as the grave. True, we had despatched a 
 letter to say we were coming ; and the noble tenant's 
 permission to enter his abode had also duly preceded 
 us. But the fact of posting a despatch in the fair 
 city of Perth, and its chance of reaching this seques- 
 tered glen in safety, had never occurred to our 
 minds. 
 
 Our thoughts at that moment, however, as we 
 stood without the walls of this ancient abode of 
 chieffcainism, naturally recurred at once to the mili- 
 tary-secretary of the General Post- Office ; and we 
 well knew that his foot-soldiers, or " runners" as they 
 are termed in the Highlands because, if possible, 
 they move slower there, and are worse paid for their 
 labour than elsewhere would not be alive to the 
 importance of delivering without delay the corres- 
 pondence of gentlemen sportsmen. With such 
 thoughts, we felt assured our missile had missed its 
 mark. To stand before the door of an old Scotch 
 castle till midnight, however, or remain under its 
 shadows till morning, was not for a moment our in- 
 tention. So bang one ! went against the door for 
 knocker there was none. Bang two ! all still was 
 silent, save the echo of the bang. Bang three ! a 
 double shot ; when joy and relief a light appeared 
 through the key-hole. Bang four ! Open sesame ! 
 and, with candle in hand, appeared a short, well- 
 built individual, with a comely countenance ; in fact, 
 a good specimen of a Highland gamekeeper, and, as 
 we afterwards found him, a good sportsman and right 
 honest fellow. 
 
 "My name is ' Norval on the Grampian Hills/ 
 according to school-boy recital, or any other name 
 agreeable to you in this said glen : only give us an 
 entrance. You received our letter, &c." All an- 
 
AND PASTIMES. 35 
 
 swered in the affirmative ; and, with a hearty welcome, 
 in we bundled, bag and baggage. Five minutes 
 scarcely elapsed ere we were made comfortable : a 
 blazing peat and wood fire burnt on the hearth 
 a bottle was soon produced ; but we forget not a 
 bottle, but sixteen blown into one, containing the 
 everlasting whisky, we were about to say; but no, 
 this was veritable " mountain- dew." We pledged 
 the ghosts of departed chiefs for safety ; we pledged 
 the noble tenant of the chateau this was our wel- 
 come-cup : could we refuse one, or even two, so 
 bountifully offered ? A hot supper of stewed moun- 
 tain hare, added to the cold viands we had brought 
 from the Lowlands a cigar and then to bed. And 
 thus, good friends, we leave you for an hour or two, 
 to dream, as we did, of deer and grouse, blackcocks 
 and white hares, Highlanders and heathered hills ; and 
 if some fair blue eyes, far away in the south country, 
 were veiled in sorrow for our absence, we must con- 
 fess that ours were soon closed in as sound a sleep as 
 a sportsman well could wish, who desires strength 
 and energy for the expected sport of the coming morn. 
 
36 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 CHAPTER TV. 
 
 " 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." 
 
 LIDDELL. 
 
 Ir may be readily conceived, that the fatigue and 
 excitement we had undergone during our delightful 
 journey of the previous day, had left us with little 
 inclination to explore the interior of the castle on the 
 first night of our arrival : the fire burnt cheerfully 
 within, and all without was leaden darkness. Hav- 
 ing enjoyed, therefore, a rough but substantial and 
 merry supper, and blown a good cloud of tobacco to 
 keep out the witches, we piloted, with the aid of the 
 trusty gamekeeper, our companions to their nightly 
 domiciles, and then tumbled into a comfortable bed 
 in one of the turrets of the building, and were soon 
 lost in sleep to all around us. 
 
 The bright sun of a glorious autumnal morning 
 had, however, scarce risen o'er the eastern horizon, 
 ere, refreshed by the calm rest of night, we awoke, 
 invigorated and nerved, in anxious expectation of the 
 coming sports of the day. And we may truly say, in 
 the beautiful words of Scott, that there 
 
 "At morn the blackcock trims his jetty wing; 
 
 'Tis morning prompts the linnet's blithest lay , 
 All nature's children feel the matin spring 
 Of life reviving with reviving day." 
 
AND PASTIMES. 39 
 
 Our ideas of a Highland shooting box, we are free 
 to confess, had hitherto been limited to the imagina- 
 tion of a species of mud hut, placed on a wild and 
 extensive grouse moor. And true, there are still 
 many such; and these so situated as to afford the 
 most ample sport for the gun as well as for the fish- 
 ing-rod ; for wherever grouse hills are found, you 
 may almost rely on the certainty of finding a tolerable 
 trout stream, if not a salmon river also, running 
 through the valleys. But our present locale was 
 truly no mud hut, but a most comfortable, spacious, 
 and convenient abode ; and if splendour or luxury 
 did not reign there, where they would have been 
 most misplaced, yet every reasonable comfort to the 
 sportsman was found, and that in abundance ; and 
 we must own our surprise and delight at the magni- 
 ficent scenery with which we were on all sides sur- 
 rounded, for a brief description of which, we crave 
 the patience of our readers for a moment and then 
 away to the hills, to make acquaintance with the 
 plump and chirping grouse, the silvery ptarmigan, 
 the jetty blackcock, the snow-white hare, and the 
 fleet and timid roe-deer ; for one and all were there. 
 
 On throwing wide our bed-room window, the 
 scene which presented itself delighted not less than 
 it astonished us ; as, of course, on the previous night 
 we had seen nothing. About a gun-shot from the 
 Castle arose an almost perpendicular mountain of 
 some height, the lower portion of which was clothed 
 in rich heather with glowing shrubs at its base ; the 
 summit being rocky and almost bare. Between this 
 and the house was a green and level park, containing 
 several splendid trees, and to the right of these were 
 seen the stables and the kennels, through the latter 
 of which ran a clear and silvery mountain stream. 
 
 This scene was in the rear of the Castle ; and if 
 
 E 2 
 
40 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 such had caused us pleasure, how much more grati- 
 fied were we when we stood in the front, where, the 
 substantial breakfast over, we soon found ourselves ; 
 but not alone, for the keepers and gillies together 
 with a rough mountain pony, and many dogs, all 
 awaited orders. Before us was a range of beautiful 
 grouse hills, extending one above another as far as 
 the eye could reach. The house itself, standing on a 
 flat in the very centre of this rich, wild, and romantic 
 valley, so still and yet so glorious in sunshine and 
 beauty, that the very existence of a busy world be- 
 yond the mountains could almost be forgotten. Not 
 two hundred yards from the Castle ran the rapid 
 river Lyon, not broad, but clear and beautiful, and 
 this well filled both with salmon and trout ; indeed, 
 so filled at a good season, that in the year 1839, a 
 net being drawn across one of the deep pools, 
 brought to land no less than sixty-five salmon. 
 We relate this fact without the slightest hesitation 
 as to its truthfulness : indeed, we could bring some 
 score of old dames, now living in the Glen, to vouch 
 for what we write, inasmuch as the kindness of the 
 tenant of this princely sporting domain induced him 
 to divide almost all the fish among them ; and we 
 well recollect that one, more aged than the rest, 
 having witnessed the good fortune of her neighbours, 
 but by some mistake had been overlooked, called at 
 the Castle in high dudgeon at the unintentional indig- 
 nity which she conceived had been intended, when she 
 was made happy by the possession of two of the canny 
 fish, her neighbours having only been awarded one. 
 Along the margin of this river, but on the oppo- 
 site side, was a thick birch wood or covert, frequently 
 containing some scores of blackcocks, on all occa- 
 sions roe-deer and hares, and in the season the wood- 
 cocks have not been found wanting. To the left was 
 
AND PASTIMES. 41 
 
 a fine, open, but narrow park of green and velvet turf, 
 extending for a mile, adorned by one of the finest 
 line avenues bordering the river for the whole of its 
 length, which, if equalled in beauty, could not be 
 surpassed in that or any other countiy ; almost at 
 the extremity of which stands the base of the lofty Ben 
 Lawers ; and to the right of the valley, which extends 
 and is seen far in the distance, are three small lakes, 
 all containing multitudes of trout, from half a pound 
 to a pound weight some larger and of excellent 
 flavour. You have now far too briefly to admit of 
 a clear description " our field of battle." 
 
 As we have already cursorily mentioned, in front 
 of the house, awaiting our decision as to the 
 arrangements for our first day's sport, stood the 
 trusty head keeper, together with the under keeper, 
 about as good a specimen of a Highlander as the 
 country could produce ; and in addition to these were 
 several bare-legged, kilted " gillies," or beaters, 
 both old and young. In the hands of one of them 
 were firmly held two magnificent rough deer-hounds, 
 which noble animals were then, and still are, our 
 faithful friends though, alas! we cannot say our 
 companions, the one being cared for by a much 
 esteemed friend in Ireland, whereas the other enjoys 
 his " otium cum dignitate" in Gloucestershire, fed 
 daily by fair hands, and watched over by kind hearts, 
 by whom he is greatly valued, known to all the 
 children in the neighbourhood from his gentleness 
 and sagacity, and deservedly the admiration of all 
 who see him. As, however, we shall have occasion 
 by and bye more fully to enter into the subject and 
 character of these scarce and valuable hounds, we 
 will now merely state that the following are his di- 
 mensions, taken on the 6th of May, 1846, viz. : 
 Height at shoulder, 33 inches; girth at chest, 34 
 
 E 3 
 
42 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 inches ; length from the end of the nose to the tip of 
 his tail, 64. This dog is of a pale yellow colour, 
 with black muzzle ; and, from the strength and wiry 
 elasticity of his hair, which is considered a great 
 criterion of pure breeding among the Highlanders, 
 to say nothing of his beautiful form and immense 
 power, he may fairly be considered one of the finest, 
 if not the very finest, specimen of this noble race of 
 dogs in the kingdom, which, it is much to be re- 
 gretted, are becoming each year more rare ; in the 
 first place, from the great difficulty of rearing them, 
 but still more so from the extraordinary desire 
 evinced, by those who follow the splendid sport of 
 deer- stalking, to cross them with every species of 
 mastiff, bloodhound, &c. ; by which they not only 
 fail to obtain the object they expect and desire, but 
 thereby lose also many of the qualities which are 
 alone found in the pure breed of deer-hounds. 
 
 Since writing this, how r ever, we are rejoiced to 
 hear that Mr. E. Ellis, who possesses an admirable 
 shooting quarter in Scotland, with others, are endea- 
 vouring to revive the breed ; and as we are in posses- 
 sion of very accurate information as regards these 
 dogs, and have been particularly delighted with 
 many of their feats, we shall, when giving some 
 details, which we propose doing, of Invermoriston, 
 then enter more fully into the subject. 
 
 Two smooth- haired and fine-bred greyhounds were 
 also straining in their slips, ready for the chase. 
 " And wherefore these graceful animals on grouse- 
 hills ?" we hear many of our readers exclaim. Be 
 not too hasty, and you shall know. In the first 
 place, the boundary of the manor Meggernie is so 
 extensive, and yet so well provided with game, that 
 a large party may easily be separated, and appointed 
 to different beats with equal chance of successful 
 
AND PASTIMES. 43 
 
 sport. Iii addition to this, one may fish for salmon 
 in the Lyon, while another can amuse himself with a 
 cast for trout in the lakes. And to add to all these 
 charming inducements to a six weeks' residence in 
 the Glen, there are two little mountains, great 
 favourites of ours or, more justly termed, large 
 hills the sides of which literally swarm with the 
 grey mountain hare, which, at a later period of the 
 autumn, become almost entirely white ; indeed, so 
 white that it is almost impossible to discern them 
 when the hills are covered with snow, as we have 
 seen them in Scotland in the latter end of October. 
 
 Now, we yield to none in our delight of every 
 sort of sport ; at the same time we admit a prefer- 
 ence, more particularly for those wherein the noble 
 animal the horse or faithful dog takes a prominent 
 part. Indeed, so much do we delight in following 
 the sporting instincts and sagacities of these faithful 
 friends to man, that for hours together we have 
 walked over the moors in company with a first-rate 
 sportsman, allowing him, without one particle of 
 jealousy, all the honours and pleasures of the powder 
 and shot, while we ourselves have been contented 
 with watching the qualities and peculiarities of his 
 dogs when seeking their game. 
 
 On this occasion the object of one of our friends 
 who had joined in this sporting excursion was as 
 much to enjoy the fine scenery, as the killing of 
 grouse, hares, or blackcocks. He therefore deter- 
 mined on accompanying us with the dogs to the top 
 of Stroneuich, from which mountain one of the finest 
 views, of the surrounding country, in Scotland is 
 witnessed. Our other friend, who was all for the 
 grouse, we despatched with the keeper to such points 
 as he might judge desirable ; and with another 
 keeper and a regiment of " gillies/' or beaters, we 
 
44 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 started for Stroneuich ; in the first place crossing the 
 Lyon in a frail barque, which caused us no little 
 amusement ; the large rocks here and there dis- 
 persed in this rapid river, together with the shoals 
 and deep pools, making the navigation no easy 
 matter. On our arrival at the level summit of the 
 mountain, after a most delightful walk of some two 
 or three miles through heathered valleys, and over 
 hill-tops, the grouse rising every moment on each side 
 of us, though wild in the extreme, our sport, which 
 I shall here describe, commenced ; and most exciting, 
 in good truth, it was, though certainly of a novel 
 nature to coursers. The two rough deer-hounds were 
 held by one of the gillies in slips, and the two smooth- 
 haired greyhounds by another gillie, the remaining 
 one being kept as a reserve, in case of accident to 
 either of the dogs already mentioned. And, thus 
 prepared, we quietly walked in the rear of the party 
 to witness the sport. The summit, which is in parts 
 as flat and even as a grassy plain, extending here and 
 there full sixty feet in breadth, and in uninterrupted 
 length, in others of at least two hundred. On both 
 sides of this mountain, which was covered with 
 heather and rocks, a- party of beaters was thrown 
 out, who rousing the numerous hares there found, 
 they immediately made for the level mountain top, of 
 which we were apprised by the loud shouts of those 
 below ; and, thus on the qui vive, the moment puss 
 appeared in sight, the dogs were slipped, and many 
 an exciting chase we had. Did they attempt to cross 
 the level, a loud shout on the other side generally 
 saluted them, and thus were they obliged to fly for 
 their lives along the mountain-tops. To regular 
 coursers, this mode of destroying hares by wholesale 
 may not appear quite en regie ; let them bear in mind, 
 however, the nature of the ground, the excitement 
 
AND PASTIMES. 45 
 
 caused by such wild sport, the nature of some of the 
 dogs employed for such diversions, the abundance of 
 hares, which could only be taken on such ground by 
 this kind of warfare or with the gun, the splendid 
 nature of the scenery by which we were surrounded, 
 and the consequent delight, and exhilaration, and ex- 
 citement of these hare chases, brief as some of them 
 really were for, in truth, many a gentleman, who 
 afterwards figured right delicately, and with the 
 highest flavour, in a soup tureen or a hash, was 
 doomed to die with a rush of the dogs, a holloa, a 
 grip, and a shout. It must also be borne in mind, 
 that these animals are totally different to those found 
 in the low grounds, as to their colour for during the 
 spring and early autumn they are of a bluish grey, 
 whereas in the fall of the year and during the winter 
 they become totally white ; indeed, we have seen 
 them, and killed them also, when white as the driven 
 snow; and for this seasonable change of costume 
 they have to thank an all- wise Providence, who thus 
 protects them, during the lasting snow of winter in 
 that wild and remote glen, from enemies as formid- 
 able as man, in the shape of eagles and various 
 kinds of vermin, by which they would be readily 
 discovered and destroyed. 
 
 These hardy animals appear to enjoy the same cli- 
 mate, and exist almost in the same localities, as the 
 ptarmigan, being often found on the very summits 
 of the mountains, hidden among the rocks, or bur- 
 rowed, like rabbits, among the " cairns" (so called), 
 or piles of stones, built up by the shepherds as land- 
 marks, or for their amusement, when tending their 
 numerous flocks. Their means of sustenance during 
 the winter season is also a matter of some curiosity : 
 during the spring and summer they are more fre- 
 quently found at the sides and base of the mountains, 
 
46 SCOTTISH SPOBTS 
 
 but at the approach of winter higher and higher they 
 ascend; therefore, without they live on air, or by 
 suction, or on the chalky stones, on what we know 
 not ; for of roots, heather, or grass, there must be 
 little, and this little could only be obtained by ferret- 
 ing beneath the frozen snow, which in most places 
 must be several feet deep, and hard as a rock. What- 
 ever be their means of existence, however, during the 
 dreary season of winter, we can answer for their 
 celerity and fleetness up the mountain side, when re- 
 vived and invigorated by the genial days of spring. 
 Many a morning's delightful sport we have to thank 
 them for ; and as for the eating of their " cadavres," 
 as our Gallic friends would term it, why, in good 
 faith, we know of few better morsels than that eaten 
 from the loins of a well-roasted mountain hare, 
 with a trifle of currant jelly to give it a relish. 
 
 The closing evening, however, gave us warning 
 that this, our first day's attack on the hares, must 
 also close, and, with a few minutes' delay in admi- 
 ration of the sinking autumnal sun, as its last rays 
 disappeared behind a hundred heathered mountains, 
 far in the distance, even to Ben Lomond, we prepared 
 to descend towards the Castle, in order to compare 
 notes with him who had marched to meet the nu- 
 merous corps of grouse and blackcocks on our left 
 flank ; and if our anticipations of his abundant sport 
 were not entirely realized, we had reason to expect 
 much slaughter from the continued rattling of small 
 arms, which from time to time had sounded up the 
 glen. 
 
 On our approach to the river Lyon, which, as we 
 have before stated, divided the Castle from the prin- 
 cipal shooting grounds, we found ourselves consider- 
 ably higher than the point where we had crossed in 
 the morning, and consequently no boat was there. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 47 
 
 The water was, however, fordable at that spot; and 
 as a kilted Highlander has little difficulty in pre- 
 paring himself to take soil, the brogues of two or 
 three were off in a moment, and their backs were 
 politely tendered for a mount across the stream. On 
 a horse, we believe, we might overcome a wider and 
 deeper obstacle than this said salmon river ; but on 
 a gillie's back we were by no means prepared to make 
 our debut, with the chance of a souse in a salmon 
 pool, amidst the shouts of laughter of half-a-dozen 
 breechless boys of the glen, to whom doubtless, such 
 an event would have caused much amusement. We 
 therefore boldly took water after our leader ; but no 
 sooner landed, than bolt we went across the park, to 
 circulate our blood for before or since we have 
 never experienced aught to equal the cold we suffered 
 in our passage through this water ; for, brief as was 
 the time we remained in it, it was quite sufficient to 
 cause agony of pain on landing. And when we 
 witnessed our companion, who had more wisely ac- 
 cepted a mount, arrive safe, dry, warm, and laugh- 
 ing at our sufferings, we took note, never to ford a 
 mountain stream in the Highlands, with a gillie at 
 hand to give you a mount on his back. 
 
 Having reached the chateau, the slaughter of the 
 morning was laid before us, when we counted nine 
 brace and a half of grey hares, and a solitary rabbit. 
 Not bad sport, you will admit, sporting readers, when 
 you bear in mind that no gun was fired, two brace 
 and a half of dogs only were slipped, that a brace of 
 these were deer hounds, who frequently ran clean 
 over their game, and thus allowed it to escape, being 
 too high and too powerful in their neck to admit of 
 their contending with the rapid turns of the hare ; 
 although in their running points they may bear a 
 great resemblance to the fine-bred greyhound, and, 
 
48 SCJOTTISH: spouts 
 
 from many trials we have made, we believe them to 
 be quite as swift ; indeed, in straight running, many 
 are faster. Moreover, we had not been out with the 
 intention of seeing how much game we could destroy, 
 but to have sport, and at the same time thoroughly 
 to enjoy everything connected with this delightful 
 sporting locale. Having seen to the comforts of the 
 noble animals by whose means we had been enabled 
 to enjoy so much fun, and had their feet, which were 
 lacerated by the rocks and stones on the mountain- 
 tops, well bathed with salt and water, we left them 
 to repose, and then awaited the coming of our shoot- 
 ing friend, whose near approach was soon made 
 known to us by the discharge of both his barrels, 
 which report echoed far and away from mountain- 
 top to mountain-top, by which we were surrounded. 
 
 Never can we forget the delight expressed by this 
 truly enthusiastic sportsman at this his first day's 
 walk on the heathered hills ! indeed, it would take 
 far more pages than those allowed us, were we to 
 detail one-third of his enjoyment at all he had seen, 
 and not less so of the sport which he had experienced, 
 which, though certainly not such as we shall here- 
 after have to detail of this charming shooting quarter, 
 yet was it quite sufficient to answer all our anticipa- 
 tions when he produced eleven brace and a half of 
 grouse, two brace and a half of mountain hares, a 
 brace of ptarmigan, and oh, delicious morsel ! a 
 golden plover, plump, and praying, doubtless, to be 
 eaten. To w r hich being added the forlorn little 
 rabbit and the hares we slaughtered, we were pro- 
 vided with a tolerable larder. 
 
 Should this simple and unostentatious account of 
 game should this humble, but nevertheless truthful, 
 picture of pleasures long passed, but not forgotten, 
 meet the eye of many a sportsman, possessor of a 
 
PASTIMES. 40 
 
 well-preserved grouse ground, he will, doubtless, 
 turn up the tip of his nose, or the balls of his eyes, 
 at our sporting pretensions. We think we see him 
 now, with a curl on the lip, and a smile on his phy- 
 siognomy, at the sum total we have named. Let 
 him smile on. We have all humility in saying so 
 seen as many grouse fall to the deadly aim of 
 first-rate shots, as our neighbours; but we cannot 
 admit that the useless slaughter which sometimes 
 takes place at the commencement of the grouse 
 season can be termed sport ; we have heard of a 
 hundred, and even more, brace being killed by a 
 single gun on the 12th of August. But, in good 
 faith, the labour of the shooter must have been that 
 of a coalheaver ; and a third of his birds not worth 
 the powder wasted on them. We prefer sport for 
 sporting sake : and were we the owner of the very 
 best grouse moor in all Scotland, we should feel 
 quite satisfied with five-and-twenty brace as the 
 ultimatum of each day's shooting, even at the com- 
 mencement of the season ; but in the later period of 
 autumn, to which we allude, half that number ought 
 to satisfy the best shot in England ; and these should 
 be killed without the necessity of making a toil of a 
 pleasure. Eat your breakfast then you require no 
 luncheon on the hills ; then take the rest of the day, 
 and come home in time to dress for dinner. You 
 may follow all the courtesies of life even in a High- 
 land glen. We shall, however, as we continue our 
 walk over the heathered hills, endeavour to give 
 some careful details of many of the sporting quarters 
 it has been our good fortune to visit; and this, 
 we hope, in such manner as to excite those who 
 have not already enjoyed the sports of the Highlands, 
 to make acquaintance with the grouse ; and, as far 
 as possible, we will also enter into such little facts as 
 
50 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 will point out to them where are the best quarters, 
 and how and at what price obtained. 
 
 " The moors ! the moors ! the joyous moors ! 
 When autumn displays her golden stores 
 
 When the morning's breath 
 
 Blows across the heath, 
 
 On the mountain-side, 
 
 'Tis gladness to ride 
 At the peep of dawn o'er the dewy moors." 
 
 Thus ended our first day's sport in the Highlands. 
 And if those friends who were far away could have 
 seen us that night, as we sat around the blazing fire, 
 and talked over the pleasures of the day, they would 
 have said, as we had decided, " Remain, and have a 
 few more such." 
 
AND PASTIMES. 51 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 " 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." 
 
 / 
 
 THE dawn of our second day's expected enjoyment 
 in the Highlands by no means fulfilled the hopes we 
 had reasonably anticipated from the glorious setting- 
 sun of the preceding evening, the last golden rays of 
 which we had watched with delight, sinking behind 
 the distant mountain-tops 
 
 " Till the moor grew dim and stern ; 
 And soon an utter darkness fell 
 O'er mountain, rock, and burn." 
 
 The first thought of an ardent sportsman, when he 
 awakes refreshed by the slumbers of night whether 
 he has a twenty- mile ride to cover, a walk to a 
 neighbouring moor, or decides on a cast for salmon 
 or trout in the sparkling river which glides through 
 the glen at hand-^is the weather ; a fickle jade at all 
 times and in all climates ; but in none is this fickle- 
 ness and eccentricity, so detrimental to sporting gen- 
 tlemen and sporting picknicking damsels, more in- 
 comprehensibly displayed than in the mountainous 
 districts of the Western Highlands ; and in no part 
 of the wide world do you find so many reasons 
 offered for this variety of atmospherical changes, 
 
 p 2 
 
52 SCOTTISH SFOBTS 
 
 which, so unpleasingly and constantly occur. We 
 shall, however, leave the solution of this question to 
 astronomical philosophers ; for whether it be that the 
 fleeting clouds, attracted by the mountain-tops, suck 
 up the moisture from the Atlantic on their passage 
 to this hilly region for the mere frolic of spouting 
 their contents on grouse shooters in the glens below 
 or that the particular soil requires more moisture 
 than elsewhere, we cannot pretend to explain, but 
 the fact admits of no argument, that there are few 
 parts of her Majesty's dominions so favoured with 
 the tears of heaven. And thus we can well under- 
 stand the anger of a citizen tourist, w r ho once accosted 
 a Highland lad of the west with the question " Does 
 it always rain in these parts ?" and are not surprised at 
 his facetious reply "Na, sair ; it sometimes snaws." 
 Instead, therefore, of beholding another day break 
 with a clear blue sky over head, and balmy breezes 
 from the glen, the wind whistled, the rain fell 
 heavily, the mists were dense in the valley and on 
 the mountain tops, and all was damp, and dreary, and 
 blue -devilish. We could not, however, permit 
 ourselves to be thus easily discouraged, so we forth- 
 with prepared ourselves by adopting a costume for 
 the worst, and hoping for the best, proceeded in 
 search of the gamekeeper, whom we found inhaling 
 the comforting weed from two inches of clay, with a 
 bowl at the end of it as black as time and smoke 
 could well make it ; in fact, a well-seasoned bit of 
 clay is the delight of a Highlander. And while on 
 this subject, we recommend no sportsman visiting 
 the moors to go unprovided with a good supply of 
 the pigtail ; no compliment is accepted by a High- 
 lander with so much pleasure as a small supply of 
 the fragrant w^eed, and many a good day's sport may 
 emanate from this trifling douceur, which might 
 
JLND PASTIMES. 53 
 
 otherwise not be obtained ; in fact, we made it an 
 invariable rule never to go on any sporting expedi- 
 tion unprovided with a well-filled pouch of tobacco, 
 and a pound or two of first-rate tea. But to return 
 to our subject ; we found the keeper puffing a light 
 cloud at the heavy ones, and admiring the weather- 
 cock on the top of the chateau. We forthwith 
 questioned this trusty native of the glen as to the 
 hopes of a clearing, and having been assured by him 
 that, although then decidedly moist, he anticipated a 
 braw time about mid- day, we wrapped our plaid 
 around us, and whiled away an hour in the external 
 scrutiny of our ancient and pleasing quarter, which, 
 nevertheless, looked grim and dreary enough as it 
 stood in its solemn loneliness on this dark and dismal 
 morning. Who might have been the architect of 
 this interesting relic of lawless times we cannot 
 pretend to say ; but he had doubtless, and with 
 reason, satisfied the original owner of days lang 
 syne, when might was right, in fact, when Highland 
 chiefs lived and kept their own as long as they 
 could, not by right of law, or purchase, or entail, but 
 by the force of arms ; in short 
 
 " The good old rule .... 
 
 Sufficed then the simple plan, 
 That they should take who have the power 
 
 And they should keep who can." 
 
 Sportsmen, however, like other people, must eat for 
 life, strength, and energy, if so be they do not 
 exactly live to eat; nevertheless, this gastronomic 
 sport is a very pleasant pastime on most occasions, 
 but never more so than when your inward man is 
 reminded by the keen, though it may be somewhat 
 moist, mountain air of the morning, of the unques- 
 tionable fact that the cravings of hunger expect 
 to be satisfied, eyen at fifteen miles from a baker's 
 
 F 3 
 
54 SCOTTISH SPOETS 
 
 shop. We therefore lost no time in seeking our 
 companions, not in arms, but in temporary, though 
 very improper, fury at the state of the atmosphere. 
 To do them justice, however, they appeared deter- 
 mined to make the best of their bad luck, if such it 
 may be termed ; not, however, without most ample 
 soothing remedies, as the sequel will show, as we 
 found them seated around a board well covered with 
 abundant creature- comforts. 
 
 Previous to uttering a word, save those compelled 
 by courtesy, we lifted the cover of a dish near at 
 hand, and beheld oh pleasing sight ! some juvenile 
 grouse fendu au centre, and broiled. We performed 
 the same office by cover No. 2, when some delicate 
 trout, fresh from the Lyon, w r hich had only ceased to 
 swim alive when they swam dead in the Lucca oil in 
 which they were fried, gladdened our hungry eyes. 
 "Nice plump grouse, why do you allow your- 
 selves to be shot, thus to broiled and eaten ? Dear 
 little fish, why will you be hooked thus to fry in 
 oil? 'Tis very kind of you, and much we thank 
 you." And with this passing thought, having seated 
 ourselves, we prepared for action with a full deter- 
 mination to attack centre and flank, front and rear, 
 of all the good things before us. 
 
 "Disagreeable morning," said one, "is it not?" 
 " Admitted," we replied ; " but we cannot say the 
 same as regards the breakfast. Nevertheless, we 
 would thank you for a trout or two to begin with. 
 And as for the weather, why F r says it will clear ; 
 and of course he must know, or who should ? since 
 he was born in the glen, and has lived there all his 
 life, save on one occasion, when he passed a few days 
 among the Lancashire Witches, whose charms, 
 together with those of many a jorum of strong ale, 
 did not prove sufficient compensation for the loss of 
 
AND PASTIMES. 55 
 
 his beloved porridge, mountain dew, and Highland 
 home ; so he soon turned up his nose at the one, and 
 his back on both." 
 
 Like the heavy mists of the morning, which were 
 fast disappearing from the valleys, did the physiogno- 
 mies of our comrades break into sunshine at this 
 information, as, of course, they had all the most 
 perfect faith in the opinion of this trusty individual, 
 which tallied so entirely with the hopes and earnest 
 wishes of their outward feelings viz. for sport on 
 the heathered hills as did the trout and grilled 
 grouse with their internal ones. And we take 
 advantage of these pages strongly to recommend this 
 same diable de grouse et truite d Ihuile for the 
 matutinal discussion of those novitiate shooters who 
 may desire to solace themselves for an hour or so 
 when the morning is moist and cloudy, and who may 
 hitherto not have enjoyed the opportunity of such 
 ^astronomical indulgence in its native excellence ; 
 they may also be pleased to note in their diaries the 
 following fact, that if the weather be not exactly 
 agreeable for shooting, it will, nevertheless, suit 
 admirably for breakfast-eating. 
 
 With regard to the good humour and temper of 
 our companions on that occasion, we hold them forth 
 as an example to the sporting world, for their full 
 concurrence and ready belief in the fact of the 
 coming sunshine ; for of all the bores, there is none 
 so great as he who be the morning selected for 
 grouse shooting, deer stalking, hunting, fishing, or 
 breakfasting at Fulham, where you expect to meet 
 your lady-love all smiles and tenderness witnessing 
 the torrents fall, declares it must rain throughout the 
 day. Alas ! what is life without hope ? We love a 
 hopeful, sanguine mind ; and should our bright 
 wishes never come to pass, still are they not less 
 
56 SCOTTISH SPOKTS 
 
 pleasing in anticipation. If the morning, therefore, 
 on such occasions break blustering and wet, only 
 declare that it must clear ere long; and be assured, 
 even do you hope on all day, the time will pass more 
 quickly whilst indulging in such pleasing thoughts 
 than if spent in the grumblings of disappointment ; 
 and when the day is over and your sorrows past, you 
 will still hope on for better luck next time. Our 
 sanguine expectations on this occasion, however, 
 were not doomed to the ordeal of even two hours' 
 impatience ; for scarcely was the breakfast over, ere 
 the bright sun glittered on the waters of the Lyon, 
 and all was preparation for the coming pleasures: 
 
 We have already named our predilection more 
 particularly for those sports wherein the sagacious 
 and friendly dog takes a prominent part ; and during 
 the previous day's walk over the rugged mountain- 
 top and heathered vales, we had listened with no 
 little interest and attention to many a tale of deer- 
 chases and fox-hunts in these wild glens of Meg- 
 gernie : we will not, however, presume, in these 
 simple details of facts, to enter more fully into the 
 subjects of either, save as regards those in which we 
 have personally taken part, inasmuch as we feel it 
 would be presumptuous to attempt any description of 
 that which has been so ably, beautifully, and truth- 
 fully delineated by a far more able pen. We will 
 simply state, however, with respect to fox-hunts, 
 that we allude to the rude, but not less exciting, 
 mode of destroying these animals among the rocky 
 mountain- sides of Scotland, where their death, under 
 any circumstances, of course ceases to be a sacrilege ; 
 for there they may fairly be classed among vermin, 
 and treated as such. To those who desire more 
 ample details on this subject, we beg to recommend 
 the perusal of that delightful book for all sportsmen, 
 
AND PASTIMES. 57 
 
 written by Mr. Scrope. A brief account of another 
 species of chase, viz., that of the roe-deer, probably 
 the swiftest animal in existence, save the hare, may, 
 however, not be uninteresting. 
 
 These graceful animals abound in many parts of 
 Scotland, particularly in the county of Perth ; indeed, 
 when hunting with the Perthshire foxhounds in the 
 immediate neighbourhood of Perth, it has been our 
 good fortune to see hundreds cross and recross the 
 large covers of Scone and Lynedoch, and, in days 
 of yore, of Dupplin, as the hounds were drawing for 
 their game ; and, what is yet more astonishing, with- 
 out the slightest unsteadiness being remarkable 
 among the gallant pack, though the scent of the roe 
 is strong. 
 
 Before resuming our humble sketch of the plea- 
 sures to be found at Meggernie, however, we will 
 crave leave to relate one simple tale with reference to 
 these graceful, timid animals, and then once more to 
 the hills. Soon after daybreak one bright morning, 
 at the latter end of the month of August, the 
 keeper was quietly wending his way across the long 
 grass-enclosure immediately adjacent to the Castle, 
 to inspect the kennel, visit his pets, and see they 
 were all in health and energy previous to taking 
 orders for the sports of the day, when he beheld two 
 roe-deer peacefully feeding near a small cover at the 
 extreme end of the park. This sight was a pleasing 
 one for many reasons, as we shall hereafter show ; 
 and in order to secure the anticipations of sport to 
 be derived therefrom, with the foresight of a good and 
 trusty sportsman as he is, whose duty, not less than 
 his pleasure, was to find as well as to see sport, he 
 quietly altered his course athwart the park, and being 
 sheltered from view by the trees along the margin of 
 the river, reached the Castle unobserved. He then 
 
58 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 crossed over to the kennel, and sending scouts by 
 another route to prevent the roe-deer from being 
 disturbed, proceeded to perform the duties of the 
 kennel till a reasonable hour of the morning had 
 advanced, when he forthwith gave the pleasing in- 
 formation to his noble master, who, ever ready to 
 afford an hour's pleasure, not only to his visitors and 
 family, but also to his household as himself, called 
 together his forces, and placing two fleet greyhounds 
 in the slips, proceeded to seek the game already 
 marked for this novel chase. True to the report, 
 there they were, beautiful and graceful creatures, 
 plucking the dewy grass ; doubtless, little dreaming 
 of their coming foes. They came, however, quietly 
 and stealthily till the halloo sounded their death 
 warrant in repeated echoes far and wide over the 
 mountains till lost in the distance. 
 
 Permit us, however, to give a brief account of 
 the ground, simply because we had been repeatedly 
 assured that it was utterly impossible that any two 
 greyhounds could kill a roe-deer, however favour- 
 able the scene of action for the dogs. On the south, 
 then, there ran the river Lyon, which in many parts 
 being fordable, they had evidently crossed from the 
 thick wood by which its banks are skirted, and which 
 is in their principal cover on the opposite side, and 
 where their number is yearly on the increase, as few 
 are ever permitted to be destroyed. To the north of 
 the park the mountains rise steep and abruptly, pre- 
 cluding all possibility of rapid ascent ; the level be- 
 tween the river and these mountains being probably 
 about the third of a mile in breadth. At the eastern 
 end of the park is a small fir wood, and thence a 
 range of grouse hills to the left, the river still run- 
 ning on the right ; and to the west the Castle, its 
 gardens, &c. ; the whole length being more than a 
 
AND PASTIMES. 59 
 
 mile. At the eastern end of this ground, the roe- 
 deer were still calmly feeding ; and all was yet so 
 quiet that the slipper was enabled to approach them 
 with the dogs to within about forty yards, when, 
 straining from the slips with eagerness, the game was 
 roused, and away they went, the dogs swiftly stretch- 
 ing for their prey. It was at first quite evident that 
 in straight running the dogs had no chance as to 
 pace ; but one of the animals, singling himself from 
 the other, recrossed the river, and they immediately 
 settled to their remaining game. As long as the run 
 was straight, the roe maintained the lead ; but the 
 moment the animal's strength beginning to fail ad- 
 mitted of the hound's nearer approach, the question 
 of life and death was decided, for the first attempt at 
 turning brought them close to its haunches, and after 
 a few succeeding ones they came nearer and nearer, 
 till they literally bounded at the throat of the roe 
 an unusual feat for smooth hounds and the whoop 
 was shouted in the presence of those who witnessed 
 this interesting chase. 
 
 We may probably have ill succeeded in the 
 attempt to describe it here, as related to us near the 
 very spot where it had actually taken place ; and 
 doubtless, to many, how tame will appear a roe-deer 
 chase ! To us, the manner in which it was related 
 by one whose life had been passed in these wild and 
 interesting glens, was far otherwise; but then we 
 like a rabbit chase better than nothing, and are con- 
 tent to catch gudgeons with a casting net, if salmon 
 be not within reach. There are, however, other 
 modes of roe-hunting ^practised in Scotland, which 
 are also exciting, but not so pleasing to us, we must 
 admit ; and we know one keen sportsman who keeps 
 a species of mastiff or blood-hound, with which he 
 hunts these gentle animals through the covers for the 
 
60 SCOTTISH St0T 
 
 shooters, who stand at the end of the numerous rides, 
 cut through the vast fir and birch coverts which here 
 and there are found in the Highlands. On our own 
 part we were satisfied there must be considerable ex- 
 citement in a roe chase with greyhounds, and our 
 second day's sport was consequently thus arranged : 
 One of our friends, whose health and physical powers 
 did not admit of much active exertions though a great 
 lover of beautiful scenery, a sportsman in heart in 
 every sense of the word, and a most delightful addi- 
 tion to the party determined, though late in the 
 season for salmon, to try his hand for a trout or two 
 in the Lyon. Another voted once more for the 
 grouse hills ; and we determined to try if it were not 
 possible, by beating in the outlying coverts, to force 
 the roe to the open, and have a practical view of 
 that sport which hitherto we had only enjoyed in 
 theory. 
 
 Our plans being thus decided, with five dogs, 
 consisting of two rough deer-hounds and three fleet 
 and well-bred greyhounds, a numerous company of 
 beaters, old and young, the keeper and another com- 
 panion, we once more crossed the silvery waters of 
 the Lyon, landing at the eastern extremity of the 
 thick birch w r ood, to which we have already alluded 
 as skirting the banks of the river almost immedi- 
 ately in front of the Castle. Having arrived at this 
 spot, we mustered our forces, and then called a 
 council of war as to the most effectual means of 
 forcing the roe-deer from their shady retreat to the 
 open heathered hills, by which the western extremity 
 and southern side of the covert was bounded. In 
 order to obtain this much desired result, we extended 
 our forces ; and thus having, as it were, embraced 
 the eastern end of the wood, the word was passed to 
 move steadily forward. We may here observe, how- 
 
PASTIMES. 61 
 
 ever, that although our greatest anxiety was that of 
 obtaining a roe-deer chase, we were, nevertheless, 
 not unprepared with powder and shot for any sport 
 which might offer itself for our gratification. Thus, 
 as a blackcock rose on the wing a woodcock 
 flushed from the thick underwood a timid hare or 
 rabbit rushed across the line of beaters, the deadly 
 echo rattled through the covert from right, left, and 
 centre of the line of march. At the suggestion of 
 our Highland leader, however, the word was soon 
 given to cease this file-firing y as he justly conceived 
 we had far more chance of forcing the roe to break 
 at the extremity of the covert, or at least of witness- 
 ing their so doing, by steadily and quietly beating 
 our way onwards, and driving them in front ; thus 
 the feathered tribe were left in peace, and Forward ! 
 was the word. As we slowly made our way through 
 the thick covert, many a fleet roe-deer bounded 
 across and before us, as if making direct for the 
 open ; the hounds, with noses to the ground, strain- 
 ing in the slips, as the animal's track here and there 
 pointed out the path they had taken. On our arrival 
 at the extremity of the wood, the beautiful heathered 
 hills opened to our view far and wide in the distance, 
 and by the acute scent of the rough hounds we 
 had satisfactory evidence that several roe had es- 
 caped us. 
 
 To retrace our steps for a chance of those we had 
 left in covert, was not deemed advisable, the sun 
 having already passed the meridian, and time was 
 precious in the shortening days of autumn ; so we 
 decided to walk on to another but smaller fir wood, 
 about two miles distant, to which the keeper reason- 
 ably imagined they had flown. Having reached 
 this point, a division of our forces was again suggested, 
 the covert being somewhat in the shapa of a triangle ; 
 
62 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 thus our companion was stationed at one extent of 
 the base, with a brace of greyhounds ; a gillie held 
 the single dog in the centre ; and, with the rough 
 hounds, we were posted at the other extremity. 
 Being in this manner fully prepared, the beaters, 
 headed by the keeper, walked steadily through the 
 covert, evidently driving several roe before them 
 towards the points where we quietly lay hidden, and 
 prepared to slip the dogs the moment they appeared. 
 Unfortunately, at the very instant we were about to 
 receive the reward of our patience, and as, excited 
 beyond all belief, we lay half smothered in a ditch, 
 coaxing the noble dogs, who had already nearly dis- 
 located every joint in our arms, to have equal 
 forbearance indeed, as we were in momentary 
 anticipation of seeing a roe bound from the covert 
 side to the open heather on which we looked in 
 fact, as we had already pictured to ourselves in the 
 ditch, the delightful scene of a chase out of the ditch, 
 on these splendid heathered hills beyond, and as 
 this very picture was about to be painted to the life, 
 up rose (pardon me) a d d unlucky woodcock from 
 the very feet of the under-keeper, who was armed, 
 and a good shot. Taken by surprise, and unable to 
 resist so great a temptation, he levelled and fired. 
 The bird fell dead, and well he deserved his fate. 
 Under any other circumstances, a woodcock thus 
 early in the season, would have been a prize ; 
 although we have killed and eaten so many of them 
 in the Ionian isles, that we readily confess the bad 
 taste of willingly resigning the gastronomic indul- 
 gences they offer to any one, for a partridge. But 
 the effect of this deadly report at such a moment 
 was enough to anger and with all due deference we 
 say it the Archbishop of Canterbury or York, the 
 primate of Ireland, or any prelate of the realm. It 
 
AND PASTIMES. 63 
 
 instantaneously scared the timid roe, two of which 
 had actually approached within twenty yards from 
 the spot where we lay concealed from their view, 
 and this evidently with the intention of breaking 
 covert right in our front ; whereas three more had 
 positively jumped the ditch by which the covert was 
 fenced, in full view of our companion, \vho was on 
 the very point of slipping his dogs, when bang went 
 this what shall we call it? why, "delightful 
 report.' ' Instantly they all turned, and flying like 
 lightning athwart the fir-trees, broke through the 
 beaters in positive fear, faced the open on the other 
 side of the plantation ; and where they went, at the 
 moment we knew not. All we wished was that the 
 luckless inhabitant of Glen Lyon had shot himself 
 instead of the woodcock ; at least such, at the moment, 
 we thought was our wish. Yet we might have been 
 satisfied, when we cooled on the subject, had he 
 been attached to the tail of the Nassau balloon in its 
 ascent from the gardens of Cremorne. 
 
 This being a comparatively small and open covert, 
 our chance of success at that point was at an end, 
 and we began to despair of the hopes we had enter- 
 tained of witnessing that for which, on reasonable 
 grounds, we had undertaken our morning's rambles ; 
 indeed our disappointment was so evident, that the 
 noble animals we still held in the slips, appeared to 
 participate in the annoyance, as, with heads to the 
 ground, they seemed to catch the scent of the roe 
 which had so closely approached us ; and then, look- 
 ing up in our faces, as if in sorrow, they seemed to 
 ask for liberty to seek the prey, of which, by this 
 unlucky contre-temps, they had been deprived. At 
 this moment we were joined by the trusty keeper, 
 whose opinion was decidedly in favour of these 
 sagacious animals. 
 
 G2 
 
64 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 " We have little chance remaining here, sir," 
 said he ; " if you let loose a brace of the deer-dogs, 
 they may show us the line the roe-deer have taken. 
 I feel satisfied several have left the covert, and in 
 such case we may still have the good fortune to find 
 them feeding in the open." 
 
 We could scarcely believe in such luck, after our 
 recent disappointment; nevertheless, we strictly 
 followed his advice. The dogs were set at liberty, 
 and immediately taking up the scent, away they 
 went, without a moment's hesitation, right across 
 the wood, till they came to a rough fence by which 
 it was bounded. Here we luckily managed to stop 
 them, and after some little search, most clearly 
 traced, by their tracks, that the opinion of the 
 keeper was well grounded, and they had faced the 
 open. 
 
 " It is all right, sir," said he, " no doubt that they 
 have left the wood ; and may be we shall find them 
 ere long quietly feeding on the heathery side of yon 
 brae. If not, there are some hares on the mountain 
 sides, and we may chance to meet with ptarmigan 
 on the summits." 
 
 How gratifying was this information ! so much so, 
 that, weary with the morning's walk, we determined 
 to halt for a few minutes, and prepare ourselves with 
 fresh energy for coming events. Pipes and cigars 
 were produced and lighted, a dram was filled from 
 the flask of mountain dew for those who willed it, a 
 crust produced for the hungry: and while these 
 luxuries are being enjoyed, pardon us that we give a 
 brief description of the wild and beautiful position of 
 our halting-place, and then to more exciting details. 
 
 Behind us was the fir covert through which our 
 beaters had recently passed to our right through the 
 glen; distant about two gunshot, the sparkling 
 
AND PASTIMES. 65 
 
 waters of the Lyon, with its tributary trout streams, 
 serpent-like glided in undisturbed tranquillity to 
 join the waters of a neighbouring lake. Beneath us 
 ran a rough and narrow mountain road, unceasing in 
 its windings and irregularity of surface, being lite- 
 rally one continuation of ups and downs ; and 
 beyond this road were seen open and extensive 
 grouse hills, covering many thousands of acres, ex- 
 tending hill above hill to the rocky summit of Gallion, 
 a favourite abode alike for the ptarmigan, the moun- 
 tain hare, and the eagle. Little time, however, was 
 lost in the contemplation of such scenery, or in gas- 
 tronomic indulgencies ; a draught from the cool and 
 clear mountain rivulet at hand, which abound in 
 these localities, and once more then refreshed and 
 invigorated, we prepared, with renewed energy, for 
 all the chances of sport which might occur. 
 
 The keeper was still firm in the opinion that the 
 roe on leaving the covert, had descended the valley, 
 crossed the mountain road to which we have already 
 alluded, and would probably be found in the heathered 
 hills beyond it. 
 
 With this delightful anticipation, we again 
 mustered all hands in order of battue, and "For- 
 ward!" was the word. Arrived at the road, an 
 exclamation of delight from one of the gillies, caused 
 us to halt ; and on proceeding to ascertain the cause, 
 he joyfully pointed out what the recent rains enabled 
 us distinctly to decide were the fresh tracks of 
 several roe. Thus, so far, all tended to corroborate 
 the keeper's opinion that sport was near at hand, 
 and on we walked with redoubled ardour. 
 
 Haxing proceeded quietly half a mile up the 
 gentle declivity before us, without firing a shot, 
 though numerous grouse had risen almost under our 
 noses, the order was given to the beaters to bring 
 
 G 3 
 
66 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 their right shoulders forward; thus we faced the 
 west, from whence the wind was blowing up the 
 glen. At this moment we were walking in the 
 centre of the party, still holding the deer-hounds in 
 the slips, (whose eagerness had caused us already 
 more than one upset in the heather,) and had scarcely 
 advanced twenty yards on our new line, when, to 
 our right, at about fifty paces, up started three of the 
 long-sought roe. For a moment they stood, and 
 then, like a flash of lightning, were off over the 
 rough ground as if it had been a bowling-green. 
 
 At first they appeared as if making for the moun- 
 tains ; but the hope of such good luck was only 
 momentary, for having cleared the extreme beater 
 on our right, they flew along the hill side for two or 
 three hundred yards, and then, turning sharp on 
 finding themselves pursued, down the hill they went 
 with increasing speed. 
 
 Now, we have seen a fox break from a gorse 
 covert in the centre of one of the best hunting 
 counties in England ; and riding, as we do, about 
 ten stoue, have found ourselves seated on a nag able 
 to carry twelve, in splendid order, and fit to go. 
 We have seen a salmon of some twenty pounds' 
 weight, after a lengthened trial of skill and cunning 
 between man and fish, safely landed by a first-rate 
 disciple of Izaak Walton ; indeed, it has been our 
 good fortune, under a variety of circumstances, to 
 witness the decisive and exciting moment of most 
 European sports. Yet we never recollect having 
 felt more gratification than we did on this occasion, 
 simple as was the cause. On turning to descend the 
 declivity, as we have already stated, the roe-deer 
 increased their speed, and most unfortunately, owing 
 to tKe hurry and excitement of the moment, though 
 famously placed for a slipper, we managed to 
 
AND PASTIMES. 67 
 
 entangle them thus a momentary delay was caused. 
 Being freed however, off flew the dogs, taking an 
 oblique course up the hill side in full view of their 
 game. This, however pleasing to the lookers-on, 
 who kept them in full view, was all against the 
 hounds ; for on the rapid turn of the roe, the force 
 with which they ran, caused them to overshoot the 
 mark and lose some ground. Recovering them- 
 selves, however, with every nerve extended, they 
 bounded down the mountain side, in full view of 
 their game ; thus affording: us a clear sight of the 
 whole chase, which proved most interesting and 
 exciting. The strongest and fastest of the hounds 
 was evidently gaining on the roe at every stride 
 indeed, at one moment he could not have been 
 twenty paces from them when our unlucky star 
 once more rose on the ascendant. 
 
 The splendid dog, every limb stretched to the 
 utmost in eager pursuit, flew rather than raced over 
 the rough ground, unconscious of all danger, but 
 which to him nevertheless contained many hidden 
 ones ; and this with such force, that momentarily to 
 stop or even change his line was impossible ; whereas 
 the roe-deer bounded over it with perfect knowledge 
 of the locale. Unfortunately, a deep pit, or moun- 
 tain-rivulet course, hidden by the long heather and 
 rocks, crossed his path. Had this treacherous fence 
 been only treble the breadth of the dog's stride, the 
 pace at which he went would doubtless have carried 
 him clean over in safety ; as it was, for an instant 
 he appeared to stagger and fall, then bound in the 
 air, and fall again, and for a single moment lay as if 
 dead. Our first impression was that he had broken 
 his neck ; and the pang of regret which shot through 
 our heart must have been scarcely less painful than 
 the bruises he had received in hi fall ; notwith- 
 
68 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 standing the severity of which, he was up and off 
 again like lightning. By this time, however, the 
 roe had recrossed the road, and were streaming with 
 undiminished speed up the opposite hill towards the 
 last covert we had beaten, still closely followed by 
 the less fleet dog of the two. The moment the 
 accident occurred, we felt our chance of a kill was 
 at an end, and such proved to be the case ; the noble 
 animal, on recovering himself, strained every limb, 
 and showed unequalled courage and pluck in the 
 valiant efforts he made to regain his lost ground; 
 but, alas ! the law given to his enemies was far too 
 great ; and notwithstanding he actually closed on 
 them by every stride he took, they reached and 
 entered the covert, and were lost to our sight. 
 
 Gratified as we had been at witnessing this inte- 
 resting chase, which we had so eagerly sought, we 
 own we should have been better pleased had we 
 been enabled to add the death of a roe-deer to the 
 day's amount of game killed ; and though the .word 
 " magnificent" can scarcely be used when referring 
 to these gentle animals, we wonld gladly have 
 repeated the following beautiful lines : 
 
 " Thy 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)" 
 
 But such was not to be ; and the keeper at once 
 suggested that we should proceed towards the sum- 
 mit of , in hopes of bagging a few more of 
 
 ptarmigan, and killing a mountain hare or two on 
 our ascent. 
 
 " I will send," said he, " two of the gillies to 
 recover the dogs ; and as we have still three hours 
 of daylight, we may as well proceed to the top of 
 the mountain." 
 
AND PASTIMES. 69 
 
 We will not, however, weary our readers with any 
 detail of the exciting courses with which our walk was 
 diversified ; suffice it, we met with many a puss, two 
 brace of which succumbed to the fleetness of our grey- 
 hounds ; and then came the ptarmigan, the shooting 
 of which birds is by no means the most uninteresting 
 sport to be met with in the Highlands. They are 
 found, generally speaking, on the rocky summits of 
 the mountains, or among the rocks and stones of the 
 mountain sides, generally in flocks or coveys, but 
 sometimes in twos or threes, or even in single birds. 
 They rise much like a pigeon, and often fly round 
 the mountain, pitching again and again near the 
 same spot, as if loth to leave it ; at other times a 
 single shot, particularly in foul weather, will send 
 them flying for miles, whereas at periods they will 
 wait till you are fairly among them; in fact, no 
 game, if such they may be termed and certainly 
 they have a mighty pleasant gout a la bouche afford 
 a greater diversity of sport as to how and when they 
 will be killed: as to where, it is always near the 
 clouds. On this occasion we were fortunate enough 
 to meet with them in great abundance ; and had not 
 time passed rapidly, and our fatigue been great, we 
 might have loaded more than one gillie. As it was, 
 three brace and a half were bagged, and one bird, 
 falling among the rocks, was lost. By this time we 
 had reached the summit of Lock's Mountains, when, 
 being totally precluded by fatigue from further pro- 
 gress, we seated ourselves on the mountain brow, 
 determined to enjoy the magnificent and panoramic 
 view extended far beyond and around us. 
 
 The hour and the scene were what the poet pro- 
 nounced fit to cure all sadness but despair. The 
 glorious sinking sun was about to terminate an 
 
70 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 afternoon of unusual brilliancy ; in fact, the evening 
 was one of those magnificent closes to the year, which 
 seems intended to comprehend all the beauties of 
 the past. The western sky was one blaze of varied, 
 gilded colours, the reflection of which actually 
 painted the numerous mountain peaks, seen from 
 this spot, with numberless hues ; and when we 
 looked on this truly wild and magnificent landscape, 
 and turned towards the dark and sheltered woods 
 below us, the meandering river, and the solemn- 
 looking Castle, standing as it did in the centre of 
 their wildness, whose turret windows glittered in 
 the last rays of the setting sun, our thoughts wan- 
 dered, but not in sadness, to the calmer, but not less 
 beautiful landscapes of our dear England. We 
 thought of the scenes of bloodshed and lawless enter- 
 prise, which once had occurred in the now peaceful 
 valley which lay at our feet of the wild sports of 
 the chieftains of the soil which we had that day 
 trodden and of all the exciting, happy, merry, 
 joyous sports, now so abundantly and uninterruptedly 
 to be enjoyed there. No longer shots are fired in 
 anger no longer is the Highland dirk steeped in a 
 neighbour's blood ; but all, united in the bond of 
 brotherhood, worship the same God, and honour the 
 same sovereign. 
 
 We acknowledge ourself to be an enthusiastic 
 lover of Nature's beauties ; indeed, at the moment of 
 mental, as well as bodily pain, how often have we 
 felt the soothing tendencies they inspire ! and the 
 effect of the bold and beautiful scene we looked on, 
 was fast leading on to the building of a thousand 
 castles in the air, when the voice of the keeper re- 
 minded us that there was one in the valley, towards 
 which if we did not soon bend our steps, we might, 
 
AND PASTIMES. 71 
 
 perchance, have to bivouac in the heather. The 
 hint was sufficient, and after an hour's most exhaust- 
 ing walk, we once more reached its welcome 
 portals. 
 
 Our two friends, from whom we had parted in the 
 morning, were on the look-out, anxious to recount 
 their own performances, and not less so to receive 
 the details of our day's amusement, which caused 
 them both to regret their absence ; though neither 
 had ill spent the afternoon the one having killed 
 six brace of grouse, three mountain hares, and a 
 blackcock whereas the other had provided us an 
 abundant dish of fish, and well enjoyed his ramble 
 along the river's banks. 
 
 Having refreshed ourselves by a change of clothes, 
 and plenty of warm water for the feet, which we 
 recommend as the most reviving of all refreshers 
 after a long day's walk, we sat down to an amply- 
 provided board ; and many a glass of whisky-punch, 
 and many a merry laugh went round to say nothing 
 of one excellent bottle of mulled port, and half a box 
 of undeniable Havannahs. But our noble friends, the 
 dogs believe us, they were not forgotten. Scarcely 
 had we prepared for dinner, when with gladness we 
 saw them coming slowly across the park, held by 
 the gillies. We instantly proceeded to welcome them, 
 when, much to our regret, we discovered the gallant 
 animal who had fallen must have pitched against 
 the steep side of some rock, for the upper part of 
 the shoulder of the near fore leg was laid bare to 
 the bone, and a cruel gash appeared across the ribs. 
 Fortunately, however, no bone was broken ; never- 
 theless, he must have been severely shaken and 
 yet, with the true and unfailing courage of his race, 
 he shewed such pluck, that he had not only chased 
 
72 SCOTTISH SPOETS 
 
 the roe through the covert, but was discovered, by 
 the beater sent in search, at the extremity of that 
 we had first entered, still hunting the track of his 
 game, which had only beaten him by the aid of its 
 dark recesses. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 73 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THERE are, probably, few periods more exhilarat- 
 ing in the life of a sportsman, than that when he finds 
 himself, at the commencement of the season, in the 
 freshness of early morning, on the heathered moun- 
 tain, prepared for his first day's grouse shooting. 
 
 " At the peep of dawn, o'er the dewy moors, 
 
 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 blackcock spring, 
 At the well-known report, on whirring wing." 
 
 Not that we pretend to be an advocate for the 
 general habit, adopted by many, of commencing a 
 day's shooting at an unreasonably early hour, and 
 which is by some considered so absolutely necessary 
 to obtain sport. 
 
 There is a sort of faintness of the inner man 
 experienced before the sun is well o'er the horizon, 
 which dims the sight, wearies the limbs, unsteadies 
 the hand, and consequently unsettles the aim ere you 
 get well into the business of the day ; and we there- 
 fore humbly declare, on our own part at least, that, 
 not having taken out a licence to sell game, and the 
 quality of the sport, not the quantity bagged, being 
 our object when enjoying such delights, we have 
 never been able to discover the utility of walking 
 
 H 
 
74 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 through wet turnips with an empty stomach, or on 
 the dewy moors with a ravenous appetite, and eyes 
 like a five-days'-old puppy-dog, half open. 
 
 If you have to meet a pack of hounds some twenty 
 miles from home, get up as early as you please ; at 
 all events, be in ample time to see them thrown into 
 covert ; not, however, without fully preparing your 
 inward, as well as your outward, man for coming 
 events. Should you chance, on the other hand, to 
 find yourself comfortably located in a Highland 
 shooting quarter, there is no reason on earth, or on the 
 moors, why you should not take the matter as you do 
 other pleasures in life, that is, obtain all the enjoy- 
 ments within the range of possibility, and eschew all 
 the inconveniences. By following this principle, if 
 you are not a gainer, you will never be a loser. On 
 our arrival at a sporting abode, which hitherto we 
 may not have had the pleasure of visiting, if the 
 time be night, we turn in comfortably (even the 
 French make use of the word " comfortable" in 
 these days, though their application of it proves an 
 entire ignorance of its meaning) : if we awake early, 
 we immediately turn out and take a peep from the 
 window in the first place to inspect the state of the 
 weather, and then to seek a knowledge of the locale. 
 Should we have a decided object, well and good, we 
 prepare for the occasion : if not, we fairly ensconce 
 ourselves once more between the sheets, and ruminate 
 a little, half- dreaming over our expected day's sport 
 by anticipation, and then turn round and have 
 another sound nap, just to recruit our limbs for the 
 mountain sides. Indeed, we know a first-rate shot, 
 in fact, a superior sportsman, whether with the gun, 
 fishing-rod, or bridle in hand, who visits the High- 
 lands annually. He makes his appearance about 
 half-past ten, or eleven; eats his morning meal 
 
AND PASTIMES. 75 
 
 peacefully, plentifully, and with evident enjoyment ; 
 then lights his Havannah, and about mid-day finds 
 himself knee deep in the flowery heather. We 
 condole with the unfortunate grouse, ptarmigan, or 
 blackcock, who have the temerity to rise within 
 distance of his unerring aim: their rise is but to 
 fall again for ever. He shoots on steadily till the 
 sun sinks behind the western mountains ; then lights 
 another fragrant weed, and turns his step home- 
 wards ; appears dressed and cool at the dinner table, 
 and is a most lively and agreeable companion ; and 
 when the game -book is brought in for an entiy of 
 the clay's sport, few can ever number the total bagged 
 that he can. This .is the sort of man to have as a 
 companion in a Highland shooting quarter ; not your 
 restless, quicksilvery fellow, who can neither take 
 his own " ease at his inn," nor will he allow any one 
 else to do so who gets up before sunrise, and is, 
 consequently, dead beat before it has crossed the 
 meridian; and, instead of really enjoying a day's sport, 
 a cool bottle of claret after dinner, qualified by a 
 tumbler of mountain dew, " hot, with" and perhaps just 
 one cigar to prevent indigestion, or a little moderate 
 " vingt-et-un" to pass the evening merrily, quits the 
 table for an arm-chair, and in five minutes is snoring 
 like a buffalo. Sportsmen, permit us to recommend 
 your taking it easy as the midshipman of that name 
 so justly advised and practised whether it be in the 
 turnips in September or on the moors in August. 
 This is the plan we have hitherto pursued, and we 
 have found it to be both successful and agreeable, 
 notwithstanding all that has been said and written 
 about the want of scent after mid-day. 
 
 On the morning subsequent to our chase of the 
 roe-deer which, unfortunately was to be our last 
 at Meggernie on that occasion, having engaged 
 
 H 2 
 
76 SCOTTISH SPOETS 
 
 ourselves to visit other friendly quarters we had 
 determined take a sort of rambling excursion all 
 over the hills around and in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood of the Castle, and with this arrangement 
 the whole party were luckily well pleased. Having, 
 therefore, as usual, made sad havoc among the 
 dainties which were bountifully spread before us, we 
 prepared ourselves for another day of entire enjoy- 
 ment. Human thoughts will, however, wander, in 
 the best regulated brain, which unquestionably ours 
 is not ; and we could never divest our mind, as we 
 sat at the bountiful board, of the idea, that could the 
 founder of that ancient pile, in which we were then 
 so happily domiciled, but walk into the room at the 
 very moment we were about to plunge a fork into the 
 breast of a cold grouse, or in the act of lifting up 
 the cover of some smoking dainty, the chieftain's 
 hand might chance to seek the sharp skeinduh, and 
 play with us the same trick we were playing with 
 the game. To add to this wandering of our imagina- 
 tion the portrait of some grim old laird, with long 
 and flaxen curly wig (evidently one of his descend- 
 ants), whose physiognomy was adorned by an ancient 
 gilded frame, scowled at us, as we sat in our usual 
 seat, face to face with the old gentleman. The tip 
 of his nose appeared to change colour at every 
 morsel we ate, and at times so startled us, that we 
 were literally on the point of jumping up and laying 
 hold of the back of the chair for protection ; and on 
 one occasion we were nearly choked by the back- 
 bone of a trout, when admiring the frill of his 
 shirt. 
 
 We must proceed, however, on our sporting walk, 
 instead of dwelling on the family portraits of the 
 Stewarts of Glen Lyon, or the matutinal dainties of 
 Meggemie Castle. Nevertheless, as there are already 
 
AND PASTIMES. 77 
 
 Meggernie " stakes' ' at the Liverpool meeting, we see 
 no reason why there should not be potage a la Meg- 
 gernie in the glen. We shall, however, say no more 
 on this international subject, otherwise we may be 
 taken for a gastronomist, which we are not, instead 
 of an enthusiastic sportsman, which we really are. 
 Indeed, we already fancy we hear some good-natured 
 Norfolk or Hampshire squire, who has killed his 
 twenty brace of partridges in the morning, and is 
 snoozing over the " Sporting Mag" in the evening, 
 exclaiming," D d" no, we never swear, "Devilish 
 fat and lazy fellow this must be, who lays down the 
 law so decidedly about early rising and gorman- 
 dizing ; who gets up at eleven, stuffs himself, and 
 looks at the old family pictures till twelve, and then 
 calls it taking it easy.'* You are in error squire, be 
 cool ! we are neither fat nor lazy ; we weigh nine 
 stone three pounds in tops and unmentionables, and 
 just nine stone in nankeens ; we eat less than most 
 men ; and though we do not rise early, we go to bed 
 late, and never could sleep after dinner. Twenty 
 miles to cover with you any day you please. But 
 now to the hills ; come and take another walk with 
 your fat, lazy friend ; he heartily offers you a share 
 of the sport. 
 
 Once more the keeper, and the gallant-looking 
 fellow, his aid (who, by-the-bye, had he been in 
 any station but that of a keeper, we should have 
 endeavoured to have enlisted as a life-guardsman ; 
 for in his kilt he looked well enough, but in the 
 cuirass, and mounted on one of those unequalled 
 black chargers which adorn the portals of the Horse 
 Guards, he would have been a fit escort for our Lady 
 the Queen) awaited our commands for the day's 
 march. 
 
 " Good morning, Donald ; splendid weather 
 
 H 3 
 
78 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 for the hills ! What luck shall we have to- 
 day?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, 'tis a braw season. May-be we shall 
 meet with some blackcock behind the garden dyke ; 
 I saw at least fifty of them this morning, feeding, 
 soon after daybreak," 
 
 "The deyil you did! Why were we not 
 called?" 
 
 He laughed in reply, as much as to say, "It 
 would have been of no avail." He was right, he 
 would have called in vain. 
 
 " Then let us tiy for these birds at once." 
 
 And away we went. Our party was strong : we 
 had four guns, a host of gillies, and two brace of 
 dogs, who, notwithstanding their exertions of the day 
 previous, were tolerably fresh and full of spirit, save 
 the gallant Bran, who, though suffering from his 
 severe injury, was nevertheless all eagerness to be of 
 the party ; this, however, we valued him too much 
 to permit. 
 
 We had reached the wall before alluded to, within 
 fifty yards, when we felt ourselves seized by the 
 shoulder in Donald's powerful grip. " There they 
 are !" said he. " Hist ! hist !" and the whole party 
 were made to understand that the game were in 
 sight. And a pretty view for a sportsman's eye, in 
 good truth, it afforded ! In a sort of stubble field 
 if stubble it can be termed, in such a wild valley as 
 there presented itself about half gun-shot from 
 the wall, we beheld what seemed, to the eye of an 
 inexperienced sportsman or, we should rather say, 
 to a sportsman unaccustomed to this species of game 
 a multitude of large ravens, employing themselves 
 in gleaning. On a nearer inspection, however, these 
 ravens appeared to have curly tails, adorned with a 
 white feather or two intermixed, as a relief to their 
 
AND PASTIMES. 79 
 
 gloomy blackness. There they remained, these 
 proud and plump Highland blackamoors, as if waiting 
 in defiance of attack, and determined to resist our 
 rude intrusion on their feeding territory. Luckily, 
 however, it was not our first acquaintance with their 
 peculiarities, and those of the glen, by whom we 
 were accompanied, were up to all the trickery and 
 cunning of those splendid birds. We crave one 
 moment while we add, though we know not why, 
 that it appears, by general sporting acquiescence, 
 permitted to shoot a blackcock how you can, w r hen 
 you can, and wherever you find him. Now, were we 
 to see a pheasant sitting on the top of a park- wall, 
 which we frequently have seen, none but a poacher or 
 a pot-hunter would deign to fire at the beautiful bird 
 till it " fluttered in the air ;" but with the blackcock, 
 
 C'est autre chose : 
 
 Bang when you can, and over it goes. 
 
 Precaution and silence was, therefore, the word of 
 command, in order to secure success. Luck, for the 
 time, placed us in a good position; and, having 
 crept up to the wall, we rested our double-barrels 
 on the top, within twenty yards of the formid- 
 able black army ; in fact, we managed just com- 
 fortably to bring five glossy heads along the sight, 
 and, with nervous excitement, were on the very 
 point of pulling the trigger, when a confounded 
 gillie sneezed only sneezed but it w r as a detestable 
 sneeze : we have hated people with colds ever since. 
 This was enough ; the whole pack rose in a dense 
 cloud not a moment was to be lost. Instead of the 
 murderous aim we had chosen, as we thought, so 
 cunningly, we had no alternative but that of banging 
 into the centre of the flock. Down came two black 
 bodies, plump, like coals from the heavens ! Bang ! 
 bang ! went the file firing, from right to left ; over 
 
80 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the wall we jumped, keepers, gillies, shooters and all, 
 to pick up the dead and make prisoners of the 
 wounded. This, however, proved not so easy a 
 matter as might be supposed ; two lay dead as ham- 
 mers a simile we cannot explain; three others 
 were only legged or winged, and they made a despe- 
 rate attempt to escape ; but the pack of bipeds, all 
 eager for their prey, were too strong for them ; and 
 after floundering, ankle deep in swamp, over flowery 
 heather and rough stones, all were at length cap- 
 tured in life, and bagged in death two brace and a 
 half, no bad commencement for the day ; though the 
 skirmishing which obtained the victory might not 
 have been exactly in sporting regie. Never mind 
 grumblers : it caused much mirth, and pardon for 
 the sneezer. True, we had expected at least six 
 brace ; but we are easily satisfied the half loaf 
 contents us; and on the party walked, hoping for 
 better luck next time. 
 
 Having reached the mountain slopes, hares rose 
 here and there and every where, before and around 
 us ; and we succeeded in killing two brace, after 
 some very interesting runs. On our arrival at the 
 summit of the mountain, the day, which hitherto 
 had been cloudy, dark, and misty, became brilliant 
 and clear, the sun bursting forth in unrivalled splen- 
 dour ; and the view of a hundred mountains seen 
 almost to the summit of Ben Nevis, the wide, dark- 
 looking, and extensive grouse ground and valleys, 
 which lay in solemn grandeur at our feet, was a pic- 
 ture of unequalled interest alike to the sportsman, 
 artist, and lover of nature's wildness. Add to this 
 the calm waters of Loch Rannoch, nearly twelve 
 miles in length, and two of general breadth, which 
 lay, as it appeared, almost at the foot of the moun- 
 tain on which we stood ; and though literally two 
 
AND PASTIMES. 81 
 
 miles distant, the mountain shadows on its waters 
 were quite distinct, so still and placid was all 
 around. This beautiful lake, glittering and spark- 
 ling ever and anon, as the sun's rays, darkened by a 
 passing cloud which swept through the heavens, left 
 on its unruffled surface gloomy and flittering sha- 
 dows, is the resort of a large-sized trout, probably 
 not delicate-eating, but affording ample sport with 
 the rod. And many there are who eagerly seek per- 
 mission to try their skill with the fly, from the 
 owners of the extensive shooting grounds by which 
 it is surrounded ; the principal one being the Earl of 
 Mansfield, who rents the moors immediately contig- 
 uous to Meggernie, for which he pays a large annual 
 rent. In this desirable sporting possession he suc- 
 ceeded Lord Grantley ; and although we believe his 
 first season of sport did not average his expectations, 
 yet during those which have followed, though his 
 outlay may be large, the total of his game-book has 
 been most ample. 
 
 Loch Rannoch is bordered on the north by a long 
 lone eminence of gentle slope, regular and unbroken 
 outline ; whereas the hills to the south are higher 
 and more abrupt, and stand distinctly apart the one 
 from the other. Of all these beautiful scenes, nature 
 tendered us a superb and truly interesting picture ; 
 but time did not admit our dwelling on such pleasing 
 objects, though long could we have lingered on such 
 a spot. 
 
 The chirping grouse and silvery ptarmigan awaited 
 our coming near at hand most courteously, just 
 granting us sufficient time to admire mountain, val- 
 ley, and lake, as we walked on, and they were seve- 
 rally pointed out to us and named by the keepers 
 (their denominations, however, are utterly beyond 
 the power of a sportsman's pen to write) ; the still- 
 
82 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 ness of the scene being alone disturbed as the echo- 
 ing shot, reverberating from hill to hill, told a tale of 
 death to the feathered tribe. Among these \ve were 
 fortunate enough to number several golden plovers 
 without exception, in our humble opinion, the most 
 delicious morsel that ever was placed before a deli- 
 cate appetite, and no bad finish for a hungry sports- 
 man who has duly attended to the substantiate after 
 a long day's walk. Readers, should you not hitherto 
 have tasted this little well-flavoured bird always an 
 acquisition to a game-bag do us, the favour, and 
 yourself the enjoyment, to follow Mrs. Kitchener's 
 advice, viz., to kill one the first opportunity; and 
 having killed it, should your establishment not be 
 blessed with a cook of course we do not mean one 
 of those fat females in petticoats who most unjustly 
 defame the cognomen, but a cook why, write a civil 
 note to " Soyer," and ask for his brief attention to 
 the succulent little animal ; then eat it, and wash the 
 delicious nutriment down with a glass or two of La- 
 fitte, if you have any if not, Chateau Margeaux 
 will answer the purpose ; and then send us a dozen 
 or two, if you like, for the hint, as we shall then be 
 ill repaid for the pleasure you will have derived. 
 But we must walk on, for the day advances which 
 was our last on the hills of Meggernie. 
 
 As we reached the summit of another portion of 
 the Schiehallion range, where the ground was covered 
 with large stones and rocks intermixed with the 
 heather, surmounted by a cairn, the shepherds' 
 handiwork, we were gratified by the sight of nume- 
 rous mountain hares scudding up the declivities. A 
 few of these we were fortunate enough to tumble 
 over, (they make good soup, but eat better as a roast, 
 recollect), and, among others, we witnessed a very 
 strong, large fellow make direct for the cairn. Higher 
 
AtfD PASTIMES. 83 
 
 he could not go, and descend towards the valley on 
 the opposite side he certainly did not : we therefore 
 reasonably surmised that he must have taken refuge 
 among the loose stones ; and such proving to be the 
 case, the grey old gentleman was quietly removed 
 from his retreat by the hind legs, and snugly depo- 
 sited in a covered basket, with all the energies of life 
 unharmed ; and this with the intention that he 
 should afford us a little amusement in the lowlands, 
 as we shall hereafter explain. A flight of blackcocks 
 also passed directly over our heads, as we were 
 descending, towards evening, through the heathered 
 valley leading towards the Castle. We had at the 
 very moment fired at a grouse, and were conse- 
 quently in the act of reloading the discharged bar- 
 rel, when these black gentlemen fluttered, or, more 
 properly speaking, sailed through the heavens im- 
 mediately aloft. We had scarcely sufficient time to 
 raise the gun to the shoulder, take a hasty aim, and 
 fire ; in fact, the shot was one almost at hazard, 
 point blank to the skies, at least sixty-five to seventy 
 yards distant. To our astonishment and gratifica- 
 tion, nevertheless, down came, with a startling 
 thump, the most beautiful in plumage and largest 
 blackcock we have ever beheld, before or since. So 
 large, so fat and heavy was he, that, stewed with 
 onions no bad dish, by the bye he might have 
 graced the bottom of the Lord Mayor's table at a 
 civic feast, and been taken for a boiled turkey with 
 celery; or, a la broche, would not have failed the 
 palate of an alderman. We decided otherwise, 
 however ; and, instead of stuffing ourselves with 
 him, we graciously permitted him to be stuffed; 
 and he now figures in a glass-case, mourning for 
 himself, doubtless, in his glossy black coat, and 
 looking so lively, that, were his glass cage but 
 
84 SCOTTISH SPOETS 
 
 broken, he would surely take wing once more, and 
 fly to meet his mate amid the dark recesses of Ben 
 Lawers. 
 
 When the day had nearly closed, we found our- 
 selves again on the grassy park immediately fronting 
 the Castle; and as the fast receding light of an au- 
 tumnal evening left us but little time for considera- 
 tion, we determined at once to settle our affairs with 
 the gentleman in the basket, whom we had removed 
 from his stony hiding-place. Among the canine 
 race then enjoying a sejour in the Meggernie ken- 
 nels, were two well-bred greyhound pups. These 
 had hitherto scarcely ever seen a hare; certainly 
 they had never tasted the excitement of an actual 
 chase. We determined therefore on forthwith 
 granting them this pleasing amusement, with the 
 true spirit of " doing to others, &c.," and we cer- 
 tainly had had our quantum of sport : ergo, the as- 
 pirants for future fame at Altcar were produced and 
 secured in slips, and a graceful pair of puppies in- 
 deed were they ! On the cover of the basket being 
 lifted, away went puss, without hesitation, doubtless 
 nothing loth like what shall we say? like the 
 diable ? no ! but like an uncommonly strong and 
 speedy hare, who had been well frightened, but not 
 injured or disheartened, by a few hours' imprison- 
 ment. The slips were loosed : Nature taught the 
 rest, and away flew the puppies, proving well their 
 good breeding by stamina and fleetness. Twice had 
 the snow-white hare been turned, when again she 
 stretched before her eager pursuers, immediately in 
 front of the Castle where we stood, as if determined 
 to swim for life across the river, rather than die by 
 such young foes when lo ! a new enemy appeared 
 on the field of action, who soon decided the question. 
 The scene was truly one of amusement : we had at 
 
AND PASTIMES. 85 
 
 the moment entirely forgotten that, previous to 
 leaving the Castle in the morning, a favourite and 
 first-rate greyhound bitch, then heavy with pup, had 
 been left in one of the rooms fronting the park, 
 where the chase was then proceeding. The window 
 of this room had unfortunately been left open, inas- 
 much as, being from eighteen to twenty feet from the 
 ground, it was never imagined that an animal in her 
 state would endeavour to escape therefrom : never- 
 theless, we were deceived ; she managed, on hearing 
 the halloos which sounded through the glen as en- 
 couragement to the young dogs, to raise herself on 
 her hind legs and look out. The scene which pre- 
 sented itself was doubtless most satisfactory to her 
 mind, for not a moment did she hesitate. Out from 
 the window she sprang, heavy as she was, and 
 alighted without injury on her feet : a few strides 
 she made across the park, straight for the hare, 
 which was running at right angles to her. They 
 met, and in an instant it was flung high in the air. 
 Breathless with astonishment, the pups stopped their 
 rapid career, and gazed on the lifeless body of their 
 prey; whereas the old lady, none the worse for her 
 prowess, walked quietly back towards the Castle, as 
 much as to say " That's the way to do the trick, 
 young 'uns ! go, get your suppers, and recollect the 
 lesson." This self- same bitch has figured in the 
 Coursing Calendar, as the winner of many a stake ; 
 and the pups she produced on this occasion, only 
 one week after this window-flight, all proved very 
 superior dogs ; indeed, they may fairly be said to 
 have been in training in their mother's womb. 
 
 The amount of game killed on this day's excursion 
 we do not name here with any intention whatever of 
 calling attention to its amount ; the rough account 
 of our walk must speak for itself, and will quite suf- 
 
 i 
 
86 SCOfTtStf SPOUTS 
 
 ficiently explain that with shooting we combined the 
 pleasure indeed, the endless delight, to be found in 
 Nature's picture-gallery, so variedly and so beauti- 
 fully set before us : besides which, had we not a 
 variety of chases the last not the least exciting 
 to say nothing of the storming of blackcocks, by 
 which we commenced the various amusements of the 
 day. 
 
 Three brace of these beautiful and glossy black- 
 cocks, nine hares, three-and-a-half brace of grouse, 
 three golden plovers, two brace-and-a-half of ptar- 
 migan, making a total of twenty-nine head of game, 
 was therefore all we could muster ; quite sufficient, 
 believe me, to afford an admirable day's amusement, 
 even though we numbered four guns in the field. 
 Let it be understood, however, that the grouse 
 grounds of Meggernie produce quite sufficient game 
 to secure the utmost amount of killed, compatible, 
 in our humble opinion, with the spirit of a true 
 sportsman, who shoots, not slaughters ; indeed, at 
 the moment we write this, we have before us two 
 letters, dated, the one, Meggernie Castle, August 
 25th, 1846 ; the other, September 15th, which con- 
 tains the following information : 
 
 " We have not done much in the shooting yet, as my party 
 are hardly assembled ; Mr. H. has, however, been out a few 
 times, and at his age (73) done wonders. He killed on four 
 different days 26 , 27, 30, and 21 brace. There will be no 
 performance like this in Scotland this year. We have plenty 
 of game millions of hares. 
 
 Truly may this be called good sport ; and we will 
 answer for it, not a chirper or a bad tried bird was 
 found among the number. But this gentleman is a 
 true sportsman by heart and deed, and has been so 
 from seventeen to seventy-three. May he shoot on 
 for years to come ! The other letter states : 
 
AND PASTIMES. 87 
 
 " The sport has been excellent. We have had great days 
 with the hares. Above the wood, on Saturday, we killed 145 
 hares, 12 brace of grouse, 4 brace of ptarmigan, 1 roe, 1 gol- 
 den plover. We have killed a thousand brace of grouse since 
 the 12th of August, though there are but few young birds." 
 
 Turning to another document, a paragraph taken 
 from a newspaper, we read that in the month of Au- 
 gust the owner of some extensive moors in Perthshire 
 killed and bagged on those moors the astonishing 
 amount of one hundred and twenty brace of grouse 
 in one day. 
 
 We have no patience to proceed further in such 
 details ; for without we heard the fact asserted by 
 him who did the foul deed, which courtesy would 
 compel us to believe, we own we imagine it to be 
 impossible for any single gun to commit so great a 
 slaughter, unless large packs of grouse rose every ten 
 yards immediately under the nose of the shooter, so 
 that each volley could settle a dozen birds at least. 
 On naming this fact to a friend, who, like ourselves, 
 would rather at this moment be walking over the 
 grouse hills, or riding at the rear of the stag-hounds 
 over Dartmoor, than be the last in London, he at 
 first endeavoured to excuse the murder by saying 
 that this feat, as he had been told, was undertaken for 
 the purpose of proving the abundance of game to be 
 found on this property, the proprietor being anxious 
 to sell it. If such be really the case, we can only 
 say that, had we been desirous of becoming a pur- 
 chaser, we should prefer to buy it with game on the 
 grouse hills rather than without, which an act such 
 as we have related must tend to annihilate for ever. 
 According to the old maxim, however, every man 
 has a right to do what he will with his own ; and, 
 having said thus much, we take our leave of the 
 destroyer of one hundred and twenty brace of grouse, 
 
 I 2 
 
88 SCOTTISH SPOBTS 
 
 with the hope that he had the courtesy to send some 
 of them to his friends in the south. 
 
 Daylight had now closed, and the bright moon 
 shone in majesty over mountain, lake, and glen ; 
 millions of stars glittered in the mighty heavens ; the 
 early frost of autumn already whitened the grassy 
 park, and the keen atmosphere without told with 
 double force on the comforts prepared for us within, 
 as, with one more look on the sparkling waters of 
 the Lyon, and the shadows of the dark woods on its 
 margin reflected by the moonbeams, and the tower- 
 ing hills beyond, we closed the shutters, and turned 
 to the blazing wood and peat fire, and then joined 
 our friends at the well-supplied board. Stewed hare 
 at top ; roast grouse at the bottom ; then the hotch- 
 potch and the haggis the latter a dish, the eating 
 of which ought to have been forbidden by an article 
 in the Union. Yet was this repast one most grateful 
 to the palates of tired and hungry sportsmen, and as 
 the toddy glass went round for those who preferred 
 it, and the mulled wine for those who did not, and 
 the skirmishes on the hill tops were fought over 
 again and again, who so merry as we ? Years have 
 now passed, many, many more may pass, yet long 
 shall we remember this brief visit to the Glen of 
 Lyon, as one bright spot in the journey of a life on 
 which the clouds have not seldom lowered with un- 
 usual darkness. On the morrow we were to quit a 
 scene, perhaps for ever, which had been to us one of 
 unusual happiness. Well, be it so ! yet long may 
 the inhabitants of the wild glen live in peace and 
 plenty ! We sought them for our gratification, we 
 left with much regret. It was our intention to start 
 early, and walk direct through the glen, passing 
 Loch Lyon and Ach, and making our first halt at 
 Inverouran, a small lone house, twenty-five miles 
 
AND PASTIMES. 89 
 
 from the Castle westward. But as we hope for your 
 company in our walk, so we shall defer our descrip- 
 tion of it till a night's rest has refreshed our mental 
 as well as physical powers ; so 
 
 " Good night ! good night ; 
 
 May visions bright, 
 Sweet slumber o'er you hover, 
 
 Nor Fancy bring 
 
 Upon her wing 
 One thought to cloud to-morrow." 
 
 When most fatigued, however, sleep will not 
 always readily obey the tired and fevered traveller, 
 or the over-fatigued sportsman ; particularly when 
 his brain is overwhelmed with thoughts which rush 
 through the imagination, now bright and beautiful, 
 then dark and gloomy ; like the stars of heaven, now 
 shining forth in brightness, then lost to view by the 
 passing cloud. This waking of the brain, though 
 the body reclines in rest, may also be much increased 
 by any little excitement previous to the hour of rest, 
 and we must admit that we had a fair share of the 
 grateful juice, which, doubtless, could the fruit which 
 produced it have reasoned, as it ripened for the wine- 
 press on the sunny hills of Portugal and France, 
 would never have submitted to be bottled up for the 
 gratification of grouse-shooters in the Western High- 
 lands. Nevertheless it was there, and we drank it ; 
 possibly a glass, just one glass, too much of it, and 
 the consequence was, that instead of joining in the 
 chorus of snores which sounded from time to time 
 from neighbouring rooms, we lay thinking and ru- 
 minating, and building castles, and bringing down 
 grouse, and, among other things, we painted the 
 following picture perhaps not with the skill of an 
 artist, but nevertheless truthfully as far as our 
 recollection will permit. 
 
 I 3 
 
90 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE hour was about six, the weather beautiful, 
 the season late in July. We were strolling quietly 
 homewards across Grosvenor Square, admiring with 
 much satisfaction the unusual greenness of its centre 
 garden, the clear blue sky above us, and the many 
 gay and well-dressed children who were enjoying 
 their gambols within the iron rails ; ruminating also, 
 and with justice, on the many joys and comforts 
 granted us to mitigate the bitter cares, amid life's 
 dark and fleeting dream of wretchedness, as we 
 watched the numerous splendid horses, handsome 
 carriages, and fair and well-adorned occupants, as 
 they rolled rapidly by, when our attention was more 
 particularly called to an unusually well-appointed 
 equipage, which had stopped at one of the houses in 
 the square. The horses were noble animals, the 
 servants remarkably well but plainly dressed ; in- 
 deed, the carriage, the harness, and everything, was 
 peculiarly striking, from its total absence of all un- 
 necessary ornament, and yet complete elegance and 
 distinction in general appearance ; yet if the car- 
 riage, servants, and beautiful horses had caused us to 
 turn our attention to them, how far more were we 
 attracted by the appearance of the fair and elegant 
 woman who so gracefully reclined within it, face to 
 face with two as beauteous children as mother's eye 
 
AND PASTIMES. 91 
 
 ever looked upon with fondness, or we ever had the 
 pleasure of beholding. In fact, the whole picture, 
 drawn as it is from nature, the high-bred mother, 
 the lovely children, the horses, the whole combined, 
 was a most perfect specimen of the wife, the mother, 
 and the parent of England's most noble race. As 
 yet no pride nor care sat on her fair, young brow, but 
 the bright and beaming smile which lightened up 
 her sweet face as she gazed on the loved ones near 
 her, and the clear blue eye and winning grace of that 
 gentle countenance, once seen could never be for- 
 gotten ; indeed, the sweet and childish expression of 
 the girl who faced us as we passed slowly on, can 
 never be obliterated from our memory. 
 
 This is a true but simple sketch of an English 
 mother in the higher ranks of society ; and if we 
 may judge from the many beautiful children which 
 are now daily to be seen driving about during the 
 London season, we would fain hope that fashion no 
 longer forbids to those amenable to its laws the 
 pleasure of proving to the world they love the com- 
 panionship of their offspring. There may be, as 
 doubtless there are, many pictures similar to that we 
 have endeavoured to describe, daily to be seen during 
 the season ; and doubtless the same fond mothers, 
 met in the parks by day, at night may be found 
 partaking of scenes* of gaiety and revelry, wjien 
 these loved objects of their tender care are hushed 
 in their infantine slumbers. Yet, be assured, there 
 is many and many a bright face, many a noble heart, 
 many a young and affectionate wife, who participates 
 in the frivolities of fashion, from the nature of her 
 position, far more than from the nature of her incli- 
 nations, and who can most fully appreciate the 
 beauties and the delights of the country beyond the 
 precincts of Kensington Gardens and the parks. 
 
92 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 Ay ! hundreds are there, who look forward with 
 delight to the period which emancipates them from 
 the supposed pleasures of a London season, to the 
 real ones to be found on the flowery-heathered 
 mountains of Scotland, the wooded parks of England, 
 and the green hills of Ireland. But mark the sequel 
 of this rough sketch : rough, we say, for all was 
 rough in memory, compared to the outline of those 
 cherub faces we had looked on but for a moment for 
 the first time, and, as we then believed, the last. 
 And yet it was so willed that we should meet again 
 but where ? in Grosvenor Square ? No, surely not ? 
 Another London season had passed, and was for- 
 gotten ; another bright summer had waned, and 
 winter's rigours were over. The rich harvest of a 
 second had been well nigh culled, when either duty 
 or pleasure, but most probably the latter, found us 
 in the extreme north- west of Scotland. 
 
 The hour was about the same, the season some- 
 what later, but the sun shone as brightly, and the 
 scene was far, far more beautiful than Grosvenor 
 Square, as, in company with a friend who like our- 
 selves, loves to combine his sporting visits to different 
 parts of the kingdom, with a glimpse of Nature's 
 beauties wherever to be found, we were quietly 
 walking our horses along the margin of a beautiful 
 lake, the sides of which were overhung with luxu- 
 riant birch trees and mountain ash. All was so still, 
 so bright, so beautiful, that as we looked on the 
 rugged mountains, the green woods, and the clear 
 waters near which we lingered, the busy world and 
 the thronged city and the multitude might well be 
 forgotten. The daily strife of man with man, the 
 bitter sorrows of family contention, the agony of 
 poverty, the sovereignty of wealth, the daily toil for 
 bread, the follies of worldly pleasures, the darkness 
 
PASTIMES. 95 
 
 of crime, and the wearying, feverish hours of the sick- 
 bed, were lost to thought in the contemplation of 
 Nature's loveliness, by which on all sides we were 
 surrounded. Thus we rode on, in much enjoyment 
 of the scene, when, as we turned a sharp corner of 
 the road, a totally different prospect presented itself: 
 the path, which had hitherto been secluded by trees 
 which covered the mountain slopes, now opened on 
 a wide and extensive range of heathered hills, rising 
 one above another in the far distance. We drew the 
 rein, in admiration of the splendid prospect, when, 
 about one hundred yards from the spot where we 
 halted, we beheld a party of equestrians riding 
 slowly down the mountain side towards the road. 
 On their nearer approach, we discovered that the 
 leader of the party was a lady ; gracefully she sat, 
 and carefully she guided a handsome and powerful 
 Highland Galloway; by her side, on a rough Shet- 
 land pony, a very picture of its race, rode a beautiful 
 boy, some eight or ten years of age. The rear of 
 the party was brought up by a steady and well-ap- 
 pointed groom, who held by a rein attached to its bit 
 another but smaller Shelty, on which, gaily laughing, 
 sat a lovely girl, probably a year younger than the 
 boy, who doubtless was her brother. In such a spot, 
 so secluded, and yet so interesting, the appearance 
 of this riding party so unusual a sight was 
 naturally a cause of much surprise. How much 
 greater, however, was our astonishment when, on 
 their reaching the road, we beheld the same beau- 
 tiful woman, and the same lovely children, whose 
 presence two years previous had delighted us in 
 Grosvenor Square ! The fair lady had no London 
 appointments; no park habit; no thorough-bred 
 steed; no flowing feather or cashmere shawl; a 
 plain straw bonnet covered her small and well- 
 
96 SCOTTISH SPOETS 
 
 formed head; a skirt of tartan served as a riding- 
 dress ; but the same kindly smile, the same bright 
 look graced her fair face, which, pale and beautiful 
 in Grosvenor Square, was now tinged with the hue 
 of health, gained doubtless from the fresh air of the 
 mountains, among which, with her children, she was 
 now enjoying herself. And the boy, with his Glen- 
 garry bonnet proudly placed on a head from which 
 his long golden hair floated in the breeze how well 
 he sat his pony ! How joyous was his look, as by 
 his mother's side he rode true specimen of the 
 noble house of which in future years he may become 
 the head! And the sweet girl how she laughed 
 and rode along, appealing to the faithful servant, as 
 much as to say, "Let me ride free: I fear not!" 
 Then, turning towards a noble deer-hound, well nigh 
 as large as her pony, who trotted by her side as if 
 proud of his darling charge, she caressed him with 
 her sweet young voice, as he, with large and brilliant 
 eyes, looked up and answered her caresses. We 
 could have pressed her to our heart. But this was 
 not all the picture. On the summit of a small hill, 
 from which they had descended, were scattered here 
 and there a party of sportsmen. Their dogs were 
 in the act of seeking game ; and the constant sharp 
 echoes of the guns' report, as it rattled through the 
 mountains, told of an addition to the game-book, 
 and added to the childish delight of those who felt 
 they were partakers in the pleasures and the sports 
 the mother, of her husband ; the children, of their 
 father. Landseer ! why were you not there, to put 
 on canvass, in all the beauty of your colouring, that 
 which our pen has but vainly endeavoured to con- 
 vey ? But the scene shifted, and we turned to sleep, 
 with the hope that a bright sunshine would welcome 
 our rising. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 97 
 
 " What various scenes, and, oh ! what scenes of -woe 
 Are witnessed by that red and struggling beam ! 
 Through crowded hospital behold it stream : 
 The ruined maiden trembles at its gleam ; 
 The debtor wakes to thought of gyve and jail ; 
 The love-lorn wretch starts from tormenting dream ; 
 The wakeful mother, by the glimmering pale, 
 Turns her sick infant's couch, and soothes her feeble wail." 
 
 But hark ! what knock is that which breaks upon 
 our slumbers? bang, bang against the door! "Come 
 in, come in;" and we started up in bed, endeavouring 
 to re-collect our thoughts. Oh, we understand ; it is 
 the last morning : we must bid adieu to Meggernie, 
 its heathered hills and grassy vales, mountains, and 
 bright trout streams. 
 
 " Well, F , what's the hour, and how looks the 
 
 weather ?" 
 
 " Time to rise, sir ; your walk up the glen will be 
 a long and weary one. The rain has fallen heavily 
 since midnight, and the morning is rough and wet, 
 with slight hopes of a clearing. The mountain 
 rivulets will be swollen across the road before mid- 
 day ; it will therefore be well that you start early." 
 
 True, the appearance from our window was any- 
 thing but a pleasing one, and we may fairly add 
 
 " And mirk and mirkier grows the hill, 
 
 And fiercer sweeps the blast ; 
 The heavens declare His wondrous power 
 Who made the mountain fast." 
 
 Nevertheless, we had determined to go, and go we 
 must. We had seen a little campaigning on the 
 north of the Pyrenees, and were not to be deterred 
 by the dangers which were threatened from boisterous 
 weather to the west of Ben Lawers. Our baggage 
 being in light marching order, was soon prepared, 
 and strapped across the back of a strong, active, 
 Highland pony. The keeper, and many of the 
 
 K 
 
08 SCOTTISH: 
 
 gillies who had shared in our sports and pleasures, 
 came to bid us adieu ; and, with a hearty wish for 
 their health and happiness, we took one last long 
 look at the Castle and all familiar scenes around it. 
 The word was given to march, and away we went. 
 
 The trusty F who, during our visit, had been 
 
 keeper, valet, waiter, bed-maker, and cook's assistant, 
 for all we knew- as he appeared active and willing 
 enough for anything, as the following trifling anec- 
 dote will prove had determined to accompany us 
 some miles up the glen, in order to point out the 
 right track ; for of a road, after we had proceeded 
 some little distance, there was very trifling appearance. 
 
 " Well, F ," said we, as side by side we walked 
 
 along, grumbling, as human nature will grumble, 
 even when one's best hopes have been realized, " it 
 is unlucky w r e could not remain a few days longer in 
 the glen ; nevertheless w r e have had much enjoyment, 
 and, thanks to you, we have been well fed and most 
 comfortably lodged ; indeed, after your day's work 
 on the hills, and your night's work in the Castle, you 
 must have had enough of us." 
 
 Scotch we never learnt, though we managed to 
 pick up a few words of Gaelic ; the majority of our 
 readers are, doubtless, equally ignorant of the neigh- 
 bouring language. We must try, therefore, though 
 it will lose much in the translation, to give his reply 
 in plain English. 
 
 "No, indeed, sir; I should be glad if you could 
 have remained : you have not walked over half the 
 sporting ground, and you appear to enjoy everything 
 scenery as well as sporting. I am not readily 
 fatigued ; indeed, I have scarcely been in bed this 
 night." 
 
 " Why so, what's been the matter? No one ill, 
 we trust ?" 
 
AND PASTIMES. 99 
 
 " Oh, nothing sir ; nothing unusual or extraordi- 
 nary; only my missis was taken unexpectedly in 
 labour. Doctors are not so plentiful in these High- 
 land glens as in the low country ; so I mounted the 
 pony and rode fourteen miles to Fortingale, and 
 brought bach the leech just in time : eight-and- twenty 
 miles at midnight through the valley is no pleasant 
 excursion. All's well, however, thank God ; and I 
 am the happy parent of No. 5." 
 
 The night previous to this pleasing event, we had 
 seen Mrs. F. concocting a hare stew ; so these 
 matters are easily arranged beyond the Border ; and we 
 conscientiously recommend those having cara sposas 
 in a state which ladies desire to be " who love their 
 lords," to take them on a Highland tour just in proper 
 time. The process we mean that of introducing a 
 young Highlander to the light of day is rapid, 
 cheap, and cleverly effected. 
 
 But to proceed ; we had determined not to deviate 
 from the beaten track, for a heathered couch among 
 the mountains of Glen Lyon is by no means an 
 agreeable resting-place during the night at the latter 
 end of October. Should any grouse, blackcock, or 
 hares, be sufficiently obliging to present themselves, 
 no objection whatever existed to slaying them ; but 
 to follow game over the heathered mountain-sides 
 was forbidden. We had two couple of dogs that 
 is, two rough deer-hounds and two greyhounds ; 
 these ran free, with due authority to chase, catch, 
 and kill any hares, roe-deer, or other intruders which 
 might perchance cross our path ; but no roving was 
 permitted, all was left to chance. The mountain 
 rivulets rushed foaming across the road ; the hills 
 looked dark and dreary ; even the smoke of our 
 cigars was beaten down by the atmosphere ; and we 
 had scarcely walked a mile, ere we were sufficiently 
 
 K2 
 
100 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 informed that a Scotch mist in London, which in- 
 duces a man to spend a shilling for a cab to save his 
 new hat, among these craggy mountains of Glen 
 Lyon proves that your shooting-jacket, flannel waist- 
 coat, and shirt are by no means waterproof never- 
 theless, le jeu vqut bien la chandelle, be it even a 
 wax one burnt on the altar of patience and temper ; 
 and a wet jacket on such an occasion is unques- 
 tionably a trifle lighter than the air over head. 
 " But what's that on the brow of yonder hillock ? a 
 crow, or a raven?" 
 
 " I'll bet you a shilling it is a blackcock." (Eng- 
 lishmen always bet, however trifling the subject.) 
 
 " Done !" 
 
 " Then here goes !" 
 
 Whatever the bird, it was perched on a rock at 
 more than sixty yards' distance. No gun ever 
 misses in the Highlands, whatever it may do in a 
 turnip -field. Bang ! the report echoed through the 
 mountains : up towered the black bird straight in 
 mid air, and down it fell plump among the heather. 
 
 F smiled, and we laughed outright; and our 
 
 companion ran and picked up a fine blackcock, dead : 
 we pocketed the shilling and the bird; the bad 
 weather, for the moment, was forgotten, and on we 
 walked, arriving shortly after at the small lake of 
 Girnie, which is well stocked with trout, though of 
 no great size ; nevertheless the catching of these 
 affords much sport both to ladies and gentlemen, and 
 the eating of them a consequence which naturally 
 follows is by no means a disagreeable pastime. 
 This small but interesting lake is surrounded on all 
 sides by lofty heather-covered mountains, to which, 
 on a calm summer or autumnal evening, it may lite- 
 rally be said to be the mirror, as their shadowy out- 
 lines are therein most distinctly reflected. 
 

 K 3 
 
AND PASTIMES. 103 
 
 On such an evening we have found ourselves, rod 
 in hand, almost imperceptibly pulled over its unrip - 
 pled waters by the sinewy arms of a Highlander, who 
 quietly rowed the boat ; while we, with sundry small 
 flies attached to our line, now hauled some three or 
 four fish at a time into our boat, who were sufficiently 
 unwise or greedy to snap at the many- coloured bait, 
 which streamed along the surface of the glassy lake 
 as we glided on, reclining in our gondola; now lost 
 in admiration of the wild but quiet scene by which 
 we were encircled ; now barbarously removing the 
 little trout from their native element for our amuse- 
 ment, but, doubtless, to their dismay ; now rumina- 
 ting on the many cares of life, and thinking, at the 
 same time, our position, for the time being, was 
 vastly agreeable. So you may take note, gentlemen 
 sportsmen, that even should you be afflicted with the 
 gout, and cannot always walk over the heathered 
 hills in search of the game, you may even pass an 
 hour or two reposing in a boat, and do a little business 
 in the fishing line in memory of Izaak Walton. 
 
 We had scarcely proceeded half a mile further up 
 the glen, when an unusually rocky, and almost per- 
 pendicular side of a steep mountain was pointed out 
 to our notice. High in this craggy mount there was 
 a deep fissure, or hollow, called the " Eagle's nest,' ? 
 from which projected a curiously- shaped projecting 
 ledge, whereon the mind could readily imagine one 
 of these noble birds " sitting in the pride of place," 
 as surety of his mate and young within. 
 
 " It was from that place," said F , " that the 
 
 eagles were taken which were sent you last year." 
 
 "Is it possible," we replied, " that any human 
 being could venture to obtain a footing there, and 
 return with life ?" 
 
 " Oh, yes," he said, "it is a constant practice for 
 
104 SCOTTISH SPOKTS 
 
 the boys of this glen to lower themselves with ropes, 
 and thus they secure the eggs, as also frequently the 
 young birds; and I haye never known an accident 
 occur." 
 
 But with reference to these eagles, two young 
 birds were kindly sent to us when staying in the 
 neighbourhood of Perth. These birds were duly 
 deposited in a hamper, with ample provision for their 
 journey ; a letter having been previously forwarded 
 to announce their arrival. At length the expected 
 hamper made its appearance ; but, on opening it, we 
 only discovered one a fine, living bird of the genus 
 Falco chryscetos, or Golden Eagle, who had trampled 
 on the breathless body of his companion : a trifling 
 scrimmage must therefore, doubtless, have taken 
 place during their transit ; and, as is ever the case, 
 the weak succumbed to the strong. Our living friend, 
 however, was so splendid a specimen of his race, that 
 we forthwith took the precaution to secure his com- 
 forts as well as his presence in our garden, and, by 
 general consent, christened him " Meggernie," His 
 growth, however, was so rapid, his strength so 
 wonderful, and his appetite really so untiring, that 
 neither his education nor consumption were unim- 
 portant matters. Nevertheless, for his bodily com- 
 fort, we had a sort of wooden house built ; and, for 
 his better security, a very light chain was attached 
 to his leg ; which the sequel will shew was by no 
 means an unnecessary precaution. His food of 
 which the daily consumption was enormous con- 
 sisted of raw meat, poultry, when he could get it, 
 rabbits, and every species of bird, dead or alive, from 
 a raven to a pigeon, which might be tendered to 
 appease his appetite. Offer him a living bird, he 
 clutched it with his talons, and forthwith it ceased 
 to live ; present him with a dead one, and his beak 
 
AND PASTIMES. 105 
 
 instantly tore it asunder. Now, we chanced at that 
 time to have a Highland terrier named Quiz, a very 
 gem of his race the very writing of whose name is 
 really a matter of pain to us, for, as a puppy, he had 
 been kindly presented to us by a friend ; and though 
 we have seen hundreds of these little cheerful 
 animals, he was, without exception, the most attached 
 and faithful companion man could desire to possess, 
 and we have never known a dog whose death caused 
 us such real regret as he, who, during his life, gave 
 us such a constant fund of entertainment, whether in 
 the house or not. 
 
 Now the jealousy of this little animal, in regard to 
 the intruding eagle, was something marvellous ; in- 
 deed, so hateful was the presence of the bird, we 
 firmly believe he would have sacrificed his own life, 
 could he have made the eagle succumb in the same 
 struggle for existence. But his enemy was too wary, 
 and indeed far too powerful, for us to permit their 
 coming to close quarters; for doubtless he would 
 have seized the little terrier at once with his talons, 
 and having pecked out his eyes, destroyed him in no 
 time. When bones or meat were thrown to the 
 eagle, the little fellow, with ears erect, would watch 
 the opportunity of his back being turned, and then 
 make a dart at the provision : this was an every- day 
 practice, and caused us endless fun and merriment. 
 In proof, however, of the powers of this bird, we will 
 merely add, that on one occasion he broke his chain 
 short off at the end attached to his domicile, and with 
 this, notwithstanding the whole length of its weight, 
 flew up to the top of a high fir-tree, from which, 
 with great precaution and difficulty, we succeeded 
 in again securing him. At length, however, his 
 quarrels with Quiz, his everlasting and unsatisfying 
 appetite, with its consequent outlay for provisions, 
 
106 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 and his eternal screaming near the house, together 
 with the knowledge that he would not be unaccepta- 
 ble to a kind friend in England, induced us to part 
 with him. And he was once more deposited in a 
 large hamper, and by steam conveyed from Glasgow 
 to Liverpool. And if he hath not departed this life 
 since the winter of 1844, he still lives as one of the 
 not least noble specimens in the splendid collection 
 of the Earl of Derby, at Knowsley. 
 
 But here we bade adieu to out* trusty guide. Had 
 he been a Frenchman, doubtless we should have em- 
 braced him, and said, au plaisir or au revoir, or some 
 similar humbug ; as it was, we parted from him with 
 the feeling that he was an honest man, and a good 
 sportsman : would that we could quit all men with a 
 similar feeling of good-will, amid the varied scenes 
 of this passing dream of life ! him we have never 
 since beheld. 
 
 " You must continue straight up the glen," said 
 he, " passing by Loch Damh* at the extremity, 
 about ten miles forward; the mountain-bases will 
 there almost close in the valley ; you will then come 
 to the high road which runs from Tyndrurn to King's 
 House ; and a short walk further to your right you 
 will find the inn at Inverouran, a lone house which 
 stands on the banks of Loch Tallie, or Tulla, at the 
 southern extremity of the Black Mountain; there 
 you will find accommodation for the night ; and for 
 the morrow, your way is clear. " 
 
 With these instructions he bade us farewell. 
 
 It will be uninteresting to our readers to fatigue 
 them with any lengthened details of this day's excur- 
 sion, as we did ourselves with the walk, notwith- 
 
 * Dartih is Gaelic for stag, and certainly has a great 
 affinity to the French word daim, which signifies fallow-deer. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 107 
 
 standing its great interest to sportsmen, though 
 literally through a rough, wild valley, formed of the 
 extended bases of high, rocky, and heather-covered 
 mountains, by which it was hemmed in, as it were, 
 from the wide world. Beyond these limits, and 
 through the centre of which becoming at last a mere 
 mountain rivulet, runs the river Lyon. It would 
 also be uninteresting to others, though certainly not 
 so to ourselves, to describe how here we crossed a 
 rushing mountain-torrent knee deep, and there 
 floundered in a swamp, declaring each moment that 
 the Scotch miles were English leagues that we 
 must have lost our way, for there was no end to the 
 glen ; and as for high-road, it could only have 
 existed in the imagination of F., and not in reality. 
 Indeed, had we not managed to keep up animal ex- 
 citement during the morning excursion by tumbling 
 over a few grouse and a snipe in addition to the 
 blackcock, and fancied we saw a deer on the moun- 
 tain-top, which was probably only a heifer, we really 
 think we should have been food for the eagles ere 
 day-break, and our bones, bleached by time and ex- 
 posure, would have adorned the top of some shepherd 
 cairn, as a warning to sporting gentlemen from the 
 south never to attempt the passage of a Highland 
 glen without a guide. We allude, of course, to a 
 regular, positive, ready-made, absolute glen ; not one 
 of your glens through which runs a macadamized 
 road, with halting points of admiration made for 
 tourists, like vistas cut through the labyrinths of a 
 Dutch garden. As it was, wet, weary, foot-sore, 
 and half famished, we at length beheld with joy the 
 long-looked-for road, and with renewed courage, after 
 a brisk walk, arrived at Inverouran. 
 
 Imagination loves to revel in comforts, and anti- 
 cipation had led us to hope that the hovel we beheld, 
 
108 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 nick-named an "inn," might prove a harbour of 
 rest and refreshment. Of rest, however, we had 
 little ; and as for the refreshment, more of that anon. 
 The closing evening was wet, dark, and dreary, as 
 our little cavalcade halted before the door of this 
 house of entertainment which in good truth it was, 
 in every sense of the word, but that we desired at 
 the moment: entertained mentally, unquestionably 
 we were bodily, however, we had no entertainment 
 whatever ; nevertheless we managed to pass the time 
 merrily. 
 
 For one moment, however, do us the favour to 
 fancy a lusty citizen tourist fresh and blooming 
 from turtle and sirloins hungry, wet, fatigued, and 
 grumpy, driving up to the " Hotel de 1'Inverouran," 
 and on being ushered into a sitting-room eight feet 
 by ten, half filled with smoke from a smothered peat 
 fire, and redolent with the smell of whisky and bad 
 tobacco, and having therein seen his goods and 
 chattels deposited, in despair requests a shoeless 
 Highland lassie, who scarcely understood a word of 
 English, to show him his sleeping apartment, that he 
 might refresh himself previous to the evening's 
 repast ; imagine, we say, this damsel pointing to 
 two large cupboards, built in the wall, almost 
 exactly similar to those on board a Scotch smack in 
 days lang syne, and saying, with perfect coolness, 
 " you may e'en take your choice! " We say, imagine 
 such a scene occurring to such an individual, be- 
 cause the absurdity would be great. To us it did 
 actually occur ; and we laughed aloud, and took our 
 choice, and tried to sleep therein, and should have 
 slept soundly, had it not been for the numerous 
 visitors of the flea family who supped on us, as 
 almost supperless we retired to our berth. Having, 
 however, secured our sitting-room, we opened the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 109 
 
 shutters to let out the smoke for glass there was 
 none and made ourselves as comfortable as Eng- 
 lishmen generally do on all occasions. We next 
 solicited refreshment : tea, fried ham, and eggs, 
 bannocks or oat cakes, and what we surmised to be 
 smoked mutton ham, were soon placed on the board ; 
 and board it literally was, for no white cloth con- 
 cealed the dirt of an unwashed deal table. Urged 
 by hunger, we attacked the dainties thus rudely 
 set before us ; and had they been eatable, a sports- 
 man's appetite would not easily have been checked, 
 and after a rough day's walk he might readily have 
 dispensed with the damask. The tea, however, was 
 out of the question no senna was ever half so 
 nauseous ; and as for the fried ham, we insult the 
 excellence of such a dish by giving its name to the 
 wedges of smoked bacon which floated in their own 
 grease. The eggs were tolerably fresh, and, being 
 protected by their shells from the dirty hands of the 
 lassie who placed them on the deal, were clean 
 within, if not without. But the mutton required 
 consideration. "What is it?" we exclaimed, as, 
 with some difficulty, we made an incision into the 
 hard and flat-looking joint ; but whether it was a 
 leg or shoulder, it was utterly impossible to decide. 
 "What is it!" exclaimed the damsel, who bare- 
 footed stood at hand, as if in admiration of the 
 bounty with which she had supplied us, "why, 
 braccy, to be sure ! " 
 
 " Braccy, my bonny lassie ! and what may braccy 
 be?" 
 
 But we must again request permission to give her 
 explanation in plain English. 
 
 " Why, braccy, sir, is just a sheep which dies of 
 the rot or, we should rather say, which would have 
 died without the aid of the butcher's knife, if master 
 
110 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 had not supplied his own just in the nick of time ;" 
 thus saving a coroner's inquest of eagles and ravens, 
 who doubtless would soon have appeared to set on 
 the body of the defunct. Having done this little 
 act of politeness by relieving the unhappy animal 
 from probably an hour's internal torture, he next 
 proceeds to skin and cut up the carcass ; this process 
 being over, two or three gillies set to work in the 
 nearest brook to pound the flesh with stones till all 
 the blood is extracted ; the meat and joints are then 
 salted, and hung up the chimney to dry and smoke, 
 till some hungry traveller or excursionary sports- 
 man, like ourselves, may chance to halt at the posada 
 and require a mutton ham- 
 But we really speak nothing but fact when we 
 assert the above occurrence, such as we have related 
 it, to be a constant practice in the Highlands ; and 
 so far from any disgust arising, as it did to us, at 
 the bare idea of feasting on meat so luxuriously 
 prepared by Highlanders, it is esteemed as one of 
 the greatest delicacies with which their larder can be 
 supplied for winter consumption. They do not eat 
 it, however, as served to us ; but a large slice is cut 
 from time to time from the joint, and then, with 
 onions, cabbages, and such herbs as may be at hand, 
 it is thrown into the "pot au feu " till a greasy 
 broth is prepared, which, to a resident on the 
 heathered mountains, is preferred to all the turtle 
 which Birch would supply, or Soyer set before the 
 most delicate palate. To them, without one feeling 
 of jealousy or regret, we leave the braccy so liberally 
 offered to us, and for which, of course, we had as 
 liberally to pay. One smoking tumbler of toddy, in 
 recollection of the last night's savory supper, and 
 with some difficulty, and not without some danger of 
 a broken head, we crawled into the berth we had 
 
AND PASTIMES. Ill 
 
 selected. Take notice, however, sporting travellers 
 in the land of the mountain and the flood, that on 
 this occasion we wore the breeches ; and why ? the 
 game is plentiful on the borders of the Black Mount : 
 and notwithstanding our precaution, ere the light of 
 morning had peeped through the ill- secured shutters, 
 we were up and ready to fly " over the hills and far 
 away," whether wet, fine, or gloomy, so fiercely had 
 we been feasted on during the night. 
 
 " And if my voice break forth, 'tis not that now 
 I shrink from what I suffered." 
 
 Let us forgive, however, if we cannot well forget 
 the miseries of that night. For, lo ! the glorious sun 
 once more beams in all its splendour on mountain, 
 wood, and vale ; the rain of yesterday is gone, and 
 all nature, as if laughing with joy, shines forth 
 bright and beautiful. Where is the heart that is 
 not touched with gladness by the fresh and exhila- 
 rating air of a clear and brilliant autumnal morning 
 in the Highlands ? where the sportsman, who does 
 not carry his gun with double vigour, when the sky 
 above is clear, the air light, and all nature smiling 
 around him ? 
 
 " The sluggards deem it but a foolish chase, 
 And marvel men should quit their easy chair, 
 The toilsome way, and long, long league to trace. 
 Oh ! there is sweetness in the mountain air, 
 And life, that bloated Ease can never hope to share." 
 
 L 2 
 
SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OUR object in selecting the route we did, in order 
 to visit Loch Ness and Invermoriston, was twofold : 
 the one, that we might pass the Black Mount, and 
 consequently through the celebrated Deer Forest, 
 the property of the Marquis of Breadalbane, and, 
 .we may add, the jewel of greatest value in the esti- 
 mation of a sportsman, his very extensive shooting 
 grounds; the other, that we might look on scenes 
 never to be forgotten while treachery is loathed, or 
 .murder of the foulest nature engraven on the annals 
 of Scottish history, with tears of remorse. 
 
 Alas ! no time can ever blot from the pages of 
 memory the fact, that swords which were drawn 
 under the semblance of friendship and protection, 
 were dishonoured and bedewed with the blood of 
 innocent victims while generously tending the rites 
 of hospitality, and disgraced for ever by the massacre 
 of Glencoe. To history, however, we must refer our 
 readers for details of this sad deed, as well as for 
 others which mark the high road from Inverouran to 
 King's House, and thence to Fort William the 
 mountain tracks being more in keeping with the 
 pursuits and pleasures on which we were bound. As, 
 however, the lord of the soil, who has a commodious 
 shooting-lodge hard by Loch Tulla, in which he 
 doubtless spends many agreeable weeks, when follow- 
 ing the splendid spoil of deer-stalking in which we 
 

AND PASTIMES. 113 
 
 should not have the slightest objection to accompany 
 him, should he ever require an agreeable companion 
 is not over pleased that the foot of an idler or a 
 poacher, if he can help it, should cross these wild 
 hills and disturb the deer, we determined, at least, 
 as far as King's House, to act in obedience to his 
 wishes, and consequently decided that both men 
 and dogs should be conveyed on wheels. On asking 
 for a vehicle, however, to put this our determination 
 into practice, the bare-footed lassie, who might, 
 without fear of fibbing, be termed the maid-of-all- 
 work, literally laughed outright, in sheer admiration 
 of our ignorance. Nevertheless, she made us sensible 
 to the fact that we might be carted in a peat-cart to 
 King's House, if so we desired ; but as for a carriage, 
 it would not do to keep such luxuries on the banks 
 and braes of Tulla : so we agreed with her, and 
 decided on the cart at once. And carted we literally 
 were with empty stomachs, forsooth, but all ex"- 
 citement for the hoped-for events of the coming day. 
 The spring! ess vehicle stood at the door, a rough 
 Highland cob being harnessed in the shafts, the 
 interior well filled with straw and heather ; and in 
 this we seated ourselves, dogs, and light baggage, 
 being determined to disturb the forest as little as 
 possible at so early an hour. 
 
 The road was in admirable order, and our anxiety 
 to behold some red deer was paramount to all other 
 considerations. With telescope in hand, therefore, 
 we reclined in our cushionless "one-horse shay;" 
 and on we moved, with the full conviction that when 
 the mind is bent upon a fascinating pursuit, trifles 
 neither deter nor disgust at least those who desire 
 to pleased, and are not ever on the look-out for 
 causes of annoyance. 
 
 As we journeyed along thus at early morning, our 
 
 i, 3 
 
114 SCOTTISH SPOKTS 
 
 ears were constantly saluted by the crowing of 
 grouse, which, perched upon the numerous little 
 hillocks, looked as comfortable and fearless as had 
 they been a hundred miles from two double-barrelled 
 Mantons and a rifle ; which, merely in fear of our 
 meeting brigands in this wild locality, we kept 
 loaded in the vehicle, notwithstanding all the written 
 precautions of ourselves and others never to sit in 
 the same carriage with a charged fowling-piece. 
 
 Half reclining, half sitting on the straw and 
 heather, during this our uneasy transit, we ranged 
 with our glass far and wide each dark vale and 
 craggy mountain-top, in the anxious hope of behold- 
 ing a herd of red deer ; in which, nevertheless, we 
 scarcely expected to be gratified, inasmuch as the 
 sun was already far advanced o'er the eastern horizon. 
 Indeed, we had already yielded to the calming in- 
 fluence of a cigar, and were deep in the mental de- 
 lusions respecting the pleasures the Marquis must so 
 frequently enjoy, and which to us were denied, when 
 the caravan came to a sudden halt, which well nigh 
 threw us on our beam-ends. Having luffed, how- 
 ever, a little to the westward, to recover our easy 
 position, the kilted chariot- driver approached, and, 
 as if nothing had really occurred worth mentioning, 
 with a half -sleepy yawn, as he removed the short 
 pipe from his mouth, he quietly exclaimed, " I'm 
 just thinking I see a stag or twa on yon brae." Out 
 flew the cigar from lips which hitherto had held it as 
 a treasure up went the telescope and, breathless 
 with emotion, we skimmed the horizon, and at 
 length pitched on the spot, where not a stag or twa, 
 but a whole herd of red-deer, hart and hind, were 
 seen reposing in the warm sun, while others were 
 still picking up the fresh and dewy grass. As we 
 gazed, intensely delighted at this, one of the niost 
 
AND PASTIMES. 115 
 
 beautiful pictures a sportsman can behold, the 
 thoughts rushed rapidly through our mind, of what 
 must be his sensations at such a moment, who not 
 only looks on the noble animals, but has the right to 
 shoot them also. This herd of deer, on which our 
 eyes then dwelt with interest and admiration, could 
 not have numbered less than a hundred haunches, 
 for thus they were jocularly counted by one of our 
 companions ; and although a mile at least from the 
 spot where we had halted, the sun, which shone in bril- 
 liancy on their feeding ground, enabled us so distinctly 
 to behold them, that with the aid of a glass they 
 might easily have been counted. 
 
 We remained for a considerable time watching the 
 movements of these kings of the forest, when lo ! 
 for what reason, we know not, whether they had 
 caught sight of our party (by no means improbable 
 or impossible, for their sense of smell and hearing is 
 most acute, as all sportsmen are well aware), or 
 whether they had been disturbed by some more im- 
 mediate object invisible to us, we cannot pretend to 
 say nevertheless, in one moment the reposers started 
 up, and the whole formed in a strong body like a 
 troop of horse. A large stag singled himself from 
 the herd, and having gazed around on all sides, and 
 having doubtless informed his seraglio that danger 
 was at hand, the whole body galloped steadily up the 
 mountain side : their chivalrous leader, in this case 
 forming the rear guard, halted from time to time, 
 till, having reached the summit of the hill on which 
 they had been feeding, the word to form in single 
 line was evidently given ; for in this manner they 
 rattled along the ridge, and thence down the steep 
 end of it, bounding like racers up the face of a 
 steeper mountain, right over the top of which 
 they fled. 
 
116 SCOTTISH SPOETS 
 
 The large and gallant stag, who still kept his 
 place in the rear, halted one instant on its rocky 
 summit, and was then lost to our sight for ever. 
 Never before or since have we so heartily desired, as 
 we did on that morning, that poaching were pastime 
 instead of imprisonment; indeed, a month's incar- 
 ceration, " minus" the treadmill, might almost be 
 endured for one crack, hit or miss, at such noble 
 animals, or for one slip of a brace of dogs, such as 
 we then possessed, on the ground they had selected 
 for their morning meal of which we already began 
 to feel the want ; for excitement added to an early 
 morning's ride, gives a keen edge to the appetite. 
 Yet, for one day's permission to follow on their 
 track, we would willingly have run the chance of a 
 venison steak ere nightfall, or starvation. But we 
 were recalled from this truly exhilarating scene by 
 another wise hint from the lips of our driver " I'm 
 just thinking, if we do not gang on our way, ye'll 
 nae be reaching Ballahulish this night." 
 
 So creak went the wheels again, and on we drove 
 amid this wild and mountainous scene; for here 
 Rannoch appears nothing but a dreary, bleak, and 
 boggy moor, the loose soil of which is peat, broken 
 by pools and small lakes. At length we reached 
 King's House truly no regal abode of entertain- 
 ment, though dignified by the name which stands 
 like a dot in the midst of a barren wilderness ; sur- 
 rounded, save on the east, by the most craggy, bare, 
 and lofty mountains which the mind can well picture 
 in her Majesty's dominions. 
 
 In these days of reformation, however, w r hen 
 princes shoot grouse and stalk deer with their sub- 
 jects, and, we trust, give them an equal chance of 
 the sport with themselves, royalty may chance to 
 light a pipe there. As regards ourselves, we found 
 
AND PASTIMES. 117 
 
 the only room in the house in which we could stand 
 upright half-filled with drovers, the other half with 
 smoke. Being, therefore, perfectly satisfied with the 
 royal hostelry within, we took a turn without, in 
 order to survey the sporting ground by which it was 
 surrounded. To the west of the house may be seen 
 a bare mountain of great height and of a conical 
 shape, from the summit of which, half way to the 
 base, the shelving rocks lay one on the other, form- 
 ing a truly picturesque appearance, on which the 
 sun. glittering like diamonds, formed a curious con- 
 trast to the dark and russet- coloured ravine beneath 
 it. This is doubtless a pleasant retreat for ptarmigan 
 and mountain fox. But we must 
 
 " Away, nor let me loiter in my song, 
 
 For we had many a mountain path to tread." 
 
 before we arrived at Glencoe ; and if so be that 
 night should darken on our footsteps before we 
 reached the ferry of Ballahulish, some greater dis- 
 tance still, we might perchance find the cognomen 
 of the district prophetic ; for we surmise the *' coe" 
 to signify, in Gaelic, lamentation. Previous, how- 
 ever, to being received into the arms of the craggy 
 mountains we were approaching, or placing a foot on 
 the " Devil's Staircase," for such is the name given 
 to the very steep and very interesting descent into 
 Glencoe having a very unpleasant recollection of 
 the miserable larder and untouchable cuisine of the 
 previous night, and fearing that we might meet with 
 a similar fate at Ballahulish, the very name of which 
 was sufficient to cause internal misgivings, we took 
 the liberty of borrowing a 'hare, a brace of grouse, 
 and a grey hen, from the most noble the Marquis of 
 Carabas ; for such, without offence, he may be justly 
 designated in the where and whereabouts we were 
 
118 SCOTTISH SPOKTS 
 
 sentimentally sporting, by looking at red- deer we 
 longed for and dared not shoot ; and as we knew it 
 was wrong to covet other men's goods, we borrowed, 
 as aforesaid, a bird or two to stifle the pangs of con- 
 science and prevent the pangs of hunger. The hare, 
 poor thing ! unluckily got up just before us, as we 
 quietly walked aloog the heather by the road side. Of 
 course we could not permit it to exhaust its energies 
 for our diversion, so we shot it dead, and carried it 
 in our pocket down the declivity. A brace of grouse 
 rose also very rudely just under our nose in their 
 hurry to get off, nearly knocking out the second 
 cigar with which we were endeavouring to console 
 ourselves, the deer having obliged us to relinquish 
 the first. So, having seriously warned them of their 
 effrontery with a cartridge right and left, we con- 
 demned them also to imprisonment for the remainder 
 of the day. One of our companions appeared also to 
 be insulted in a similar manner by another grouse, 
 and, knowing the punishment we had inflicted, in- 
 stantly followed our example ; and being also very 
 desirous to examine the plumage of a grey hen, none 
 of which game had fallen to his gun at Meggernie, 
 he helped himself to one as he walked along ; and, 
 having satisfied himself that it really was a very 
 handsome bird, and would do well to stuff, we con- 
 veyed that also with our other light baggage, inas- 
 much as it was too late to walk back to Taymouth 
 to leave them with the keeper. So we decided to 
 view the " Massacre of Glencoe," as the tourists de- 
 nominate the beautiful glen, and really talk of it as 
 if they expected to arrive in time to witness the 
 direful scene of bloodshed actually taking place, 
 where history points out the romantic locale of its 
 occurrence. 
 
 To them we leave the task of its description ; for 
 
AND PASTIMES. 119 
 
 us, the pleasure of dwelling a few moments on the 
 sublime scenery by which on all sides we were sur- 
 rounded. 
 
 Turn to the west, and behold the lofty mountains 
 which almost close the entrance of Glencoe, for few 
 such are to be found in other parts of Scotland. As 
 you advance, each mountain top appears more craggy, 
 each mountain side more wild, than that which pre- 
 cedes it. Walk on, and you appear lost in a 
 labyrinth of ravines and rocks ; dark, dreary, and 
 towering mounts, at the feet of which the winding 
 rivulet rushes foaming madly on. As we looked on 
 this truly beautiful picture, one of nature's wildest 
 specimens, we clenched more firmly the rifle in our 
 hands, in momentary but imaginative hope that a 
 chamois, bounding from rock to rock, would soon 
 give us a chance of getting our hand into practice 
 for the expected sport at Glen Moriston, forgetting 
 we were in the land of cakes and ale, and not once 
 more " upon the woody Apennine." Touching the 
 " cakes and ale," however, in this part of the High- 
 lands, we imagine, by common consent, such pleasing 
 edibles are reserved for him whose staircase we were 
 descending ; at least, none were forthcoming for us. 
 Agreeable as the descent to Glencoe truly is in 
 fine weather, during a storm it must be grand in- 
 deed. About six miles from the royal posada, we 
 approached the torrent which forms the embouchure 
 of the small water of Coe, whence it falls from the 
 mountains in a fine cataract, and thence through a 
 dark, deep, narrow passage, dashing over and among 
 large and craggy rocks for at least a mile, runs 
 through the narrow Glen of Coe and joins the lake, 
 alike refreshing trout and eel. The mountains to 
 the north of the Coe are high and beautiful, but 
 rounder than those on the opposite side, their sum- 
 
120 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 mits being clothed with good feeding for deer. As 
 we advanced through this steep and narrow pass, our 
 amusement w r as diversified by the sight of a sort of 
 open barouche, drawn by a pair of cart horses, 
 doubtless posters from Ballahulish, which came slowly 
 up the Devil's Path. This meeting was rather a 
 pleasing variety in our afternoon walk ; not that we 
 needed subjects of interest. 
 
 The party to which the carriage appertained, con- 
 sisted of a portly gentleman, his spare rib, and a 
 rather pretty daughter. For her sake we were half 
 inclined to resist the tormenting inclination which 
 came over us, to ask her worthy sire what he thought 
 of the beauties of the glen, and whether he was on a 
 deer-stalking excursion, or simply on a trip of plea- 
 sure. His face, however, round as a harvest moon 
 at the full, which discovered itself from time to 
 time, as he removed the yellow pocket-handkerchief 
 which was doing duty on his perspiring forehead, at 
 once convinced us that he was an interesting speci- 
 men of the biped creation who could stand the fire of 
 badinage ; in fact, one of the owl species, the female 
 of which is said to hatch her young in Whitechapel, 
 whence they frequently migrate, during the months 
 of summer and autumn, to the Highlands of Scotland, 
 returning on the approach of winter to their own fire- 
 sides. It was quite evident that the individual who 
 called himself a post-boy, but was, in fact, a herd-boy, 
 had been pointing out to our traveller the beauty of 
 the scenery, and half in Gaelic, and the other half 
 in English and Scotch curiously mixed together, had 
 been telling various tales of how and where it had all 
 happened in the glen below. The good fat gentle- 
 man, however, was either totally ignorant or totally 
 deaf to this newly-invented language, for the more 
 the lad talked the more he mapped and looked 
 
PASTIMES. 12 1 
 
 amazed. At length, however, he beheld our party. 
 We had halted, and sat on a rock by the way- side to 
 allow the carriage and pedestrians to pass, and 
 having previously surveyed the strangers with our 
 glasses, were speculating on some adventure. On a 
 nearer approach, the lusty tourist evidently concluded 
 from our costume, guns, and companions the dogs 
 that we were sporting gentlemen of the neigh- 
 bourhood, and in this opinion we had no objection 
 that he should remain. And thus he accosted us 
 accordingly : 
 
 ' Good sport, gentlemen, I hope ?" 
 
 ' Very fair, sir very fair indeed." 
 
 ' Killed any deer ? " 
 
 4 Not many, to-day only two or three." 
 
 ' But there are plenty among these Alpine moun- 
 tains, are there not ? " 
 
 " Yes, plenty : when you get further up into the 
 forest you will see them feeding in scores." 
 
 kt The d 1 ! " he was about to say, but checked 
 himself on a sign from the pretty daughter, who 
 looked at him archly from under a pink silk bonnet : 
 nice costume for the Highlands ! 
 
 " And how far, gentlemen, may we be from the 
 forest? Because, if we get among these brutes 
 after nightfall, it may probably be unpleasant." 
 
 " Why, the forest commences at the top of the 
 mountain, from whence it may be twelve miles or 
 thereabouts to King's House : certainly no further." 
 
 " Not further ! Are the trees of the forest 
 thick?" 
 
 Alas ! what an expression had that lusty face ! It 
 really appeared to grow thinner at the idea of passing 
 through a dense forest full of wild deer, instead of 
 six miles over barren hills ; but he felt he had no 
 alternative, and resigned himself accordingly. 
 
 M 
 
122 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 " Pray, what sort of accommodation shall we find 
 at King's House? " 
 
 " Why, certainly much better than is generally 
 found at such inns." 
 
 " This latter intelligence was evidently pleasing ; 
 and he forthwith broke into a running fire of pleas- 
 ing information : " Such a fine prospect this, gentle- 
 men ! Bloody battle in the glen below, I'm told, 
 when the French landed!" And, with courteous 
 salutes, we parted. 
 
 The travellers had scarcely proceeded twenty 
 yards, however, ere our heart smote us for thus 
 rudely joking ; and we ran after the carriage, and 
 insisted on the ladies accepting the brace of grouse 
 we had shot, in positive fear that our sex would 
 become hateful to them for the vile effrontery with 
 which we had accosted them, should they chance to 
 go supperless to bed in the smoky hovel where they 
 proposed resting till daybreak. 
 
 We had still, however, several miles of rough 
 walking, previous to reaching the destination we had 
 determined on as our halting-place for the night, in 
 order to secure an easy day on the morrow, when we 
 trusted ere sunset to reach the Castle of Invermoris- 
 ton. True, nothing could surpass the interest and 
 variety of beautiful scenery such as that amid which 
 we were rapidly descending towards the glen. To 
 diverge, however, from the road for any chance of 
 game was out of the question ; for on one side the 
 mountains rose abrupt and steep, and on the other, 
 massive rocks and huge stones formed the only bar- 
 rier to the descent into a rapid torrent, which rushed, 
 foaming and roaring, below us. The whistle of a 
 rifle, and its rattling echoes o'er the mountains, 
 which, in desperation, we discharged at a hungry 
 raven, the solitary possessor of a large rock in the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 123 
 
 centre of the ravine, was, therefore, all the powder 
 we spent in this memorable descent of the Devil's 
 Staircase; and him we scarcely frightened. Yet, 
 notwithstanding that we had not loitered on our 
 route, after passing courtesies with the T. G., as all 
 travelling gentlemen are termed who visit a colonial 
 garrison, the change from daylight to pitch dark, 
 which, barring the moon's brightness, is as sudden 
 in the North Highlands as the report from the flash 
 of a gun, came over us ere we arrived at the ferry at 
 Eallyhulish, where we had decided on crossing Loch 
 Leven, in order to gain a resting place where we 
 hoped to find better accommodation than that which 
 had fallen to our lot at Inverouran. 
 
 There is a whiskey-shop (Anglice, a pot-house 
 Scottice, an inn) on either side of the above-named 
 ferry, at which houses of public entertainment tra- 
 vellers and tourists are said to be provided with 
 ample food and refreshing sleep, during the fine 
 months of summer and autumn ; in fact, till the 
 equinoctial gales set in, and then they all set out for 
 the south. Sportsmen are never unwisely particu- 
 lar : if they are so, far better remain at home, and 
 shoot pheasants after luncheon. Food and lodging, 
 such as it is, can therefore generally be found for 
 them. As we have already said, however, night had 
 closed over mountain, lake, and valley ; and a pitch 
 dark one was it ere we reached the ferry. The gob- 
 lins of departed heroes might have risen from the 
 Coe, and twitched us by the nose, without the 
 slightest power of precaution on our part, for all we 
 saw or could have avoided, had it not been so dis- 
 posed that we should be overtaken by a shepherd 
 and his faithful collie dog by the bye, one of the 
 most sagacious and attached of the canine race - 
 who had followed us with the same intention as our- 
 
 M 2 
 
124 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 selves, to cross the waters of the Leven without 
 delay. 
 
 The time lost, however, in refusing the various 
 endeavours which were made to detain our bodies 
 and our siller on the south side of the Loch (our 
 fixed determination being to sleep on the north side) ; 
 the boiling of a pint of water with which we desired 
 to concoct a glass of toddy, to keep us inwardly, at 
 least, free from the chilling effects of the cold night 
 air and sea breezes which whistled up the glen ; to 
 rouse the ferrymen by threats and then by bribes, 
 the latter far the more effectual ; to induce them to 
 leave their snug corners by the warm peat fire and 
 soothing pipes, in the full enjoyment of which they 
 were quietly seated, was at least two hours. They 
 had not the most remote idea that any one not abso- 
 lutely daft, with a will of their own and siller in 
 their pouch, could leave a house of entertainment to 
 cross a ferry during so dark a night, at all times un- 
 pleasant, and frequently dangerous ; and this, as 
 they positively declared, with a strong tide running 
 and strong wind blowing, in the precise direction, of 
 all the tides which flowed and all the winds which 
 blew, the worst and wildest. At length, however, 
 Mammon decided the question, and we were fairly 
 embarked 
 
 "O'er the dark waters of the deep blue sea;" 
 
 the shepherd, his faithful collie, our beloved canine 
 companions, Bran, Brcnda, Nell, Rachael, and the 
 rest of us. 
 
 A few small lights twinkled on the opposite shore ; 
 the wind moaned through the mountains ; we heard 
 the rushing of the tide beneath and around our frail 
 bark ; we smelt the smell of insufferably bad tobacco ; 
 but as for seeing one another, or aught else, such 
 
AND PASTIMES. 125 
 
 was not to be. Indeed, we really began to think 
 seriously we had been over-zealous in our persuasion, 
 and over-liberal with our donations. But the 
 shepherd took the matter so coolly, we determined 
 to follow his example ; and it happily proved that 
 the very tide which was to carry us over to the 
 island of Mull, and the very wind which was to 
 prove so dangerous, as we had already surmised, 
 proved in both cases the very best wind and the very 
 best tide for the rapid crossing of the Ballyhulish 
 ferry from south to north. With no little satisfac- 
 tion, therefore, we soon discovered that the twinkling 
 lights we had seen in the distance were nothing 
 more nor less than the tallow candles used by the 
 inhabitants of that celebrated locality. We lost no 
 time even in abusing the boatmen, so rejoiced were 
 we to find ourselves once more on terra firma, but 
 proceeded at once to seek our quarters and rest, and 
 what was equally desirable at the moment, some- 
 thing to eat ; for we were well nigh famished. But 
 it is a strange fact, though nevertheless a true one, 
 that Highlanders either nourish themselves by 
 stealth, or live on less than any other mortals under 
 the sun. At these roadside inns, excepting in the 
 tourist season, whisky, oatmeal, and dried herrings, 
 and those none of the best, is all the provision gene- 
 rally at hand. As regards the Lowlanders, in the 
 summer they live on the hope of gain ; in winter, as 
 above described ; whereas the Highlanders substitute 
 braccy for herrings. 
 
 We entered, as usual, into a smoky, dirty kitchen, 
 too late to expect any reasonable comfort or consi- 
 deration. A lazy, fat, bare-footed girl half-dozed on 
 a three-legged stool over a cauldron of potatoes 
 boiling for the pigs ; and a lanky, red-haired, ill- 
 looking fellow, probably her lover, lolled on a bench 
 
 M 3 
 
126 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 near the fire, smoking his short black pipe, which he 
 merely moved from his mouth on our entrance to 
 give us a look of astonishment ; and probably wish- 
 ing us at Jericho for so untimely an intrusion upon 
 his tete-a-tete, resumed his puffing, in which occupa- 
 tion the ferryman who had entered with us imme- 
 diately joined him. Having received our promised 
 reward, they were satisfied ; and had any unfortu- 
 nate traveller chanced to arrive with the same desire 
 that we evinced to cross the ferry, the identical ex- 
 cuses would doubtless have been offered to his wish, 
 though with somewhat more of truth. 
 
 We have to thank the Marquis of Carrabas, that 
 we went not supperless to bed that night. The hare 
 was prepared and roasted ; the remaining grouse 
 split and broiled ; we robbed the pigs of a few po- 
 tatoes the disease had not then, luckily, made the 
 best of vegetables uneatable and notwithstanding 
 the toughness of puss, we managed to pass a very 
 pleasant hour or two ; and we had scarcely laid our 
 head on the pillow ere the discomforts of the Bally- 
 hulish hotel, the Marquis and his deer forest, the fat 
 gentleman, the Devil's Staircase, and the ferrymen 
 were forgotten. 
 
 We dreamt not of grouse or Highland mountains 
 yet of scenes not unlike, though more soft and 
 genial. We saw the stag roused from his lair in 
 the woods of North Devon, and we followed in pur- 
 suit over the hills and dales of Exmoor. Devon ! 
 scene of so many recollections of happiness unalloyed, 
 of bitterness never-to-be-forgotten ! Arcadia of pure 
 streams and pastoral hills, rich vales, and softly 
 genial climate ! region of picturesque beauty, where 
 Spring first unfolds her mantle green ! Nature to 
 thee has indeed been bountiful ; and though many 
 may smile at your sporting pretensions, we contend 
 
AND PASTIMES. 127 
 
 that, take the county in every sense of the word, and 
 there are very few which offer more sport 
 
 " Are not the mountains, waves, and skies, a part 
 
 Of me and of my soul, as I of them? 
 Is not the love of these deep in my heart 
 With a pure passion]" 
 
 Yes : the waters of the Leven ran calmly towards 
 the sea ; the bright sun glittered on the mountain 
 tops ; the dark yellow leaves of autumn still clung to 
 tree and shrub as if loth, by falling, to tell of summer 
 past undisturbed by the slightest breath of wind, 
 as we walked forth after the rest of night to look 
 around us on a scene scene which hitherto had been 
 hidden by utter darkness. The morning was one of 
 those with which we are frequently gladdened during 
 the latter days of October, which speaks forcibly of 
 what the summer has been, what the winter may be 
 bright, warm, and cheering in its sunshine, but 
 clear, cold, and saddening in its shade ; yet as 
 unclouded as if it came to usher joy alone into this 
 world of anxiety. Reader, bear with us a moment 
 while we look on the beautiful scene before us ; one 
 not often sought, but yet unquestionably, if not more 
 rare in natural beauty, equally so to almost any other 
 spot in the Highlands, as offering a succession of 
 varied and lovely landscapes. Among the singular 
 shaped mountains which rear their lofty summits as 
 you stand on the south side of Ballahulish, that 
 which most particularly attracts the eye is the Pap 
 of Glencoe, a large conical mountain which over- 
 hangs the lake ; the naked surfaces, abrupt decli- 
 vities, and various colours of others, forming a most 
 striking and interesting contrast to the green and 
 woody slopes which border the shores of the 
 Leven. 
 
 But we must dwell no longer on scenes like these, 
 
128 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 or we shall fail to reach the sporting locale whither 
 we were bound ere the castle bell toll the hour^of 
 midnight ; neither shall we attempt to say more in 
 reference to the route we that day travelled o'er, 
 save that few present more beautiful scenes, and few 
 more abounding with interest alike for sportsman 
 and tourist. We made our way as rapidly as a pair 
 of ill-conditioned and ill-fed horses could drag a 
 ramshackling old phaeton, which we had hired at 
 the ferry-house ; arriving at Fort William ere mid- 
 day, and at Fort Augustus in good time to reach 
 Glenmoriston, four miles distant, ere the family 
 dinner hour. Most persons in the present day are 
 well aware that Fort William and Fort Augustus- 
 the one situated on Loch Eil, the other at the 
 western extremity of Loch Ness are two of the five 
 Scottish forts retained by the terms of the Union ; 
 though the latter is now garrisoned simply by a 
 sergeant's guard, and the former by a subaltern's 
 party detached from the regiment which for the 
 time may be quartered at Glasgow or Fort George. 
 We take this opportunity, therefore, to give a hint 
 to the officers of such regiments, should there be 
 sportsmen among them and in what mess are there 
 not many first-rate ones ? to look out for this 
 detachment. Their military duties they will doubt- 
 less find not very onerous, and their sporting pro- 
 pensities may be gratified to the utmost bent of 
 their inclination. Let them only be prepared with 
 a good double-barrel, a rifle, and fishing-rods (for 
 flies, powder and shot, &c., they can obtain at Fort 
 William,) some good cigars and tobacco, with a few 
 books, and if they have only half the gentleman-like 
 manners and habits which officers of the British 
 army generally have, there is scarcely a day through- 
 out the season that they may not obtain permission 
 
AND PASTIMES. 129 
 
 to shoot, fish, and even stalk deer, ad libitum. Some 
 of the best salmon fishing is close at hand, grouse 
 hills surround them, and deer may be found within 
 the distance of a two hours' ride on a shelty. 
 
 Well we recollect the time when we would have 
 given a year's pay, had we been in the army, to have 
 found ourselves thus located ; and we doubt not 
 that, were all the subalterns now on detachment in 
 Ireland told to hold up their hands for such a quarter 
 in Scotland, the numerical uplifting would be suffi- 
 cient to secure the Westminster election. 
 
130 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ARRIVED at Fort Augustus, or Kil-y-a-Whoimin, 
 as it is still termed by Highlanders, we took one 
 long look of admiration at the splendid lake, which 
 lay stretched like a sheet of glass before us, in which 
 the shadows of the surrounding mountains were dis- 
 tinctly visible ; but as we proposed to spend some 
 days amid this truly grand scenery, we shall, for the 
 present, only add that we decided on proceeding 
 thence to our resting place, about four miles distant 
 by water. Having, therefore, hired a bbat and two 
 stout rowers, we prepared to do a little fishing on 
 our way, being informed that some heavy trout 
 resorted to that end of the lake, who are nothing 
 loth to swallow a fly which trails at the stern of a 
 boat, even when the bright- coloured shawls which 
 ought to cover the shoulders of fair tourists are 
 trailing there also. So w r e rigged our gear ac- 
 cordingly ; and as the flies skimmed along the 
 surface of the lake, and we reclined in full enjoy- 
 ment, of the weather and the wild but beautiful 
 scene around us, we will crave permission to relate 
 a brief but saddening tale, as told to us by a kilted 
 Highlander with whom we had joined in conversa- 
 tion, during the brief hour we had passed in our 
 morning's ramble on the banks of Loch Leven. 
 
 Having alluded to the subject of the numerous 
 
AND PASTIMES. 131 
 
 English sportsmen and sight- seers who now annually 
 cross the Border, intent on sport or pleasure, he 
 proceeded to inform us that he kenned well the time 
 when a velveteen shooting jacket or an English face 
 in Glencoe was as great a novelty as a railway 
 might be to Ballahulish, even these days of steam 
 and cotton-powder. " But," continued he, " even 
 then we were not without the occasional presence of 
 a stranger from the south ; and a circumstance 
 occurred in the neighbourhood where you last night 
 slept, which, though years have since elapsed, can 
 never be forgotten : indeed, it has left many 
 sorrowful recollections on the hearths of the inhabi- 
 tants of this wild glen. 
 
 " It was late one evening, at the latter end of 
 August, that a young Englishman, accompanied 
 only by a fine setter (to which animal he appeared 
 much attached), arrived at the North Ferry House, 
 and solicited accommodation. He had apparently 
 travelled from Fort William in a hired car, and his 
 baggage consisted simply of a portmanteau, gun, and 
 fishing-rod. It was therefore naturally concluded 
 that his object was that of sporting, his appearance 
 unquestionably denoting him to be a gentleman. 
 No impertinent questions were therefore asked, and 
 no information offered on his part as to his intentions 
 or proceedings. He desired simply the accommoda- 
 tion of two rooms, which he stated he might require 
 for some days ; and having obtained them, quietly 
 took possession, and retired to rest. 
 
 " For a few days subsequent to his arrival, little 
 notice was taken of him or his pursuits : he walked 
 out early, fishing-rod in hand, and returned home 
 late. But in this there was neither cause for astonish- 
 ment nor alarm, it being naturally concluded that 
 he was desirous of visiting the interesting scenes 
 
132 SCOTTISH SPORES 
 
 which, abounded in the neighbourhood, and con- 
 sequently passed much of his time in the open air. 
 Added to this, he carried his rod ; and if his sport 
 proved successful, it was not likely he would be 
 desirous of leaving it. It may readily be supposed 
 that if in these enlightened days the landlady of a 
 Highland hostelry is content to boil her own 
 porridge, and leave her guest to the tender mercy of 
 a barefooted damsel-of-all-work, that in those more 
 remote to wish we allude, the good hostess of the 
 ferry-house was not likely to be over attentive, it was 
 not, therefore, till informed by her thrusty hand- 
 maiden that the gentleman took little or no food that 
 his meals, such as they were, remained in fact almost 
 untasted and that, on being questioned as to his 
 wishes in reference to food, he had replied with 
 perfect indifference as to the matter, and perfect 
 satisfaction with anything which might be provided 
 and for which he liberally paid, at other times show- 
 ing great eccentricity and appearance of indisposition 
 that the good woman herself became desirous of 
 beholding the person of her lodger ; which, strange 
 to say, had not previously been the case, although he 
 had already resided several days under her roof. On 
 proceeding, therefore, sufficiently early to the sitting 
 apartment to insure the occupation of its tenant, she 
 was not a little surprised to find herself not in the pre- 
 sence, as she had imagined, of a robust and healthy 
 young man, who, all activity and energy, had ventured 
 alone among these distant northern hills for sport 
 and pastime, but the reality of the following por- 
 trait : 
 
 " In the only tolerably comfortable chair which 
 the room possessed, sat, or rather leaned, his head 
 resting on his hand, a young man perhaps eight-and- 
 twenty years of age : his figure was slight indeed 
 
AND PASTIMES. 133 
 
 almost too slight to support the strength of life : his 
 countenance, as he looked up on her entrance, 
 though pale as death, was animate by an expression 
 of intense care and thought, which caused a sense of 
 actual pain to the observer ; yet it was not positively 
 the pallor of bodily suffering alone, but rather the 
 worn and haggard appearance of intense, torturing, 
 unyielding, mental agony, fast dstroying the body, 
 till the last thread of life is snapped asunder. His 
 faithful dog lay at his feet, from time to time looking 
 on his sorrowing face, as if the poor animal desired 
 to say 4 Do not sorrow master ! I, your untiring 
 friend, am with you still.' On the rude sofa, on the 
 chairs, indeed in every part of the room, were 
 scattered books, gun, fishing-tackle even pistols 
 were there. Amid this melange of sporting materiel, 
 there could be no mistaking the position of the man 
 he was a gentleman, and had been a sportsman ; 
 indeed, his personal appearance and all around him 
 proved most clearly that he had been accustomed to 
 all the conveniences, and, moreover, the luxuries of 
 life. 
 
 " Appearances, however, are often deceitful ; but 
 the voice is rarely so, as proving education, and 
 seldom does it deceive in regard to gentle birth. 
 When kindly accosted, therefore, as to his wants 
 and wishes, his courteous and even calm replies, that 
 he w r as \vell served and required nothing, satisfied 
 the landlady on that score at least ; and after 
 numerous offers of attention, she felt convinced that 
 if he ailed, neither complaint nor cause was serious ; 
 and ended her visit by requesting that her good 
 man might be permitted to shew him the best pool 
 for salmon, and the best burns for trout as the day, 
 of all others, was make for sport. 
 
 " A week thus elapsed : the stranger ate little 
 
134 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 and drank less ; and if the hints which were thrown 
 out by the servant-lassie were true, he slept not at 
 all, but passed the night is pacing his appartment. 
 On some occasions, when the weather was brilliant, 
 he never left the house ; on others, though boisterous 
 and wet, he was seen miles up the glen, sometimes 
 with gun or fishing-rod in hand, always accompanied 
 by his faithful dog; but game or fish he never 
 brought home. To not a soul was he ever known to 
 speak unaccosted ; but when addressed, his replies 
 were ever kind and gentle, as his hand was ever 
 open to calls of charity and consequently his person 
 was soon known to the poor in the glen ; and, save 
 that his manner was eccentric, there were few who 
 passed him without a feeling of respect and recogni- 
 tion of courtesy." 
 
 But we must conclude this painful tale : and we 
 scarcely know why we have introduced it here, save 
 that we listened to it from rough lips, which uttered 
 words which came from a feeling heart; and this 
 during a sporting excursion which memory ever 
 recalls with interest too faithful to be forgotten. 
 Moreover, we cannot but believe that there are few of 
 our readers indeed, we earnestly trust there lives 
 not one, to whom its reality may give one moment's 
 pang. 
 
 " Twelve days had elapsed since the sportsman's 
 arrival in the glen, when late one night indeed at 
 the very moment the house was about to be closed 
 a chaise drove up to the door, also from Fort Wil- 
 liam. In the interior sat a lady, but so muffled up 
 that it was impossible to distinguish her countenance 
 "in fact, save from her light and youthful figure, it 
 would have been difficult to decide whether she 
 were young or old. She requested, in a few words, 
 to be informed if an English gentleman was residing 
 
AND PASTIMES. 135 
 
 in the house ; and having received a reply in the 
 affirmative, begged to be shewn to his room. This 
 request was complied with. But over the scene of 
 agony which there was said to have taken place, we 
 must beg to draw a veil ; for this simple reason 
 we relate only from hearsay, which can seldom be 
 depended on ; and it is just possible, though we trust 
 not probable, that there may be some one now living 
 on whom such memories might fall heavily and 
 painfully, and we desire to be the last to inflict such 
 a blow. All, therefore we shall say is this that ere 
 morning dawned, with a countenance depecting in- 
 tense anguish and remorse, still with a firmness as if 
 compelled to perform a duty, for which he had for 
 the last time braced the shattered nerves of his 
 frail existence, rather than as one of pleasure, the 
 stranger led back the lady, still closely wrapped, to 
 the chaise, into which, with heart-rending sobs, she 
 threw herself. It drove away ; and he, returning to 
 his apartment, refused all offers of aid or attendance, 
 locked his door, and was alone. 
 
 " The few additional circumstances connected 
 with this melancholy tale may be soon told : not, 
 however, without sorrow and sadness. On going to 
 his appartment, rather later than usual on the 
 following morning his door was still found secured. 
 To this fact, however, little heed was given ; a 
 simple remark being made, that the poor gentleman 
 was doubtless fatigued after the occurrences of the 
 night. When hours, however, had elapsed, and 
 still no sign was given of his stirring, the landlady 
 repaired herself to learn the cause ; but still finding 
 the door locked, she became alarmed, and im- 
 mediately requested her husband to place a ladder to 
 the window. He did so when a horrid scene 
 presented itself. On the floor, half- dressed, lay 
 
 N 2 
 
136 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 extended the lifeless form of him who, during his 
 short residence in the glen, by his mild and gentle 
 manners and bearing, had made himself a general 
 favourite. On the floor, covered by his life-blood, 
 lay an open razor; and by his side, with eyes 
 literally tearful, was found the first to welcome, the 
 last to forsake the ever-faithful friend of man his 
 dog." 
 
 To those who may, either for sport or other 
 pleasure, chance to pass by this fair glen, we will 
 merely observe that in the basin of Loch Leven 
 there are several islands. One of these is called St. 
 Mungo's Isle, and has long been used as a burying 
 place. It consists of two hillocks, one of which is 
 appropriated to the inhabitants of Glencoe, the other 
 to the people of Lochabar. These spots have much 
 local interest, and carry with them many tales of 
 Scottish history. In the former may now be seen an 
 unostentatious stone, on which will be found the 
 following simple inscription : " E. L. Born A. D. 
 1 7 ; died 1 8 Traveller ! pass it not without a 
 tear." 
 
 But let us now turn to scenes more bright to the 
 mind, more pleasing to the memory of Highland 
 sports and Highland quarters. "What's that?" 
 A bounce and a plash. " By Job ! we have him." 
 And a fine salmon-trout of three pounds' weight 
 was gently deposited in the boat ; and in a few 
 minutes more our keel grated on the stony shore 
 which told us we had reached the territory of the 
 Laird of Glenmoriston, the extremity of whose park 
 or domain is watered on the south side by Loch Ness, 
 and to the west by the waters of the rapid and 
 beautiful river of Moriston, which flows o'er many a 
 rock and stone, through the magnificent glen of that 
 name, and at the entrance of which we lauded at 
 Invennoriston. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 137 
 
 " Yet live there still who can remember well 
 How, when a mountain-chief his bugle blew, 
 
 Both field and forest, dingle, cliff, and dell, 
 And solitary heath the signal knew ; 
 
 And fast the faithful clan around him drew." 
 
 We must decline entering into any save general 
 details of the hospitalities so kindly and so cour- 
 teously accorded to us by the amiable and high- 
 minded owner of the interesting castle of Invermo- 
 riston, by whose family, as well as himself, we were 
 so frankly and cordially made welcome. \Vith re- 
 gard to our first day's dinner, therefore, we will 
 merely state, for those curious in such matters, that 
 its excellence and abundance, for the time being, 
 entirely obliterated from our minds the painful in- 
 ternal recollections most feelingly engendered by the 
 last two days of our travels through a land of scarcity, 
 as regards the wants of luxurious bipeds. Salmon 
 from the lake, grouse from the hills, trout from 
 Moriston, and venison from the mountains, groaned 
 on the board within ; and without, on a terrace in 
 front of the western dining-room window, groaned 
 also, previous to our onslaught on the smoking 
 viands so amply set before us, the discordant tones 
 of a bagpipe to us a barbarous uproar of unmusical 
 sounds ; to those who admire it, doubtless, a delight- 
 ful solo : therefore, take your choice, readers, and no 
 offence. The custom, however, is another question; 
 to that we have no objection: it is sacred to the me- 
 mories of days lang syne. And as regards the piper, 
 he was a fine specimen of a race who need yield to 
 none in Scotland, and in the battle front his moun- 
 tain pipe might well sound savage and shrill, to 
 
 "fill the mountaineers 
 With the fierce native daring which instils 
 The stirring memory of a thousand years." 
 
 N 3 
 
138 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 In these peaceful days, however, when Highland- 
 men and Cockneys cast their flies in the same sal- 
 mon-pool, and vie with one another in stalking the 
 red- deer, no such stimulants are required for an 
 onslaught on a venison pasty. But we can have 110 
 second thought as regards the impropriety, we may 
 say the unjustifiable indelicacy, of publishing to the 
 world at large the domestic habits of individuals, 
 rich or poor, by whom we have been received with 
 kindness and hospitality, though their residence may 
 be in a Highland glen, and not on Richmond Hill ; 
 we shall therefore leave to the imagination of the 
 hungry and thirsty all further details of cuisine and 
 cellar : they may fancy, if they will it, the peculiarly 
 excellent fried potatoes and kippered salmon served 
 up for breakfast ; they may discuss also the length of 
 Mr. Grant's nose, and the colour of Mrs. Grant's 
 dress. We shall leave them in that peace and happi- 
 ness in w r hich we found them ; and a continuance in 
 which, their Christian lives, and the deserved estima- 
 tion in which they are held throughout the Highlands, 
 we would fain hope may tend, with God's blessing, 
 to secure to them and theirs. For our own part, we 
 could have lingered long, had time and duty permit- 
 ted it, among those in whose hospitable mansion the 
 spirit of true Highland cordiality reigns, surrounded 
 by ease, elegance, and cheerfulness. On local and 
 sporting matters, however, our pen may flow on 
 without fear of intrusion. And as late one evening 
 we stood by the Laird's side, at an open window in 
 front of the castle, and looked on the bright and re- 
 fulgent moon which shone o'er the wide waters of 
 the Ness, and beheld the dark and lofty mountains on 
 its southern bank, we scarcely felt the chill night air, 
 so interested were we with his kind information in 
 reference to the historical annals of the spot, as well 
 
AND PASTIMES. 139 
 
 as with the details of its neighbouring sporting 
 qualities. 
 
 The ancient castle of Glenmoriston, or Invermo- 
 riston, on the site of which the present mansion 
 stands, was built by John Grant, more commonly 
 called John A'Chragan, between the years 1440 and 
 1450. This bold chieftain, or clansman, as he might 
 then more properly be termed, whose name stands 
 pre-eminent in the history of those daj^s when blood- 
 shed and neighbouring feuds were ripe among the 
 clans, was the direct ancestor of the present owner, 
 James Grant, Esq., of Glenmoriston by courtesy or 
 Highland custom on all occasions addressed as Glen- 
 moriston ; indeed, when first introduced to his ami- 
 able wife, we are not quite satisfied that we did not 
 " hope Mrs. Glenmoriston was in good health," the 
 name of Grant being quite out of the question in the 
 glen. In the year 1715, the above ancient strong- 
 hold was burnt to the ground by the troops of the 
 government, and the whole property of A'Chragan 
 forfeited to the crown. Mr. Grant's grandfather, 
 however, repurchased his own estate at least such 
 was literally the case ; and he built on the blackened 
 foundation a residence of wood, to replace the ancient 
 pile of his ancestors. 
 
 The existence of this structure, however, was of 
 short duration, for in the year 1745 the King's troops 
 again applied the torch, and the wooden fabric blazed 
 into light 011 the dark waters of the Ness, as a 
 beacon for the gathering of neighbouring clans, that 
 their chieftain was in danger. Such men as these, 
 however, were not to be easily subdued by fire or 
 sword, and once more the present interesting struc- 
 ture rose from the solid ruins of its ancient strength, 
 from the remnants of which it was literally built on 
 the ashes of its predecessors. Nevertheless, the 
 
140 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 property was once more forfeited to the crown, and 
 the name of Glenmoriston stood prominent in the 
 list of attainted Highland proprietors for rebellion ; 
 but by the act, it is presumed, of some unknown 
 friend to the family even to the present hour, his 
 name was erased ; and from that time the heathered 
 hills and dark mountains, fair fields and spacious do- 
 mains, of the Grants, were left in their peaceful pos- 
 session. And may the well-known loyalty of heart, 
 and liberality of conduct and opinion of its present 
 possessor, secure it to him and his heirs for ages ! 
 For any other details of this ancient family, to such 
 of our readers who desire it, we will refer them to a 
 pleasing little book, called " Ascanius, or the Wan- 
 derer " a work giving rather an interesting ac- 
 count of the Prince's wanderings after the battle of 
 Culloden. That will tell them something but a 
 visit to the glen will please them more. 
 
 The present house stands on a lawn, within two 
 gun-shots of the waters of the Ness. Nothing can be 
 more picturesque and sheltered than its present po- 
 sition. To the west the small park is encircled by 
 the river Moriston, which, rushing over a beautiful 
 waterfall within the pleasure grounds in the immedi- 
 ate vicinity of the castle, joins the lake below. The 
 north or rear of the house is protected by lofty and 
 wood-clad mountains, at the base of which a few 
 houses repose, among which may be numbred a 
 clean and comfortable little inn : the whole em- 
 bowered in trees, mark the village of Glenmoriston 
 as one scarcely surpassed in Switzerland by the wild- 
 ness and beauty of its situation. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 141 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MAJESTIC was thy appearance, " Meal Four Vou- 
 rine !" for such is the name of the lofty mountain 
 which stands pre-eminent over its more humble 
 neighbours, to the north of the castle of Glenmori- 
 ston. Grand indeed were thy towering outlines, 
 though half veiled by the morning's mist, as we 
 walked forth early after a good night's rest, and 
 caressed the noble and beautiful deer hound, who, 
 stretched on the lawn, enjoyed the first rays of the 
 rising sun. On the wild and magnificent scenery 
 which surrounded us on all sides, however, we must 
 no longer dwell, but proceed to tell a tale of hound 
 and hart. 
 
 Once more, however, the sound of the pibroch 
 called the castle inmates together ; and having refused 
 the morning's dram, and made a furious attack on 
 the centre of a cold grouse pie, which succumbed to 
 our onslaught and lighted our cigar, the Laird threw 
 his plaid around him, and kindly proposed a visit to 
 the kennel, being well aware of the great admiration 
 in which we held the noble race of deer-hounds, 
 some of the purest of whose breed have, from time 
 immemorial, been possessed by the ancestors of 
 Glemnoriston. On our arrival at the kennel, the 
 doors being thrown open, three fine rough deer- 
 hounds, and a very handsoine smooth hound, of the 
 
142 SCOTTISH SPOKTS 
 
 same breed, and of equal size and strength, rushed 
 out on the grassy space before us ; indeed, had we 
 not moved on one side, we should, unquestionably 
 have measured our length on the ground. In addi- 
 tion to these we speak only of deer-hounds was 
 our friend of the morning, who joined in their gam- 
 bols and delight of freedom; he, however, on all 
 occasions being allowed to range at large, the faithful 
 friend and companion of his master, by whom he is 
 greatly valued and the pet and favourite of the 
 children ; for, notwithstanding their great courage 
 and ferocity when roused to action, the temper of 
 these dogs is most gentle. This gallant animal has 
 been the subduer, as we were then informed, of no less 
 than eighteen stags, which, single-handed, he has 
 either brought to bay or killed ; and was the sire of 
 two of those released from the kennel, as also of our 
 own dog Bran, mentioned in a former part of these 
 pages ; who like his parent, is one of the finest specimens 
 of his race that can possibly be conceived. Indeed, 
 without the slightest intention of exalting his cha- 
 racter because we have the satisfaction of owning 
 him, but rather in gratitude to the donor by whom 
 he was presented to us as a puppy, we should not 
 fear to produce him against any dog of the same 
 breed now living, as a remarkably fine specimen of 
 his race. 
 
 " I am not," said Mr. Grant, " the original foun- 
 der of the noble breed of animals in this glen ; in- 
 deed, a long minority on my part caused a serious 
 degeneration in the sporting superiority which here 
 maintained its pre-eminence in the time of my pre- 
 decessors. In fact, there now remains to me but few 
 relics of their prowess, either in the sports of the 
 field or valour in arms." A long gun, however, 
 which we had the pleasure of handling, still remains 
 
AND PASTIMES. 143 
 
 as an heirloom in the family. It is of great antiquity 
 and curiosity, and certainly two hundred years old. 
 It is well known in the locality by the name of the 
 "Alandick," and is of Dutch manufacture. The 
 barrel is a very fine one, at least six feet and a half 
 in length, and curved at the breech. It holds a 
 prominent place in the arm-rack, and is still an ex- 
 cellent ball gun, and many a red-deer has fallen to 
 its unerring truth. There is also in the same rack a 
 six-barrelled gun, or short rifle, of curious construc- 
 tion and great antiquity, with which its owner has 
 also been known to bring a hart to bay. Such are 
 the heirlooms of the Highlands. 
 
 But let us return to the dogs. The first which 
 entered the kennels of Glenmoriston, subsequent to 
 his majority or accession to the property, was sent 
 to him by Captain McDonald, of Moray, in the Braes 
 of Lochabar. This gentleman, since dead, was a 
 landholder and farmer of the old Highland class, 
 and a first-rate sportsman. Having heard of a pure 
 and beautiful bitch of the same breed, whose charac- 
 ter stood high for her great courage and lasting power 
 in the chase of the deer, then the property of the late 
 Thomas Mackenzie, of Applecross, Glenmoriston 
 suggested that either the one or the other should 
 endeavour to keep up this precious breed of dogs, 
 the pure animal becoming daily more scarce in the 
 Highlands. Mr. Mackenzie, however, having a far 
 greater taste for literature than sporting, declined the 
 task, and the lady forthwith became domiciled at 
 Invermoriston ; from which period, now about thirty 
 years ago, the breed has remained uncontaminated, 
 in those parts, at least, of which we had the pleasure 
 of seeing the few remaining specimens. We have 
 since been informed that Glenmoriston has relin- 
 quished his dogs, as also the care of their augmen- 
 
144 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 tation in which, at one period, he took great 
 interest to Mr. E. Ellis, of Glengarrick ; at least 
 such is the name of his shooting quarters ; and as 
 this gentleman is a first-rate sportsman, has the 
 means, and, like ourselves, is an enthusiast with re- 
 gard to these rough deer-hounds, we may fain hope 
 he will restore them to their original size and splen- 
 dour. The trouble and difficulty of rearing them 
 and keeping them pure in breed is, however immense. 
 Cross them but once, and a smooth piled puppy will 
 be introduced among the litter, as has been the case 
 with Mr. Grant's dogs ; and ever afterwards one or 
 two of the puppies will be smooth-haired. We must 
 however, state, that the fact of their smoothness does 
 not always detract from their fleetness or courage. 
 The puppies are extremely delicate, and require con- 
 stant care and attention ; but, the casualties of youth 
 and distemper once over, they become extremely 
 hardy ; as an instance, we will merely observe that 
 the splendid dog which had welcomed us in the early 
 morning, on our first proceeding from the castle, has 
 been known to lie out night after night on the lawn, 
 when the ground has been knee deep with snow ; 
 and this with shelter at hand, had he desired to take 
 advantage of it. If properly trained, their courage 
 and endurance of fatigue can be surpassed by no 
 domesticated animal ; but, on the contrary, if mis- 
 managed, and led to a task beyond their strength ere 
 they are full grown and well broken, should they 
 fail or get severely wounded, they will never re- 
 cover their courage. Glengarry, a name familiar 
 as birch-trees in the Highlands, to history and to 
 most sportsmen, who, at one period, possessed many 
 of these dogs, was in the habit of crossing them, 
 and some other owners continue to do so in the 
 present day. There is no question, however, that 
 
AKD PASTIMES, 145 
 
 they act erroneously, that is to say, if they require 
 a race of animals to hunt, chase, kill, or bring to bay 
 a red-deer. The deer-hound is either a deer-hound, 
 or it is a mongrel ; there can be no intermediate race. 
 Neither can there be a question that the animal in- 
 tended by a higher power for a particular object, is 
 the fit, proper, and superior one over all others. For 
 instance, cross a greyhound with a Newfoundland 
 dog ; then he may kill a hare, but how ? why, 
 by chance ; but he will never win a cup at the 
 Altcar. For the same reason, cross a noble deer- 
 hound with a mastiff or a bulldog, as many have 
 done ; he may, in some trifling degree, increase some 
 particular quality of the latter, but he will lose many 
 of the fine qualities and sagacities of the former, 
 which are alone to be found in the pure-bred deer- 
 hound. For instance, Glengarries had large feet and 
 great ugly heads, and other defects of proportion, 
 which made them unable to run on rocky or hard 
 ground, without soon becoming lame and useless. 
 
 But were we to write volumes on the interesting 
 subject of this breed of dogs, we should only add, 
 Get the pure race, and you will have the true one. 
 Treat them and train them properly, and they will 
 prove the best and only dogs which ought to be 
 used in the noble sport of deer- stalking, whether in 
 the open chase, or as the means of running a wounded 
 deer and bringing him to bay. They are a great 
 acquisition to any sporting kennel ; and, even when 
 far away from the Highlands, we know of few more 
 magnificent and faithful companions during a morn- 
 ing's ramble, or by a winter's fire-side. 
 
 A few years since, Glenmoriston most kindly sent 
 us two puppies of the purest breed ; and we were 
 fortunate enough to obtain another, equally pure 
 and handsome, from the same part of Scotland. Of 
 
 o 
 
146 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the dog we have already spoken ; he lives, as fine a 
 specimen as can be of his race. The bitch was as 
 beautiful and graceful an animal as could be ima- 
 gined ; but with the peculiarity which is particularly 
 prominent in these animals, she was not much more 
 than half the size of the dog, but so fleet that we 
 constantly and most unwisely used her to chase the 
 mountain hares ; and after a hard day on the hills of 
 Meggernie, w hen the weather was unusually hot for 
 October and probably from her youth she was 
 seized with convulsions, and, much to our regret, her 
 bones lie beneath the sod of her native hills. The 
 third is now in Ireland. She produced nine beautiful 
 puppies by the dog; but, notwithstanding every 
 care, they all died. These dogs were never kept in 
 kennel, save at night ; during the day they had, as 
 they do now, their entire freedom, and were our 
 constant companions, whether riding or walking; 
 indeed, they had the entree of every room in the 
 house. Their food was a matter of perfect indiffer- 
 ence as to the choice anything which was to be 
 had from the kitchen ; and under this treatment no 
 dogs could possibly thrive better: indeed, when 
 Glenmoriston saw the dog he had kindly sent as a 
 puppy at two years old, he admitted he was one of 
 the finest animals he ever beheld. 
 
 Did space permit it, we could tell endless tales of 
 their sagacity; we will, however, only name one, 
 with regard to their being excellent water dogs, and 
 then close the subject. For a season we resided at 
 a house, the garden or lawn of which extended to 
 the banks of a tolerably wide river ; on this river we 
 had a small skiff, in which, both summer and winter, 
 we constantly crossed to the opposite bank. On all 
 occasions, whatever the weather, even with snow on 
 the ground, the moment the boat was pushed from 
 
AND PASTIMES. 147 
 
 the shore, in plunged, not only the deer-hounds, but 
 two smooth grey-hounds ; and had we rowed back- 
 wards and forwards a dozen times, these animals 
 would have followed. On one occasion, we scarcely 
 recollect why, the deer-hound bitch, then not 
 eighteen months old, was sent to a friend who re- 
 sided at least a mile on the opposite side of the 
 river. On the first night after her departure, we 
 heard a howling under the bed-room window ; and 
 on looking out, not only discovered her ladyship, but 
 also, from the dripping of her shaggy coat, that she 
 had swum the river at midnight to return home ; and 
 this she repeated, in the depth of winter, on two 
 successive nights. And in reference to their gentle- 
 ness, we will simply add, that these fine animals 
 have often been seen stretched before a blazing fire, 
 with an Angola cat literally resting his head between 
 their fore legs. 
 
 Having enjoyed a view of the kennel, the mist of 
 the mountains thickened instead of clearing as the 
 day advanced ; and not ourselves being particularly 
 robust on that occasion, the Laird kindly suggested 
 we should take a look around his home domain, and 
 defer a sporting excursion to the hills till the 
 following one. As we walked along, therefore, care- 
 less of the threatening shower, he favoured us with 
 a few details of his neighbouring deer-forest. In 
 addition to his outlying distant forest, if such it 
 may be called, he has recently appropriated a mode- 
 rate proportion of the glen entirely as a harbour for 
 deer, of about three miles in length, and two in 
 breadth; and it is "prospering charmingly" these 
 are his own words. Forty or fifty deer may be found 
 there any morning that a sportsman desires a shot ; 
 but they are careful, and very properly so, of des- 
 troying too many stags : hinds, therefore, as yet, are 
 
 o 2 
 
148 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 alone permitted to be killed ; nevertheless, the game 
 book of 1845 scores ten stags. And the tenant who 
 rents a shooting higher up the Glen we believe 
 Sir H. Meux also killed ten last season ; but, if we 
 are not mistaken, in this account were numbered two 
 or more hinds. Lord Lovat had also a deer-forest 
 joining, or on the opposite side of the Glen to that 
 of Glenmoriston, and he also had good sport during 
 the season of 1845. In fact, not less than thirty or 
 forty stags succumbed to the deadly rifles of these 
 true sportsmen and doubtless they had some very 
 agreeable pastime ; yet the stock increases rather 
 than otherwise. 
 
 Of the neighbouring grouse hills, there are few 
 better in Scotland : blackcocks are also abundant, as 
 well as mountain hares. Ptarmigan are not wanting, 
 and, in addition to which, there is some first-rate 
 duck shooting in the season. The fishing in the 
 Moriston is very good, both as regards salmon and 
 trout ; and we feel satisfied that no fair sportsman 
 would be refused by Glenmoriston who might desire 
 to throw his fly therein. And now, a word of the 
 lake, on the borders of which we stood watching the 
 progress of the Glasgow steamer, which is a most 
 desirable accommodation to those w r ho possess shoot- 
 ing quarters on the line of the so -termed Caledonian 
 Canal. This beautiful lake is twenty-two miles in 
 length; its breadth save near Castle Urquhart, 
 where it is broader being about two miles. Its 
 depth is very great ; indeed, opposite a rock called 
 the "Horse-shoe," it has been found to be 140 
 fathoms. From a neighbouring eminence, a full 
 view may be obtained, for it is almost straight from 
 end to end, running east and west ; and its sides, 
 which are steep, rocky, and wooded, are most 
 pleasing to the eye of the traveller, as well as to 
 
AND PASTIMES. 149 
 
 the sportsman, for they yield game of all kinds. 
 Many peculiarities are attached to these wide and 
 extensive waters ; on which, however, we shall only 
 dwell in reference to their sporting qualities. Owing 
 to their great depth, they never freeze ; and, during 
 intense cold weather, a steam rises in the air as from 
 a furnace ; in fact, ice brought from any other place 
 and thrown into Fort Ness, would immediately thaw. 
 Yet no water freezes sooner than that from Loch 
 Ness, if taken into the house, or from the lake, and 
 placed elsewhere. Moreover, it is considered as re- 
 markably salubrious ; in fact, many come long 
 distances to take advantage of its qualities. And 
 it is a well-known fact, that during seven years, the 
 garrison of Fort Augustus lost not a single man by 
 death as was generally supposed from the quality of 
 the water, and the salubrity of the neighbouring 
 mountain air. 
 
 The salmon taken from this lake are in season 
 from Christmas to the latter end of September. 
 Trout of great weight, as also pike and eel, are 
 numerous ; and during winter there is endless sport 
 to be secured, from the numerous wild mews, wild 
 ducks, and widgeons, which abound there. The 
 surface of the lake is sometimes violently agitated 
 by the wind, which blows furiously between the 
 steep mountains by which it is hemmed in ; and the 
 waves are at times quite Biscay an. Indeed, a curi- 
 ous fact is related of an occurrence which took place 
 on the 1st November, 1755, at the same period with 
 an earthquake at Lisbon. The waters rose and 
 flowed up the lake from east to w^est with vast 
 impetuosity, breaking over the banks in waves, at 
 least three feet high ; and a heavy boat, laden with 
 wood, was literally carried three times high on shore, 
 and then dashed back again by the receding waters, 
 
 o 3 
 
150 SCOTTISH SPOETS 
 
 till destroyed. At tlie same period, an island on a 
 small lake in Baddanock was literally carried from 
 its base and flung on the main land ; yet at neither 
 the one nor the other place was the agitation felt on 
 the neighbouring shores. 
 
 The afternoon having set in dull and gloomy, we 
 passed the remainder of this agreeable day in trying 
 our prowess with rifle and pistol at a target placed 
 conveniently for such practice in the park ; and, 
 from the many successful shots which struck the 
 bull's-eye, anticipation was ripe as to the slaughter 
 of red-deer on the following morning. But we soon 
 found out, by practical demonstration, that the nerves 
 and pulse which beat calmly before a wooden mark, 
 are at fever heat when the antlers of a hart appear in 
 view ; and the best shots in the kingdom, who might 
 hit the neck of a bottle at one hundred and fifty 
 yards, or a shilling thrown in the air, need not be 
 disheartened should they miss their first red-deer at 
 five-and- twenty paces. 
 
 The inspection of an ancient shield, carried by the 
 great grandfather of Glenmoriston, namely, " John 
 A'Chragan," at the battle of Killicrankie. through 
 which was the hole of a musket, as also a pistol- 
 ball, and which ancient relic is verified as actually 
 having been used by that chieftain, from the records 
 of those present in the action and a few remarks 
 from the present chief, as to his being the only one 
 of his race who had never taken part in a military 
 life closed the light hours of our first day's visit to 
 the glen ; and the shrill notes of the pibroch again 
 informed us it was time to join the family circle in 
 the refectory. 
 
 At an early hour on the following morning, which 
 dawned fresh and fair, an open carriage stood ready 
 at the door to convey us to a convenient point for 
 
AND PASTIMES. 151 
 
 commencing the sports of the day. For some miles, 
 we followed the route of " Ascanius" up the beauti- 
 ful glen, which, in various breadths, was clothed by 
 dense masses of trees of every kind, growing almost 
 to the very summits of the high and rocky hills ; the 
 river, migrating and roaming, at times dashing with 
 violence from side to side of the deep, narrow, and 
 rocky channel, which in the course of ages it has 
 worn for itself ; at others, escaping, thundering and 
 foaming, it encloses some wooded islet or isolated 
 rock, where the aged pine holds undisputed sway, 
 and, luxuriating in freedom, shoots its weather- 
 beaten stem into a thousand irregular forms. No- 
 thing can be more wild and luxuriant, nothing more 
 beautiful, than the southern entrance to Glenmoris- 
 ton. Having arrived, however, at the appointed 
 spot, we were welcomed by keepers, gillies, deer- 
 hounds, and pointers, it being proposed in the first 
 instance to try for blackcock and roe-deer, that 
 abound in the low ground and slopes of the moun- 
 tains, which here became more open and heathered ; 
 an outlying deer might also, perchance, be met 
 with : as there, unlike their habits in the more open 
 and extensive forests in Scotland, they harbour much 
 in the woods, occasionally feeding on the grass 
 slopes, at other times reposing in the warmth of its 
 sunshine, but on the slightest alarm instantly return- 
 ing to the deep recesses of their coverts. Glen- 
 moriston, as well as his clansmen of the glen, are, 
 however, thoroughly acquainted with their man- 
 ceuvres, and the eye and local knowledge of such 
 sportsmen are not easily to be deceived; so with 
 justice we felt assured that our ignorance in such 
 matters could not be better guided than by attending 
 to their instructions, and by following their example. 
 Guns were . therefore loaded, and rifle-balls rammed 
 
152 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 home, and we breasted the mountain side. But soon 
 the sport commenced : bang on the right, bang again 
 on the left, a double shot in the centre, told of death 
 among the feathered tribe ; and a hare, endeavouring 
 to escape up the hill side, fell to our unskilful aim. 
 We had scarcely arrived at a thin belt of fir and 
 birch trees, ere a gillie apprised us that red-deer 
 were on foot. 
 
 " Halt here a wee bit," said he, "anent this rock, 
 and they'll just be ganging this way." 
 
 We did as he desired ; and, a rifle being handed 
 to us, we couched behind a rugged rock, heart- 
 beating and nervous, for the coming of these timid 
 and beautiful animals, whom we desired thus cruelly 
 to slaughter for a moment's pleasure. If this thump- 
 ing of the heart takes place on the expectation of a 
 roe- deer, we remarked, as thus we lay concealed, 
 the thump will break the string asunder when on a 
 similar watch for the nobler game of red- deer. They 
 came, however, true as the gillie had predicted. A 
 shot from the nearest sportsman, echoing through 
 the mountains, warned us to look out; and we did 
 so, all eyes and anxiety, when at last four swift and 
 elegant roe-deer bounded like lightning across the 
 rocky ground, within thirty yards of our position, 
 and rushed along the hill side towards another small 
 cover at hand. Bad as we admit our shooting quali- 
 ties to be, we felt at the moment assured that such 
 large objects, and so near, could not be missed, not- 
 withstanding the speed to which fear had given 
 additional wings ; indeed, we* fancied we already 
 grieved o'er the dead carcass of the beautiful crea- 
 ture, so remorselessly slain in the fleeting moment of 
 sporting excitement. We were never more mistaken 
 in our lives : cool as we attempted to be careful as 
 we imagined our aim to be-^ere the report of our 
 
AND PASTIMES. 155 
 
 rifle had warned our neighbours of our luck in 
 getting a shot, the ball had struck a stone at least 
 half a yard to the right of the roe, and they fled on 
 unscathed into the cover at hand. This was our first 
 and last chance at a roe that day ; in other respects, 
 we did a fair share of the duties of the morning, and 
 certainly yielded to none in the enjoyment we 
 experienced. At mid-day we halted, and assembled 
 the party near a refreshing mountain rivulet ; and, 
 though we are by no means an advocate for these 
 gastronomic interruptions to a day's sport, yet, we 
 must own, a pleasant half-hour's rest, and a trifle of 
 cold grouse, in such a scene, and on such occasions, 
 with an afternoon's deer-shooting in prospect, is by 
 no means the most disagreeable moment of one's life. 
 Seated, therefore, on a heathered bank, with a merry 
 group around in fact, forming one of those pleasing 
 pictures which kandseer or Taylor can far better 
 paint than we can pen as the smoke from various 
 cigars and pipes curled in wreaths through the clear 
 air, we contemplated the success of the morning. A 
 beautiful roe, still graceful in death, which had fallen 
 to the unerring aim of one of our companions, and 
 which he beheld with much satisfaction several 
 mountain hares, blackcocks, and four brace of grouse, 
 lay before us ; and a very pleasing sight it was, and 
 not bad sport late in the season. But fatigue is 
 little thought of with game in view, and the whole 
 party were soon prepared for another start. 
 
 " We will cross the river," said our leader, " and 
 doubtless you will then have a shot at a red- deer : be 
 calm, however take time, and ere nightfall you may 
 yet tell of something better than a roe." 
 
 We descended to the banks of the stream, in order 
 to cross over by some rocks and large stones, so 
 placed as to admit of a dry passage ; when evident 
 
156 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 signs and tracks of deer having also recently crossed, 
 gave us renewed hopes. Oscar, one of the deer 
 dogs, was nose to the ground and ears erect, pulling 
 hard at the gillie, who with much difficulty pre- 
 vented his breaking loose. Having reached the 
 opposite shore, we came to a halt, in order to arrange 
 our forces ; and after a little discussion among 
 keepers and foresters, our line of battle was formed, 
 and we found ourselves in company with one of the 
 Laird's sons, a most agreeable and amiable lad, now 
 in India to whom, should these pages ever meet 
 his eye, we would recall with thanks his courtesy 
 and kindness on that occasion the shouts of laughter 
 and humour which enlivened our walk home after 
 this day's sport, when scarcely one of us could other- 
 wise have walked a yard farther ; indeed, as regards 
 ourselves, to this hour we believe we have never 
 recovered the fatigue and excitement, which caused 
 us subsequently a sharp attack of fever and in- 
 disposition. 
 
 But to proceed. With, our kind conductor, we 
 skirted a great portion of the thick wood or covert, 
 our companions also being appointed to favourable 
 localities for the passing of the deer ; and at length 
 we found ourselves fairly ensconced in a thicket, 
 from which we commanded the crossing of two long 
 rides or paths, cut in the recesses of the forest ; and 
 a multitude of beaters being thrown in, Heaven 
 knows where, we awaited the coming of the sove- 
 reign of the glen barring Glenmoriston himself. 
 What passed beyond, as thus we lay secluded in that 
 retired spot, we cannot here recount, inasmuch as a 
 monthly volume of the " Colonial Library" would 
 not admit of it. But as long as the breath of life 
 remains to us and we would wish to speak our 
 natural feelings, though many may say "stuff!" 
 
PASTIMES. 157 
 
 we shall never forget that day. Half an hour 
 elapsed in pleasing dialogue, in a sort of demi-tone. 
 A joke was passed a smothered laugh the pro- 
 posal to light a cigar. The deer will smell the 
 smoke : their scent is very acute. Nevertheless, we 
 both wished it. How dreadfully cold ! Never mind, 
 a shot will warm you. We sink knee-deep in wet ! 
 Ah, that's nothing, when you're used to it ! be 
 patient. Well we might ! an hour elapsed, and not 
 a sound. Can we be well placed ? Decidedly so 
 none better. We are frozen ! Never mind. 
 
 Hark ! a shout ! Bang ! The sound died away. 
 We started up held the rifle firmly. Look out ! 
 A blackcock passed us. " D n those blackcocks !" 
 at any other time how welcome ! Another shout 
 another bang ! Half an hour more elapsed we 
 could scarcely brave it longer. Frozen half drowned 
 the first hour's merriment began to flag. Had we 
 only been allowed a cigar ! but then red- deer are 
 not fond of the smell of baccy. We coughed. You 
 must not cough ! We sneezed. No sneezing ! We 
 danced. You must not dance. This is forest deer- 
 shooting, is it r A jungle, for all we cared. Alas ! 
 how long we had desired such luck ! but then, like 
 the child who cries for a toy, having obtained it, we 
 could have flung the treasure away. But as yet we 
 had not obtained it. Two hours had we remained 
 in this damp and cold seclusion, when, lo ! a louder 
 report saluted our anxious ears ; close at hand the 
 echo came, and all our miseries w^ere about to cease. 
 
 " Be patient for Heaven's sake, be calm !" said 
 our young companion, " or you will miss him." 
 
 We have heard the whistling ball, which tells of 
 danger past, fly harmless o'er our head in scenes of 
 bloodshed and danger we have heard the shriek of 
 figony occasioned by its paralyzing stroke we have 
 
 p 
 
158 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 seen Death busy in the ranks of men, and have 
 known the hour of agony and pain : in such moments 
 we have thought of home and loved ones far away, 
 and the heart has beat quick, and the nerves have 
 been unstrung. We have also felt the joys of pride 
 and pleasure, and known, which many ne'er can 
 count, moments of joy and excitement, which repay, 
 and well repay, for long long hours of bitterness and 
 anxiety. Yet, though folly may it be to declare it, 
 never have we felt have the feverish excitement that 
 was caused us at the moment when, looking up the 
 open forest side which lay in our front, we beheld 
 the approach of about twenty red- deer coming to- 
 wards us at full speed. Perhaps it was the cold 
 perhaps the wet, or the long waiting we know not 
 whieh but so nervous were we, that scarcely could 
 we lift the rifle to our shoulder. We managed, 
 however, to shake off partially this feeling which un- 
 nerved us, and, bringing the rifle to the shoulder, 
 prepared for the coining deer. The quick eye of our 
 young companion, however, accustomed to such 
 sport, immediately perceived that the herd were 
 composed of hinds, some having calves still by their 
 sides, and not an antler was among them. He 
 therefore seized the arm, which in another instant 
 would perhaps have pulled the trigger, and by 
 destroying the mother, at the same time have 
 murdered the son. And, lo ! they passed a noble 
 group. To us they appeared as a drove of oxen so 
 large they loomed in the shades of the forest, and 
 magnified by the excited state of our nerves. They 
 passed, however, rapidly on, and were lost to view. 
 We know not why, but this scene totally revived us : 
 we recovered nerve, and felt that we had acted with 
 patience, if not foresight. Altogether, we were 
 recalled to the fact, that we desired to kill a stag ; 
 
A.ND PASTIMES. 159 
 
 what we might have done, had not our young friend 
 been at hand, we know not, but probably we should 
 have wounded a hind. As for him, we hope ere this 
 he has bagged a brace of elephants and lordly tigers. 
 But our patience and forbearance were amply re- 
 warded. A brief time elapsed ere again the mur- 
 derous voice of powder proclamed the deer at hand ; 
 and with nerves well knit we prepared ourselves for 
 action. Once more the opening was darkened by 
 the coming deer. In this instance the number was 
 far less, but the antlers, the forked antlers, adorned 
 their lofty heads. 
 
 " Take the leader," said our young chieftain, 
 " and hit him in the heart. I shall not fire." 
 
 We did as he desired. Hidden by the trees, we, 
 calmly as circumstances would permit, awaited the 
 moment when the animal was well nigh abreast of 
 our hiding-place, and then fired as he rapidly 
 advanced. Almost immediately after the report, at 
 not more than thirty yards from where we stood, the 
 deer fell on its knees, and then with a sudden bound 
 recovered itself, and fled through the forest. The 
 gillie near at hand for the moment we had for- 
 gotten him and who held a fine deer-hound, imme- 
 diately slipped the noble animal, who at once gave 
 chase to the wounded deer; and we followed, in 
 eager and breathless hope of the result, which, how- 
 ever, we were not fated to know ere the light of day 
 had closed the glen in darkness ; and had that plea- 
 sure been afforded us by time and sufficient remain- 
 ing strength to follow on his lengthened track, 
 we could ill have related here that which has been so 
 forcibly and beautifully described by abler pens, in 
 their accounts of wounded stags at bay. On our 
 arrival at the hospitable castle, a packet of letters, 
 some not unimportant, apprised us that by daybreak 
 
 p2 
 
160 SCOTTISH SPOUTS. 
 
 we must start for the south ; and the feverish and 
 sleepless night which followed our pleasures of the 
 preceding day warned us to lose no time. Lucky 
 for us that we acted with decision, or we might not 
 now be living to tell the tale. 
 
 A short time afterwards we were greeted with a 
 letter from our merry companion in the swampy 
 hiding-place, accompanied by a handsome pair of 
 antlers ; an extract from which we subscribe : 
 
 " You killed your first stag, or, at least, wounded it to the 
 death, for it Las been recovered ; and I have the pleasure of 
 sending you a haunch of venison and a fine pair of antlers. 
 The latter you can hang up in your hall, if you have one ; if 
 not, preserve them in recollection of the sports of the glen." 
 
 We have them still. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 161 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 WE have hitherto been so entirely engrossed with 
 sporting anecdote as to have dwelt but cursorily on 
 subjects more immediately connected with the habits 
 and pursuits of those who dwell in that most inter- 
 esting portion of Her Majesty's dominions termed 
 the Highlands, over so large a tract of which we 
 wandered, alike on craggy mountain top and through 
 fertile glen. We are now, however, about to visit 
 the wild and majestic Corryarrick, once more to 
 crave for a night the kind hospitalities of the Laird 
 of Invermoriston, and thence, passing by the northern 
 road, which skirts the border of Loch Ness, to have 
 a peep at that ancient capital to which the neigh- 
 bouring waters grant a name. We shall, however, 
 speak of persons and places as we have heretofore, 
 endeavoured to speak, in all kindness ; of persons as 
 we found them, of places as we saw them, without the 
 slightest endeavour to illustrate by poetical fiction, 
 or " set down aught in malice." With the convic- 
 tion that theory must e\er give way to facts, con- 
 jecture to certainty, general views and hasty sketches 
 must not be substituted for accuracy of description 
 or truthfulness of delineation. Human manners, 
 under every variety, must be caught from the 
 life ; and hence, we trust, may arise some value 
 and interest from our simple details. In England, 
 
 p 3 
 
162 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the name of Scotchman is used indiscriminately ; 
 but we may remark, with little fear of contradiction, 
 that the Highlanders differ from the inhabitants of 
 the low country in almost every circumstance of 
 life ; their language, habits, manners, and, not lang 
 syne, their dress, was equally unlike. Thus the 
 resident of the land of milk and honey, as they 
 formerly denominated it, would be ill-satisfied were 
 he supposed to number as one of those who revel in 
 " cakes and ale," in fact, the dweller amid the 
 wilderness of mountains takes to his heart the pride 
 of place from, the native of the more fertile Low- 
 lands. Indeed, this trifling matter of vanity as to 
 birthplace may only be compared to the passion of 
 jealousy in love. And thus to name a Scotchman 
 only, without regard to his being a Highlander or 
 Lowlander, would be as indefinite a term as would 
 be that of calling a Frenchman an European. 
 
 With reference, however, to that portion of Great 
 Britain termed " the Highlands" of Scotland, we 
 will simply remark, that while they range over more 
 than one-half of the whole of that interesting 
 country, their productiveness save as regards the 
 recently understood valuable speculation in game, 
 and the consequent pleasure of the chase, for which 
 their wealthy neighbours of England are ready to 
 pay any price demanded, and the still more recent 
 discovery of wealth derived from the mountain 
 sheep-farms may be counted in proportion as a 
 bushel in a well-filled grain store. This portion, 
 however, of the country so denominated nevertheless 
 extends from Dumbarton, on the river Clyde, near 
 Glasgow, to the most northern part of the kingdom, 
 in length exceeding two hundred miles, whereas it 
 varies in breadth from sixty to one hundred from 
 German Ocean to Atlantic Sea. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 163 
 
 And there, in that large extent of country, while 
 wildness and beauties of nature unsurpassed abound 
 in the west, barenness, shivering discomfort, and 
 nakedness, from the want of woodlands, is prominent 
 in the more cultivated, but far less interesting, plains 
 of the east. In fact, speaking plainly and truth- 
 folly and we yield to few men in regard to the 
 extent of the Highlands, or other portions of Europe 
 over which we have wandered, we should say, as 
 well to the sportsman as to him who seeks the untiring 
 interest of Nature's beauties in their wildness, visit 
 these beauties, for pleasure or for sport, during the 
 more genial season of summer or of autumn, and 
 steer your course generally to the west : for if 
 perchance your barque be windbound on the eastern 
 coast, you may chance to exclaim, " For which of 
 my sins am I doing penance here ?" 
 
 As the sequel, however, will show, it was not our 
 fate to practise always that which we herein preach 
 for the information of our neighbours. 
 
 The summits of the Grampian range were white 
 with abundant snow, the silvery birch woods, beau- 
 tiful 'mid summer fulness of leaf, now bowed their 
 graceful heads from the weight of white hoar frost, 
 the lawn without, similarly bedecked, hardened and 
 crisp under foot, looked like a sparkling sheet of 
 diamonds as the bright rays of a clear, full, winter's 
 moon, surrounded by a myriad of glittering stars, 
 shone o'er the waters of the Tay, as, within half gun- 
 shot of its wooded banks, we sat within our snuggery. 
 Merry Christmas time was fast approaching. The 
 seventh of December, 1 84 , had well nigh closed 
 for ever ; three days alone remained ere a short 
 truce would be permitted to the chirping grouse and 
 raven- winged blackcock. On such a night, or, more 
 properly speaking, on that very night of the year, 
 
164 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 we sat in the aforenamed snuggery snug enough 
 and warm enough, we must admit, notwithstanding 
 the bitter cold which reigned without ; for the room 
 which, for a season, we claimed as our own, measured 
 somewhat less than twelve feet by eight ; and while 
 a fire blazed on the hearth, big enough and bright 
 enough to roast a New Year's sirloin, curtains, shut- 
 ters, and doors were closed. Moreover, as if deter- 
 mined to make the best of the warmth, our legs 
 were deposited on the hob, not far distant from the 
 top of the chimney-piece, our back reclined on a 
 soft and well- cushioned arm-chair, and, while in our 
 right hand we held for perusal the " Chateau d'lf," 
 our left secured a meerschaum, small in size, but well 
 filled with c'naster, from which, ever and anon, the 
 perfumed smoke curled up towards the ceiling, 
 and served to brighten an imagination already well- 
 nigh extended to the full, from the interest of the 
 book we were perusing. This was the extent of our 
 indulgences, for toddy we never drink, or aught else, 
 while smoking ; and although c'naster may not come 
 quite up to the mark of more refined lovers of the 
 aromatic weed, we find it cheaper, and it serves our 
 purpose well. 
 
 We have already taken leave to remark, that we 
 have not the power of placing mere simple facts 
 before our readers in any other form than that in 
 which they actually presented themselves to us, or of 
 putting words in the mouths of men otherwise than 
 as we heard them spoken; therefore must we 
 leave our friends to tell their own tales, and call 
 on memory for a faithful delineation of what they 
 told. 
 
 A fine curl of smoke had just risen in small 
 circles towards the ceiling of our snuggery, forced 
 up rapidly at the last moment doubtless from a more 
 
AND PASTIMES. 165 
 
 vehement puff, caused by an exciting passage from 
 the pen of Dumas, when the door opened, and a 
 smiling face peeped into the room a mild, an 
 amiable face it was and then a cough, doubtless the 
 effect of the smoke. A hand was extended, and a 
 hearty welcome given. 
 
 " How is it possible you can exist in such an 
 atmosphere ? Cold as it is unquestionably without, 
 this room is like a baker's oven, and the smoke is 
 more dense than the mist on the mountain top." 
 
 " Precisely : we were at this very moment on the 
 top of Monte Christo, and a most treasurable mount 
 it is." 
 
 " Well, however interesting, put aside your book, 
 and let me open the door, for I am half stifled ; and 
 then tell me, are you up to a ramble r" 
 
 " A ramble ? Decidedly. Where and when r" 
 
 " Why, as to the where, I have frequently heard 
 you express an intense desire to cross Corryarrick, 
 and 4 tomber,' as the French have it, on Kilyawhoimin 
 or Fort Augustus, previous to leaving the High- 
 lands, a desire in which I eagerly participate." 
 
 " Cross Corryarrick thus late in the season r" 
 
 " And kill an old woman." 
 
 " More likely to kill two young men ; but are you 
 in earnest ? are you serious in your intentions ? For 
 if such an excursion be practicable thus late in the 
 season, the very difficulties which present themselves 
 are sufficient to induce us at once to desire to par- 
 ticipate in your wanderings ; and, above all things, 
 we are anxious to see a snow-storm on the moun- 
 tains." 
 
 " Snow-storms, believe me, are better seen from 
 the window of this smoky den of yours. Neverthe- 
 less, the weather is brilliant and frosty, there are 
 etijl three days to the 10th of December, and, as 
 
166 SCOTTISH SPOBTS 
 
 Yorkshire pies are eaten at York, there can be no 
 possible reason why we should not have a grouse pie 
 in the Highlands ; and if the flavour be increased by 
 the addition of a blackcock or a mountain hare, I 
 think we may reckon on as good fare for Christmas 
 day as our friends in the south." 
 
 " Your arrangements are positively delightful. 
 The question is settled on our parts, so the sooner we 
 start the better. Corryarrick, Kilyawhoimin, and 
 grouse pies for ever !" 
 
 Our friend departed to prepare for our adven- 
 turous ramble, to be commenced on the morrow, and 
 we attempted to smoke another pipe, and read a few 
 more pages ; but our imagination flew so rapidly 
 from I) If dungeons to Corryarrick precipices, from 
 Marseilles to Fort Augustus, that both book and 
 pipe were soon laid by, and, ensconced to the nose in 
 our downy couch, we soon slept too soundly to dream 
 of care. 
 
 Ere the clock of St. Paul's had struck the mid-day 
 hour in England's great metropolis, far in the north 
 of Her Majesty's dominions, well and warmly clad, 
 we sat on the box of the mail which rolled on its 
 way towards Dimkeld. The sun shone brilliantly, 
 the sky was clear and cloudless overhead, and the 
 ground was hard and white with frozen snow beneath 
 the wheels. Our difficulties, however, commenced 
 right early, for scarcely had *we started from the first 
 place of changing horses, ere crack went a spring, or 
 some other equally important portion of the vehicle ; 
 and at the very onset of our expedition, we barely 
 escaped an overset, with the chance of being buried 
 alive in the snow. The guard, however, an active 
 but ill -paid servant of the crown, though well- remu- 
 nerated slave to the public to whose wants and 
 comforts, if he be a wise individual, he pays far more 
 
AND PASTIMES. 167 
 
 attention than to the mail-bags speedily produced 
 ropes, straps, &c., from his deposit of precautionary 
 measures, and, having soon bound up the fracture, 
 away we went again, little the worse, up hill and 
 down brae, at a good steady pace, till we arrived at 
 the well-known bridge which crosses the Tay from 
 south to north, and joins the very entrance to the 
 town of Dtmkeld glorious in forest and in gloom 
 beautiful locality when embosomed in the bright 
 and cheerful graces of sunny spring still more 
 interesting and beautiful when bedecked with 
 autumn's variety of coloured foliage but at merry 
 Christmas time, like the toy of a hamlet buried in a 
 basin of snow, the sides of which are darkened by 
 the gloom of vast and dense woodlands. 
 
 Here we made an unusually long halt, to repair ; 
 and, although it would afford little interest to dwell 
 at any length on the peculiarities and dreariness of a 
 route now generally so well known and so much fre- 
 quented moreover, which, ere many years elapse, 
 will be within the reach of all, both in regard to 
 time and means we must nevertheless crave per- 
 mission to say a few words in reference to Blair in 
 Atholl, which was the next point of any importance ; 
 for there we were again unusually delayed by the 
 miserable state of the roads, which had once more 
 shaken our spring out of joint. Therefore, while the 
 blacksmith's hammer is at work, we will add that 
 Blair in Atholl, which we surmise to be the proper 
 cognomen, is one of those Highland gems whose 
 local interests are equalled by few in the estimation 
 of a sportsman, and scarcely less so to him who 
 visits as a tourist such wild scenes of forest, glen, 
 and woodland. The present chieftain of Atholl, now 
 the head of his clan, was very recently better known 
 to the world as Lord Glenlyon, and he well deserves 
 
168 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the proud possessions of his forefathers ; alike from 
 the interest he takes in the welfare of his followers, 
 the love which he appears to entertain for his native 
 hills, and the consequent outlay and improvement of 
 his noble patrimony, with many other causes tending 
 to the welfare of those among whom he chiefly resides, 
 and by whom he is much esteemed : and of these 
 qualities, certainly not the least is his desire to keep 
 up old family feelings, ancient costumes, and here- 
 ditary associations, with the word of kindness and by 
 the hand of liberality, without recurring to the days 
 of the broadsword and the sharp skenedhu. Yet, 
 though we can speak of the pleasure of his personal 
 acquaintance, and have received some kindness and 
 courtesy at his hand, we must decline entering into 
 any detail of his home peculiarities, for reasons of 
 delicacy heretofore divulged. That we name him as 
 a sportsman, however aud there are few better who 
 range o'er the steep sides of Benigloe, or level the rifle at 
 antlers in Glenlilt we need scarcely apologize when 
 we add that, when it is borne in mind that he is 
 extremely near-sighted, and moreover far from robust 
 in health, it appears to us most extraordinary that he 
 should ride and drive with the most consummate 
 nerve go through physical exertions almost un- 
 equalled, certainly rarely surpassed over the same 
 ground where sovereigns of yore, and princes of our 
 own time, have made the welkin ring with rifle and 
 with Mantons. We know not whether, at the 
 moment we write, it is his pleasure, as was his wont, 
 to keep hounds; but at the period to which our 
 memory returns, he possessed not only a well- sized 
 and well-bred pack of harriers, with which he afforded 
 sport and pastime to himself and neighbours in the 
 vales immediately adjacent to his ancient castle of 
 Atholl, but also, being a constant resident on his 
 
AND PASTIMES* 169 
 
 property at Dunkeld, where lie possesses a most 
 beautifully situated and commodious cottage ornee in 
 the ancient park of his ancestors, through which 
 flows the rapid Tay, he was wont constantly to hunt 
 from thence with the above hounds over the rich and 
 luxuriant vale extending from Perth to the afore- 
 named town. Various and exciting was the sport 
 he thus afforded his friends and neighbours, both 
 Highland and Lowland ; and it was not seldom that, 
 having secured a noble red-deer from his neighbour- 
 ing forest of Atholl, and having shorn him of his 
 graceful antlers, and conditioned him with hard food, 
 he was turned before the hounds, almost wild from 
 his native hills ; and, under such circumstances, as 
 may readily be supposed, frequently affording a rare 
 gratification to those sufficiently well nerved and 
 mounted to follow the chase over so wild a country, 
 so difficult to cross. On one of these occasions, in 
 the springy freshness of March the scene is now 
 before us, clear to the mind's eye as if it were yes- 
 terday we formed one of a small party of merry 
 horsemen, who were fortunate enough to meet the 
 hounds in question at a small road-side inn on the 
 highway from Perth to Dunkeld: more fortunate 
 still were we on finding ourselves mounted on a gallant 
 light grey mare, one of the very best fencers, and 
 most enduring of animals, it was ever our delight 
 to ride to hounds ; though, in truth, she was not 
 exactly a Derby nag in regard to pace. His Grace 
 the chieftain for recollect, we are in the Highlands 
 approached to welcome us at the meet, mounted 
 on an animal which, for blood, bone, and symmetry, 
 Melton might have well been proud of. Beneath 
 his velvet hunting- cap there appeared a pair of spec- 
 tacles, which, to those who looked around on the 
 country we were about to cross, caused some degree 
 
 Q 
 
170 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 of astonishment, as it was quite evident that good 
 eye -sight, as well as nerve, would be required to their 
 utmost. Nevertheless, we remained but a brief time 
 to discuss the remnant of a cigar, and partake of the 
 Edinburgh ale and London Porter (probably brewed 
 at St. Andrews), which was liberally offered to the 
 party, ere the king of the forest was uncarted ; and, 
 having for a moment exposed his splendid haunches 
 to the admiring field, trotting gently up an acclivity, 
 he tossed his noble head as if in disgust at the affront 
 offered by the deprivation of his forked antlers, 
 snuffed up the air in disdain at its Lowland murki- 
 ness, and then, with a bounding gallop, bade adieu 
 to hound and horse, at a pace which few could have 
 complained of, even in these days ef railway hunting, 
 and which few could have followed for any lengthened 
 period over such a country. 
 
 A brief law having been granted to the stag, the 
 pack was laid on, and, immediately taking up the 
 scent, away they raced, without hesitation or check. 
 
 The first portion of the run crossed an enclosed 
 and heavy country, with tremendous fences ; then 
 came comparatively open, undulating ground, com- 
 posed of stony, heathered hills : here, boggy moor- 
 land of some miles in extent ; there, cultivated lands 
 intersected by ravines, far more difficult to ride over, 
 in our humble opinion, than the stiffest flight of 
 gates : then we approached hill and stony dale, then 
 easy riding land, fir plantations, and heathered braes, 
 without check or hindrance, till we came to a sudden 
 halt on the banks of the Tay, which there rushed 
 foaming past us, unfordable, and in considerable 
 breadth of stream. We had then raced, for no time 
 had been allowed for a moment's consideration, full 
 nine miles from the uncarting point, when thus the 
 hounds threw up their heads, and the few who had 
 
AND PASTIMES. 171 
 
 been fortunate enough to keep the pack in view, 
 cried, " Hold, enough /" for the pace, which had 
 been killing throughout, as well as the nature of the 
 ground, was sufficient to stop the best blood and 
 bone in the kingdom. Moreover, we had commenced 
 late in the day, and having a long ride to our quarters 
 for the night, through a wild country not well known 
 to us, we felt it as well to take time by the forelock, 
 and be wary of the shades of evening. Not so the 
 gallant master of the pack, however ; he well knew 
 that the deer had crossed the Tay, making for some 
 dense woodlands which skirted the opposite bank ; 
 to ford the river was out of the question ; to swim it, 
 still more so, for both horse and man would soon 
 have been food for salmon. No chance therefore 
 remained of resuming the scent, but that of riding 
 for a bridge, some three miles distant from the spot 
 where we had checked ; thus, at least six intervened 
 between the hounds and the slot of their game. And 
 having attained these thick woodlands, where the 
 deer was unquestionably sheltered, for of course we 
 had tried every possible means to ascertain this fact 
 previous to coming to a decision, any possibility of 
 forcing him ere dusk, we felt was out of the question. 
 We therefore turned our horse's head from the 
 battle-field, and leisurely pursued our route towards 
 a neighbouring Highland Castle, where we had been 
 kindly invited to sojourn for the night. And never 
 shall we forget our visit there, so long as memory 
 with life exists. Having arrived at the portals of 
 this truly splendid abode, situated in one of the most 
 romantic and beautiful localities in Scotland, at no 
 great distance from Dunkeld, we gave our horse to 
 the servant in attendance, and thence proceeded to 
 divest ourselves of the paraphernalia and dirt of the 
 chase ; and having substituted a more sombre garb, 
 
 Q 2 
 
172 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 we were welcomed by our host in an apartment, the 
 decorations, valuable pictures, and objects of vertu in 
 which, would not have discredited the mansion of 
 the richest peer of the realm. Haying said this 
 much, we may add that a similar appearance of ele- 
 gance and wealth evinced itself in all other parts of 
 the castle, even to the bed-rooms, where comfort and 
 even luxury abounded. To make our tale the more 
 readily understood, however, in its truthfulness and 
 quaintness, w r e must add, without intentional offence, 
 that while the proprietor of this noble chateau was 
 absent, the duties of offering the well-known hos- 
 pitality which generally there abounded, were left to 
 the care of a younger brother, who, with many ad- 
 mirable qualities and most perfect breeding in manner 
 and conduct, nevertheless fully carried out in prac- 
 tice, on most occasions, the theoretical cognomen of 
 " Canny Scotchman." Thus, our expectations, as 
 far as gastronomic indulgences were concerned, cer- 
 tainly bore no comparison with the luxuries and 
 comforts by which on all sides we were surrounded; 
 therefore, after having been warmly greeted by our 
 host, we were by no means surprised at his assertion 
 to the guests assembled, that he had nothing better 
 to offer them than boiled rabbits, with which the 
 estate supplied his table most abundantly. Yet 
 knowing full well the parsimonious character which 
 he bore in the neighbourhood, although there are 
 few better repasts than rabbits stewed with onions, as 
 we looked around on the hungry faces of the com- 
 pany, and knew that our own appetite at this moment 
 would have enabled us to eat our grandmother simi- 
 larly stewed, we certainly felt, as the last word in 
 the marriage ceremony informs us, amazed. But 
 still more so, in addition to our gratification, when, 
 on crossing a fine entrance hall, filled with ancient 
 
AND PASTIMES. 173 
 
 and curious implements of war and of the chase, on 
 the dining-room door being thrown open, we beheld 
 a large round table abundantly supplied with covers ; 
 in fact, on this occasion, a most ample and well- 
 cooked repast was served, and we all set to with a 
 vigour and determination to do justice to the viands, 
 and houour to the absent laird, whose well-known 
 liberality we felt could alone have been the means of 
 securing to us so many creature comforts. 
 
 Now, it so happened, that one of the expected 
 guests, a gallant Major of Infantry, who had joined 
 in the chase in the morning, having lingered too long 
 in the vain hope of discovering that we had been 
 mistaken in our conviction of the deer's having 
 crossed the Tay, did not reach the castle till we had 
 made considerable havoc with a salmon fresh that 
 morning from the river, and whose richness we were 
 endeavouring to correct with just one gout of most 
 excellent Cognac. The first glance at our hungry 
 party convinced the soldier, and with reason, that no 
 delay could be admitted for ablution or personal 
 adornment, so he forthwith joined us at the table, 
 booted and spurred, splashed, and in scarlet. 
 
 It would be difficult to explain at this remote 
 period, the reason, if reason there existed, for such a 
 cause ; yet it was nevertheless apparent, that while 
 the addition of the officer to the assembled company 
 increased their merriment, it also increased the 
 determination of the whole party to do ample justice 
 to the good things so unexpectedly, yet abundantly, 
 provided. Moreover, the reported character of our 
 host's love of keeping his siller in his pouch, appeared 
 whether out of frolic or maliciousness, we will not 
 presume to decide to have caused so exciting a 
 thirst to overcome the guests, that a bottle of claret 
 was scarcely placed upon the table ere it was 
 
 3 
 
174 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 emptied ; and this with such rapid succession, that 
 an anxious, nervous, muscular twitching in the face 
 of the absent laird's brother soon became too evident 
 to be mistaken. This fact, however, only increased 
 the ardour of attack ; and the midnight hour was 
 therefore near at hand ere we retired from the 
 dining-room to the handsomely furnished drawing- 
 room already named. The excitement, however, 
 aided by the libations of claret so copiously imbibed 
 by all, tended only to increase a desire for further 
 excitement; and smoking was not only proposed, 
 but acceded to. 
 
 To quit, however, the easy and luxurious seats in 
 which we had ensconced ourselves, was out of the 
 question ; and by this time, the juicy grape had so 
 happy an influence on our host, that, admitting his 
 pocket to be generally closed, his heart was decidedly 
 open on this occasion, to any desire, however 
 strange, on the part of his guests. Long Turkish 
 pipes, the humble clay, and the Havannah cigar, 
 were therefore at once supplied and as strange 
 a scene presented itself as ever was, or perhaps ever 
 will be, seen in this magnificent Highland sporting 
 quarter. 
 
 Comfortably ensconced in a most luxurious arm- 
 chair, sat, or rather lounged, the gallant officer, in 
 full hunting costume, with a clay pipe in his mouth, 
 from which the curling fumes of Dutch Cut wafted 
 in clouds towards a beautiful sporting piece by 
 Murillo, which adorned the opposite wall; in another 
 equally luxurious chair, reclined a young English 
 tourist, with a cherry-stick a yard and a half long, 
 at the end of which was a small Turkish bowl rest- 
 ing on a table of immense value, formed of mosaic, 
 and which had been purchased and conveyed to its 
 then resting place at an enormous expense : and in 
 
AND PASTIMES. 175 
 
 another part of the room, at full length on a sofa, 
 cigar in mouth, reposes a third guest in the full 
 enjoyment of his aromatic weed, while he calmly 
 admired a hunting piece by Teniers, which hung 
 over one of the fire-places : in the centre of the 
 room, a party of four prepared themselves to try a 
 hand at whist ; as an ancient servant of the family 
 entered with a jug of boiling water, and sundry 
 black bottles containing brandy and whisky, as a 
 finale to the festivities which had already been so 
 copiously enjoyed. 
 
 Fatigued by the sports of the day, however, and 
 excited beyond our general custom from the share 
 we had taken in the endeavour to inebriate the host 
 no very courteous act for his hospitality, by- the - 
 bye, we availed ourselves of the opportunity of 
 escaping to our downy couch, in order to prepare 
 ourselves for a journey on the morrow. Being 
 over-heated and feverish from our libations, how- 
 ever, sleep was out of the question, and at an early 
 hour we sallied forth to take a look at the mag- 
 nificent scenery by which the castle is on all sides 
 suiTounded, as well as to walk along the beautiful 
 terrace which skirts the river Tay. 
 
 The fresh breezes of the morning soon revived us, 
 and renewed appetite warned us the hour of break- 
 fast was at hand. With this hope we turned towards 
 the castle, and reached the dining-room, the scene of 
 the previous night's entertainment : not a soul, how- 
 ever, had made his appearance ; at length one, and 
 then another entered, like ourselves, anxious to 
 revive themselves with the morning meal. Thus an 
 hour passed ; neither our host nor the gallant soldier, 
 however, greeted us ; the bell was rung and an- 
 swered, but the Laird was not up, the keys were 
 under his pillow, and he could not be disturbed. 
 
176 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 At length, famished, and anxious to bid adieu, 
 we ventured to his sleeping apartment, when the 
 sight which presented itself was quite sufficient proof 
 that the national beverage had had the desired 
 effect, while no claret would cause him to succumb. 
 If the Laird had suffered in the onslaught, however, 
 he had not suffered without disabling his foe ; for 
 stretched on another bed, lay the soldier, booted 
 and even spurred, as on his joining the festive board. 
 We must now draw a veil over a scene which, 
 immeasurably ludicrous to those who witnessed it, 
 we have only referred to in recollection of a day 
 which commenced with sport and pleasure, and 
 terminated in laughter. 
 
 Should this meet the eye of those to whom we 
 have alluded, may they take it as it is meant, and 
 give us an opportunity of enjoying their society 
 again. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 177 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Is the afternoon, ere we left the castle, we received 
 some additional information in reference to the deer 
 which had given us the joyous and exciting chase of 
 the previous day ; in fact, it was made known to us 
 that the noble animal, having been somewhat too 
 closely pressed by the hounds to make his land 
 tenure agreeable, had plunged into the river Tay at 
 the very spot where we had checked ; a fact sub- 
 sequently discovered from his foot-marks on the 
 banks, when, doubtless, owing to his great weight 
 and exhaustion, together with the rapid current of 
 the rushing waters, he was unable to stem the current 
 in a direct line, and the flying animal consequently 
 landed several hundred yards below the point on the 
 opposite shore to that where he had taken soil. 
 
 This truth was very speedily discovered by the 
 noble Laird, subsequent to his crossing the bridge ; 
 for after a few trials along the water side, the scent 
 was recovered, and away they raced again. By this 
 time, however, the "shades of evening" had well 
 nigh closed in darkness o'er the large and extensive 
 woodlands which cover this part of Perthshire ; 
 moreover, a most impracticable country to ride over 
 presented itself; obstacles which at once decided the 
 question of leaving the noble stag, for the night, in 
 peaceful possession of his forest home. 
 
 The sun had, however, scarcely topped the horizon, 
 
178 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 ere this indefatigable sportsman called once more on 
 the aid of his pets ; who, having with little delay 
 recovered their game, made the welkin ring with 
 their melodious voices. Chasing, however, was 
 impossible, from the thickness of the underwood; 
 this, nevertheless, also prevented the deer from 
 putting forth his energies, and unharmed, therefore, 
 he was speedily secured, to fly once more before his 
 enemies on another day. 
 
 After this brief digression, let us now return to 
 our line of march, once more mount on wheels, and 
 make direct for Dalwhinie, the chosen place of halt- 
 ing for the night ; towards which well-known spot to 
 most Highland sportsmen, for the last ten miles we 
 sat on. the mail-box, in animated converse with one 
 of the most eccentric whips, as far as his style of 
 driving was concerned, as e'er was the doom of a 
 nervous biped to make acquaintance with : now 
 rattling down a narrow, stony, abrupt declivity, 
 without drag or other security now whirling like 
 mad up what he termed a bit of a brae then down 
 a regular pitch again, with a whisk literally at right 
 angles, over a narrow bridge so narrow, indeed, as 
 barely to admit the passing of one carriage, beneath 
 which the foaming torrent, rushing over rocks and 
 stones, formed refreshing pools for trout, yet of 
 sufficient depth to drown any unfortunate victim 
 who might chance to be immersed therein ; which 
 sort of immersion actually took place not lang syne, 
 as the abigail of a noble lady now living can vouch 
 for. We may, however, as well tell our neighbours, 
 that this subsequently half-drowned damsel sat on 
 the rumble of an English travelling chariot doubt- 
 less gazing afar, in admiration of the wild mountains 
 when at the very moment of being whirled over 
 one of those right-angled bridges previously named, 
 
AND PASTIMES. 179 
 
 the post-boy made a bad shot at the centre of the 
 roadway, and the hind wheels consequently coming 
 in rough contact with the projecting stones of the 
 parapet, jerked the young maiden, pink ribbons and 
 all, splash into a trout pool, from which, with great 
 good fortune, but with much difficulty, she was 
 happily recovered with life, it is true, but with a 
 full determination never to pass that life with a 
 mistress given to Highland travelling. 
 
 With this event fresh in our memory for it had 
 occurred only the previous summer our nerves were 
 somewhat unstrung, and scarcely dared we rest our 
 eyes on the wild heathered mountains, now clad 
 with snow, which extended far and wide on all 
 sides. Moreover, so intently was our imagination 
 fixed on the manoeuvres of cecher, by whose side we 
 sat, that, if the truth be known, we felt our fingers 
 clutch from time to time a strap or any other safe- 
 guard within grasp, as he, with hands widely ex- 
 tended, in each one held a rein, and these so loosely, 
 that it appeared to us utterly impossible that he 
 could do aught to lighten or prevent an accident, 
 should such perchance occur ; tenfold the more so, 
 that any nag selected from the team he gloried in 
 would have disgraced a hackney coach, though 
 honoured for the time being by the arduous duty of 
 dragging her Majesty's mail. Not one of these four 
 animals was entirely sound ; what the one suffered 
 from the loss of eye or wind, the other equally shared 
 from lameness or broken knees. Time, however 
 for time appears far more precious than humanity to 
 Highland mail contractors was not allowed for 
 these poor ill-used horses ' to fall ; a rough favour 
 roughly granted : moreover, the only one, we pre- 
 sume, which does perchance save the necks of some 
 hundreds of English sportsmen and tourists who 
 
180 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 annually visit the northern capital by this Highland 
 road. During the long summer's day, when the 
 weather, even in its brightest garb, is clear and 
 balmy, this tortuous route is wild, naked, and deso- 
 late, and, save that the eye of a sportsman loves to 
 dwell on trout streams and vast moorlands, it pre- 
 sents but few objects of interest, with the exception 
 of those derived from its peculiar barrenness of aspect 
 and total absence of woodland. Fancy it, then ye 
 gentlemen who sit at home at ease, snugly ensconced 
 in a soft arm chair before a blazing fire as it then 
 presented itself to us, clothed in Siberian garments, 
 some short time previous to Christmas, and join in 
 our feelings of happiness as we descended from our 
 position of danger on the top of the mail ; for though 
 half frozen was our life's blood, they told of nothing 
 but gratitude that we still existed in unmutilated 
 convalescence, to exclaim : 
 
 " If this be the road of General Wade, 
 'Tis the most damnable ever was made." 
 
 Nevertheless, thanks to a kind Providence, here 
 we arrived safe and sound at Dal whin ie ; not a 
 pretty name but unquestionably a pleasant place, as 
 many can vouch for with much truth as well as our- 
 selves, and, moreover, a first-rate quarter for grouse 
 shooting, for the merit of which assertion we may 
 refer you to the Marquis of Huntly, Captain Barclay 
 of Ury, the late Mr. Purcall, Mr. L. S. M'Kenzie, 
 and a host of other good sportsmen and agreeable 
 gentlemen, though it be, in unadorned description, 
 simply a rambling, rough, stone built, barn- like 
 abode, situated in the centre of a wilderness of wild- 
 ness. In fact, were it possible, by magic or any 
 other means, to convey a corpulent and well-fed 
 alderman, whose previous existence had been passed 
 
AND PASTIMES. 181 
 
 in the full enjoyment of the luxuries of the mighty 
 Babylon with the rare exception of an occasional 
 trip to revel on the seasonable gastronomic delights 
 of white bait at Blackwall or perch at the Star and 
 Garter, Richmond or even to the more distant 
 Brighton, there to inhale, during the afternoon of 
 each summer Saturday, fresh sea breezes for a week's 
 consumption, and luxuriate on the best of soles 
 were it possible, we say, to put such an amiable gen- 
 tleman's head in a bag at the very moment he was 
 about to lift a spoonful of luscious turtle to his 
 anxious mouth, and transport him on the carpet of 
 Arabia to the hostelry of Dalwhinie, we question 
 whether dismay or despair, or both, would not cause 
 him a fit of apoplexy. 
 
 Yet Dalwhinie is, as we shall endeavour to illus- 
 trate, a pleasant and most important locale in her 
 Majesty's Gaelic dominions ; and, if the landlord who 
 now reigns there be the identical individual who, in 
 the time of our wanderings, was wont to provide for 
 the internal requirements of mail passengers, sight- 
 seeking tourists, and ardent sportsmen, we can with 
 truth declare that he is a very amiable Boniface, a 
 very good sheep farmer, and, moreover, he can cast a 
 fly, shoot a grouse, and perform many other desirable 
 things as they should be performed. Dalwhinie 
 decidedly does not convey to the mind on first ap- 
 pearance any very peculiar sensations of pleasure or 
 of interest ; on the contrary, the extreme loneliness 
 of its position, standing as it does in the very centre 
 of vast heather- covered hills, the only trees visible 
 within the wild expanse of moorland over which the 
 eye wanders being a few stunted firs, which in some 
 measure shelter the tenement, though on the wrong 
 side to protect it from the keen blasts from north and 
 east, as you approach its welcome doors. Never- 
 
 11 
 
182 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 theless, as we have already said, it is a most im- 
 portant resting place, as all will readily admit whose 
 pleasure or whose duty may perchance induce their 
 travelling by the Highland road from the fair city of 
 Perth to the ancient capital of the north ; or from 
 the banks of the Ness, on whose wide waters Meal 
 Four Vournin casts his dark shadows to the afore- 
 named city of " Inches :" indeed, with all the deso- 
 lation and bleakness of position, it is truly a rich 
 pearl in the wilderness, and if not the best road-side 
 hostelry in Scotland which, after all, would not be 
 saying much in its favour it is as good as the best. 
 Should you perchance arrive there by the mail, when 
 journeying southwards, about eight in the morning, 
 you will doubtless fully concur in our opinion, while 
 appeasing an appetite derived from a long night's 
 journey through wild hills and over rough roads, in 
 the discussion of some half score of delicious fried 
 trout, fresh from the burn which rushes beneath the 
 window of your breakfast parlour, in addition to an 
 egg or two, warm from the nest of the cacklers in 
 the yard. True, the bread you eat may have been 
 baked some four days previous, but let not that dis- 
 turb you, for the toast becomes more crisp, and 
 whatever your displeasure it will avail you nought, 
 inasmuch as no baker lives nearer at hand than 
 Dunkeld or Perth on the one side, or Pitmain and 
 Inverness on the other. 
 
 The hour of halting at this welcome spot, when 
 travelling towards the north by similar conveyance, 
 was wont to be 5 P.M. ; then, for the reasonable out- 
 lay of two shillings, you were served, without a 
 moment's delay, with some well-flavoured heather- 
 fed mutton ; add to this, if any addition be required, 
 in the season, a hotch-potch, which, at Dalwhinie, 
 requires not the " confidence" of sausages, as at most 
 

AND PASTIMES. 183 
 
 other Highland inns ; fresh trout, and even salmon, 
 poultry, game, and the best of custard puddings a 
 standing dish for those puddingly inclined. Should 
 you have a weakness for whisky there is none better 
 in the Highlands, if not, ask for ale and " London" 
 porter, which is admirably brewed at St. Andrew's, 
 but in things, if not in persons, there is much in a 
 a name in both, say we. Sherry we never there 
 attempted, and port does not bear the shaking of 
 Highland roads ; therefore, if you can make yourself 
 contented with such international articles of ordinary 
 consumption, can bear the smell of a peat fire, and 
 put up with a tolerable bed, you may do far worse 
 than pass a night at the " Hotel de la Poste Dal- 
 whinie," which we did much to our satisfaction. 
 
 Thus we prepared ourselves, by rest and refresh- 
 ment at this our starting point, for Corryarrick on 
 the morrow ; and this morrow broke bright and 
 cloudless, as we walked forth early to the front of 
 the inn, to look on the cold strange scene which pre- 
 sented itself, as we gazed on the distant rugged and 
 snow clad mountains, over which we had determined 
 to make our way. 
 
 " The morn is up again, the dewy morn, 
 
 With breath all incense, and with cheeks all bloom, 
 Laughing the clouds away with playful scorn, 
 
 And living as if earth contained no tomb, 
 And glowing into day. We may resume 
 The march of our existence." 
 
 A morning such as might be fancied from the 
 above beautiful quotation from " Childe Harold," is 
 that we should suggest as the most desirable for the 
 excursion we were about to commence, yet, like 
 many other persons as wise as ourselves, we have 
 not through life habituated ourselves to follow in the 
 path we have occasionally selected for our friends ; 
 
 R 2 
 
184 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 and in this instance we certainly evince no selfish- 
 ness, when we add, that the whole earth, or, more 
 properly speaking, the whole expanse of snow for 
 nought else was visible sparkled and glittered in 
 the sun's rays, and the air intensely keen, but clear 
 and bracing, seemed to invigorate and nerve us for 
 the hazardous undertaking of mounting the steep 
 sides of Corryarrick, at all times no easy route, and 
 now made doubly difficult from the various impedi- 
 ments offered by the snow, and others consequent on 
 the late period of the season. Having determined, 
 however, to enjoy the beauties of nature's wildness 
 in her wintry garb, we had greater inducement for 
 attempting this route, and although many strange 
 tales of danger and difficulty are still told of it, we 
 were by no means deterred. Nevertheless, w r hile we 
 were awaiting the commissariat department, in the 
 way of kippered salmon and sundry grilled chops of 
 heather-fed mutton, in order to prepare us for the 
 line of march, we may tell our readers, that on one 
 occasion a poor woman, who followed in the rear of 
 a detachment who were marching over Corryarrick 
 during the winter, embarrassed and fatigued by the 
 difficulties of the route, and the additional care of an 
 infant which she held in her arms, sat down on the 
 mountain to rest, still keeping sight of the receding 
 troop of soldiers, as they straggled irregularly down 
 the zigzag path towards the valley of the Ness, in 
 which stands the military station of Fort Augustus, 
 whither they were marching. Overcome by fatigue 
 and the inclemency of the weather, she fell asleep, 
 and although, on her being missed, several parties 
 were sent forth from the Fort to seek her, it was not 
 till the following morning she was discovered by a 
 shepherd reclining against a stone, nearly covered 
 with snow. The poor woman was then quite dead, 
 
AND PASTIMES. 185 
 
 but the infant at her breast, probably from the affec- 
 tionate care it had received from a tender mother till 
 the last moment of her existence, was not absolutely 
 lifeless. On being immediately removed to the Fort, 
 every attention which humanity could suggest was 
 tendered to the poor child by the wife of the go- 
 vernor, and the energies of life were at once fully 
 restored to it ; not so, however, the use of its limbs, 
 till after weeks of constant care, unremitting kind- 
 ness, and unwearied attention. Many soldiers were 
 also formerly lost during their march over Corry- 
 arrick. But the world now wags apace, and in these 
 days we understand the power of contending even 
 with natural difficulties far better than did our grand- 
 papas. Ladies, and delicate ones too, therefore now 
 ride on horseback half way up the steep sides of Ben 
 Lawers, and many a fair damsel we wot of would be 
 nothing loth to face the more hazardous Corry Zig- 
 zag, even during a rough autumnal day, on a tho- 
 rough bred ; and thus may a sportsman presume to 
 attempt it in December. 
 
 The pass of Corry arrick is one of the ancient mili- 
 tary ways, now termed Parliamentary roads we 
 surmise from the fact of these ways being more tor- 
 tuous, more rough, and more difficult to follow, than 
 most other ways, be it highway or byeway. Neither 
 difficulties nor dangers, however, deterred us from 
 attempting it; und having therefore hired a one- 
 horse open car that is to say, a ramshackly, broken- 
 springed, four-wheeled carriage with a trusty 
 gillie as companion, guide, and driver, we bade adieu 
 to the comforts of Dalwhinie, and started on our 
 expedition at an early hour, being determined to 
 make as rapid progress as possible till the road 
 would no longer admit of our travelling on wheels. 
 Arrived at this point, we halted at a rude sort of 
 
 n 3 
 
186 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 slieilling, half stone, half turf, in the neighbourhood 
 of which we were enabled to secure three strong 
 Highland ponies, on one of which we strapped our 
 light baggage, and with the aid of the others and our 
 legs we prepared to approach the Zig-zag ; not, how- 
 ever, till we had obtained some information as to the 
 practicability of the route, while we sat warming 
 ourselves by a peat fire, the smoke from which, now 
 struggling through the thatched roof, now filling the 
 low room with its density, half stifled us. Never- 
 theless, warmed, refreshed, and amused by this brief 
 delay, we renewed our onward path the gillie in 
 advance, with the cavalry and baggage ; \vhile we, 
 having loaded our guns, prepared ourselves in the 
 hope of securing a brace of grouse or a duck or two, 
 of which there are abundance on the banks of the 
 Spey. And thus we walked cheerfully up the accli- 
 vity which led to the far more abrupt ascent of the 
 mountain ; while our preparations for sport proved 
 so far successful, that we managed to kill a white 
 hare, a brace of grouse, and a wild duck no bad 
 commencement for our Christinas pie ; for which 
 depredation we beg to offer our apologies to Cluny 
 M'Pherson, to whom, we imagine, they justly be- 
 longed. From all we have heard, however, of that 
 Highland laird, we feel satisfied, that so far from 
 creating his anger, he would have permitted a double 
 slaughter for so laudable an undertaking ; and we 
 shall not forget to toast him in a bumper, the moment 
 we have secured the wherewith. 
 
 At length, arrived at the foot of the Zigzag, we 
 looked with astonishment, if not awe and admiration, 
 on the rugged sides of Corryarrick ; still more so, 
 when informed that the strange and precipitous 
 staircase, of a mile and a half in length, we were 
 about to climb, would entail on us another descent 
 
AND PASTIMES. 187 
 
 though a less steep and less rough one of nine miles, 
 ere tree or shrub, or track or trace of human habita- 
 tion, would again greet us. * Such a route, therefore, 
 at all periods, all seasons, and during all weathers, 
 cannot fail to strike the heart with feelings of desola- 
 tion ; but how much stronger must be these sensa- 
 tions when that desolation is clothed in the garb of 
 winter ! Yet as the sun still shone on the white 
 expanse of snow, and sparkled on each mountain 
 top, we could not resist recurring to a fact we had 
 once heard related, in reference to the wild pass we 
 were about to enter. 
 
188 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 IF memory does not fail us, it was in the year 
 1746 that a detachment of the 24th regiment were 
 marching, one brilliant day in summer-time, from 
 Fort Augustus over Corryarrick, en route to the 
 south, when the officer in command, doubtless a 
 lover of such wild and beautiful scenery, ordered his 
 men to march down the Zigzag in single file, direct- 
 ing, at the same time, that the baggage and women 
 should bring up the rear on horseback. Such an 
 appearance, in such a desert, must doubtless have 
 formed a picture of no common interest ; and many 
 an artist would have gloried thus to have witnessed 
 the brilliant sunshine glittering on the arms of this 
 little warlike host, whose military costume, contrast- 
 ing with the dark and rugged mountains, through 
 which, in a living mile of zigzag, they defiled, must 
 have added greatly to the scene. It would have 
 pleased us well had we met with such a sight , not a 
 living being, however, or a living thing, save here 
 and there a croaking raven, greeted our footsteps, as 
 we toiled up the hard and snowy frozen mountain side. 
 But we must dwell more briefly on such scenes, how- 
 ever interesting, for they are within the reach of all 
 who visit the Highlands, and this number has now 
 become legion. 
 
 At length, however, we attained the wished for 
 summit, on which extends a small plain, probably 
 
AND PASTIMES. 189 
 
 the third of a mile in circumference ; and there, on 
 that spot, we once more halted, in order to select the 
 most favourable position for enjoying the extensive 
 view, which had been the principal object that in- 
 duced us to undertake so rough an excursion at so 
 unseasonable a period of the year. With this intent, 
 having mounted on a neighbouring rock, we cast a 
 rapid glance on all sides ; a glance, however, suffi- 
 cient to recall the following beautiful sentiment " I 
 live not in myself, but I become portion of that 
 around me." 
 
 "And to me, 
 
 High mountains are a feeling, but the hum 
 
 Of human cities' torture : 
 
 I can see nothing to loath in nature/' 
 
 CHILDE HAROLD. 
 
 It had previously been our good fortune, during 
 many seasons, both in summer's warmth and sun- 
 shine, and during winter's frost and gloom, to visit 
 many a mountain path, and stand on many a moun- 
 tain summit. O'er the Siinplon we have travelled 
 when the green leaf hung thick on the woodland 
 valley ; the Mount Cenis we have crossed in wintry 
 desolation ; the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Morean 
 Mountains, and Etna's smoking pinnacle, we have 
 seen ; and many another rocky mountain have we 
 wandered over. Yet with all the resplendent beauty of 
 many, and all the varied interests of others to 
 many, indeed most of which, Corryarrick can only be 
 compared as a hill, yet it nevertheless surpasses all 
 in peculiarity of feature, and curiosity of prospect 
 attained therefrom. 
 
 From its grassy summit for sheep might be, and 
 are, we believe, there fed- no distant lakes or ma- 
 jestic rivers, no leafy glens, no rich vales, no life- 
 thronged towns or even hamlets, rich woodlands or 
 sheltered cots, appear ; but one boundless expanse or 
 
190 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 rough ocean of mountains and hills, whose tops seem 
 to wave one beyond the other to the distant sea in 
 the west, as on every other side as far as the eye can 
 reach, to the marked outline of the horizon. In fact, 
 nothing but the eye of life can convey to the mind 
 any adequate idea of that snow-clad scene as we then 
 beheld it, and which so entirely repaid us for our 
 unseasonable, or some may add, fool-hardy excursion 
 the sensations inspired from which it would be 
 impossible clearly to explain. The homeward flight 
 of the ravens, however, if home they possess, together 
 with the intensity of the cold, told us we had suffi- 
 ciently for the nonce admired this wilderness of snowy 
 mountains ; therefore, having fired a distant shot with- 
 out effect at one of these black wanderers, in order to 
 break the desolation of stillness which reigned on all 
 sides, we descended from our rocky eminence and 
 hastened to overtake the gillie with his ponies, in 
 order to ride down the long and interesting descent 
 towards Laga-ne-viene. If the ascent of Corryarrick 
 by the zigzag route approached from Dalwhinie is 
 rugged, precipitous, and interesting from its very 
 wildness and desolation ; the less abrupt, but far 
 longer ascent towards Laga-ne-viene or the Hollow 
 of Milk, as it is termed at which point, when tra- 
 velling from Fort Augustus, the base of Corryarrick 
 commences offers no less abundance of picturesque 
 beauty. All, however, is wild mountain and barren 
 heathered hill, till you cross the river TarfF, when 
 the hanging woods and rocky bed of the stream 
 form a delightful relief from the interminable hills 
 over which you have hitherto passed ; and yet these 
 hills, bleak as they are from situation as from ap- 
 pearance, afford admirable pasture for sheep, and 
 formerly abundant black cattle ranged over their 
 extensive sides. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 191 
 
 As the evening approached, however, we at length 
 quitted the rugged hill, and, with little regret, beheld 
 some signs of human habitation. During our descent, 
 we had added another mountain hare to our meagrely 
 filled game bag : this kept up the excitement. As 
 the wintry evening closed, however, the sky became 
 overcast ; and the brilliant sun, which hitherto had 
 so kindly favoured our footsteps, gave way to gloom 
 and dreariness, with every appearance of a fall: 
 human nature also began to cry peccavi, as excite- 
 ment gave way to fatigue ; and in truth, our day's 
 march had been one of no usual nature, either for 
 mind or body. With no little delight, therefore, 
 did we hail the curling smoke which issued from the 
 roof of each cottage, which even in their primitive 
 and humble appearance, if not of cleanliness a rare 
 virtue in such parts told at least of warmth and 
 shelter from the rude wintry blast, and caused us to 
 increase our lagging and weary efforts to receive the 
 welcome we knew we might expect when we reached 
 the quarters of the amiable and hospitable command- 
 ant of Fort Augustus. The night had nevertheless 
 closed in darkness ere we crossed the drawbridge by 
 which the Fort is entered ; and never was sportsman 
 or tourist who felt half the gratification we did when 
 relieved from our rough walking costume : warm 
 and refreshed, we took our place at the well-covered 
 board of smoking dainties, of which we were so 
 kindly made to share. The dinner over, shutters 
 and curtains closed, we drew our chairs around the 
 blazing fire, composed of turf and sparkling fir logs ; 
 and having mixed a smoking tumbler just to keep 
 the cold claret in order, and lighted our cigars, many 
 a Highland tale of lang syne was told, and many an 
 anecdote as exciting as the punch. Absent friends 
 were toasted, and scenes in our own dear England 
 
192 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 dwelt on till the hour of midnight, and increasing 
 fatigue told us that it was time to rest : and ere 
 another hour passed, we slept soundly in a comfort- 
 able apartment within the precincts of that Fort, 
 where in days of yore the military watch had paced 
 his lonely rounds, and many a military carouse had 
 closed the hours of day in the very room we had 
 been so kindly greeted. 
 
 The December morning broke heavily, and all was 
 leaden dulness as we threw aside the shutters of our 
 sleeping-room, and looked out from the windows of 
 the Fort on the strange, wild, and wintry scene 
 which presented itself a scene from which the 
 mind gathers fresh interest, in the knowledge of its 
 being one of which history has many a tale to tell ; 
 for there, amid those rugged mountains, had wandered 
 an unhappy Prince, after the battle of Culloden, 
 hunted like a beast of prey from glen to glen, yet 
 not less welcome to the hearts and hearths of his 
 misguided but faithful followers ; and scarcely a 
 neighbouring hill presents itself, but could tell some 
 sad tale of sorrow and rebellion. Once more we 
 looked 011 the wide waters of the Ness, whose glassy 
 stillness and dark-looking surface contrasted strangely 
 with the bright and sparkling picture which w r e had 
 dwelt on the previous summer, when we had rowed 
 along its woody banks on our way to Invermoriston, 
 whose hospitable domain we were about once more 
 to enter, previous to visiting the northern capital, 
 where we shall halt but briefly. 
 
 Meal Four Yournin's towering pinnacle, now 
 deeply clad in snowy garb, still held aloft his hoary 
 head, as if in pride of place he stood a steel clad 
 sentinel over the dark pine, oak forests, and scattered 
 hamlets, whose curling smoke rose here and there 
 through the still and dark solemnity of the valley. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 193 
 
 The same noble deer-hound, still, heedless of the 
 inclemency of the season, lay stretched on the frozen 
 lawn, rising but slowly, as we drove up to the castle- 
 door, to welcome visitors, which, with a glance, this 
 extraordinary animal's instinct was satisfied were no 
 intruders. As usual, the kind-hearted and hospitable 
 Laird greeted us with the warmly given hand of 
 welcome ; and had we been enabled to accept his 
 generous offers that we should remain a few days in 
 glen, those days might probably have been swelled 
 into months, ere we should have been considered as 
 intruders. Time, however, awaits the pleasure of 
 no man ; add to which the dark and lowering sky 
 gave strong evidence of a coming snow storm of no 
 gentle order ; and notwithstanding our anticipations 
 and desires for such a down-falling, we by no means 
 rejoiced at the probability of such being realized so 
 as to necessitate our detention as a witness of its 
 furies in a Highland glen. While we halt, however, 
 to shake hands with the good Laird of Glenmoriston, 
 and take advantage of his local knowledge, in order 
 to make practical our wishes of crossing the Ness 
 near the fall of Foyers, for the purpose of proceeding 
 thence by the southern bank to Inverness, we will 
 beg leave to lay before our sporting friends some 
 further interesting details in reference to that portion 
 of the Highlands where stands his ancient abode, 
 amid its surrounding extent of sporting quarters ; 
 but more particularly with regard to those his more 
 immediate property details which we humbly 
 flatter ourselves will be eagerly perused by a large 
 portion of those who annually visit the moors during 
 the grousing season. With 'this hope, we shall pro- 
 ceed to name the several quarters now let by Glen- 
 nioriston, /. e. Mr. Grant, together with a rough 
 calculation of the game killed thereon during the 
 
 s 
 
194 SCOTTISH SPOETS 
 
 last season, the very naming of which amount causes 
 a sort of sporting palpitation about the regions of 
 the heart. 
 
 The most extensive of these quarters is that of 
 Dundregan, in Glenmoriston, tenanted by Sir H. 
 Meux. On this most desirable ground there is a 
 very comfortable residence, affording ample accom- 
 modation, and ample sport for four guns ; which 
 may be readily conceived, when we state that the 
 moors over which the shootings range, may be esti- 
 mated at fifty thousand acres. 
 
 Sir Henry, from all accounts, for we have not the 
 pleasure of his acquaintance, is an amiable man, and 
 a first-rate sportsman. In proof of which obser- 
 vation, we may state, that he is highly popular 
 among the inhabitants of the glen, of whose comfort 
 he is not unmindful while following his own plea- 
 sures conduct, which all who imitate, will find to 
 their advantage. And by a careful, but not selfish, 
 preservation of his game, it is yearly found on the 
 increase. 
 
 The amount of game killed at this quarter during 
 the last season, as far as we have been enabled to 
 ascertain, was not less than one thousand brace of 
 grouse, in addition, to a very large amount of black 
 game and ptarmigan, with the glorious addition of 
 seven or eight red deer. 
 
 Forsooth, a sportsman's mouth may well water at 
 such delicate provision for his pastime. For our- 
 selves, had we such a chance, we should scarcely 
 close an eyelid from the 1st, till the 12th of August 
 had caused bodily strength to give way to mental 
 excitement. 
 
 Knocky is another admirable quarter on Glen- 
 moriston's estate. These moors are, however, divided 
 from the land on which the castle stands by the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 195 
 
 waters of Loch Ness ; yet immediately opposite to 
 it, on the southern side of the lake. This shooting 
 is now let to Mr. Perry, but will be occupied, we 
 understand, during the present season, by Lord 
 Guernsey and his friends. Its range is of much 
 smaller extent that that of Dundregan, and may be 
 estimated at about fifteen thousand acres, but in 
 many respects it is equally desirable. The house is 
 well situated, and has good accommodation for a 
 party of four ; moreover, it is a suitable and pleasant 
 residence during the autumnal months, for ladies 
 always, in our opinion, not only most welcome, but 
 a charming addition to the delights of a shooting 
 excursion, as in all other places and at all other 
 times. 
 
 The game on the Knocky moors consists exclu- 
 sively of grouse and black game, both of which are, 
 nevertheless, so abundant as to have admitted of a 
 thinning of seven hundred brace last year. Mr. 
 Grant is also the proprietor of the well known beau- 
 tiful estate of Foyers ; the romantic charms of which 
 have, however, been so frequently dwelt on by abler 
 pens than ours and, moreover, it is a spot so well 
 known to Highland tourists, that it scarcely needs 
 comment here. As a shooting quarter, nevertheless, 
 it offers numerous advantages, with which few others 
 in Scotland can attempt to vie. The house, though 
 old, as is the furniture it contains, cannot be classed 
 with the usual residences generally found on the 
 hills, (and which, save by the gamekeeper or gillie 
 left in charge, are rarely occupied except during the 
 shooting season,) inasmuch as it has been tenanted 
 as a constant family residence, the head of which 
 might enjoy his mornings on the surrounding moors, 
 while his loved ones, surrounded with magnificent 
 
 s2 
 
196 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 scenery, would find their Highland home both 
 interesting and agreeable. 
 
 To this residence, which, embosomed in trees, 
 stands close on the borders of the lake, there is 
 attached a good garden ; and moreover, the steamer 
 which plies almost daily from Glasgow to Inverness, 
 and vice versa, presents a means not only of reaching 
 this beautiful spot from England or elsewhere with 
 facility and little expense, but is also a most desirable 
 carrier for the wants of human nature and human 
 pastime, which otherwise could not be obtained in 
 the glen. 
 
 This desirable quarter is now held by Mr. Majori- 
 banks ; so " coute qui coute" however long the 
 rent may run, there is little fear of a u cheque." 
 The extent of the estate, let with Foyers, may be 
 estimated at twenty thousand acres : and though we 
 are not precisely aware what may be the annual 
 amount of game killed thereon, yet, calculating 
 roughly, we should say five hundred brace of grouse 
 is under the mark. There are also abundance of 
 black game, as also red-deer and roe-deer : owing 
 however to this shooting having hitherto constantly 
 changed its tenants, the game has had little rest or 
 preservation. 
 
 Glenmoriston has also another agreeable small 
 shooting quarter, adjacent to Foyers, on the southern 
 side of the Ness, let at a very inconsiderable rent to 
 Lord Lovat ; but this has always formed a portion of 
 his well known shooting of Killin. 
 
 In addition to all these pearls in the wilderness, 
 he holds for his own sport a good extent of ground 
 in the immediate neighbourhood of the castle, which 
 runs up the beautiful glen of Moriston for about 
 seven miles, and offers ample sport to himself and 
 
AND PASTIMES. 197 
 
 friends. The amount generally killed thereon, has 
 averaged about five hundred brace of grouse ; and 
 as the birds are now spreading over a large portion 
 of the hill, where hitherto few were found, they will 
 greatly increase. But the pride of the place is the 
 deer forest, which extends along four miles of wood- 
 land, enclosing five thousand acres, and joins with a 
 deer forest of Lord Lo vat's, in both of which a 
 glorious tale of venison may be yearly told. 
 
 Sir H. Meux, the tenant of Dundregan, has this 
 year, we are informed, taken the sheep from a por- 
 tion of his ground and laid it under deer. It will 
 naturally take some years to stock it, but in three 
 he will find sport. And thus will this, one of the 
 most noble of noble sports, ere long merit for its motto, 
 " Aucto splendore resurgam" in a glen, where nature 
 has been so bountiful in beauty, and princes have 
 been welcomed by its inhabitants, who have proved 
 alike their honour as their faith, by succouring an 
 unhappy fugitive amid its wilds, in spite of golden 
 offers which even the cravings of hunger could not 
 tempt. 
 
 s 3 
 
198 SCOTTISH SPOBTS 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 BUT \ve must wander on, or be buried in the 
 snow. We preferred the former; and with this 
 intent we secured a vehicle similar to that provided 
 by the lassie at Invcrouran that is, a cart, to convey 
 our baggage to the spot where we crossed to Foyers, 
 and took a hasty look at the waterfall, which, truly 
 beautiful as it is in summer sunshine, is scarcely less 
 interesting when the pendant icicles hang in myriads 
 on its rocky sides. On these beauties, however, we 
 must not dwell. Solemn, grand, and gloomy as they 
 were, bedecked in Christmas garb, yet we may truly 
 say, 
 
 " To climb the trackless mountain all unseen, 
 With the wild flock, that never needs a fold ; 
 
 Alone o'er steeps and foaming falls to lean : 
 This is not solitude ; 'tis but to hold 
 
 Converse with nature's charms, and view her stores unrolled." 
 
 The short winter's day, however, gave us little 
 time for loitering by the way. And, as it was, dark 
 night had well nigh hidden the surrounding scene 
 ere we found ourselves snugly seated before a blazing 
 fire, at the Union Hotel at Inverness, where we pur- 
 posed to make one day's halt, and then to steer our 
 course southward. Due time, good neighbours, was 
 it not ? for the new year was already near at hand, 
 and the keen winds of the north country had already 
 
AXD PASTIMES. 199 
 
 well iiigh blown through and through us. In fact, 
 we began seriously to consider that wandering, 
 sporting, and sight-seeing in the Highlands was a 
 very agreeable mode of passing the autumnal 
 months, but rather an unruly taste in winter ; so w r e 
 must refer our readers to others, should they require 
 any prolific detail of Inverness. 
 
 This much, however, we can say, and say truly ; 
 the situation of this ancient capital of the north, if 
 not interesting, pleasing, or beautiful when the snow 
 is on the mountain-top, nevertheless lies snug in 
 peace and shelter ; and when the bright sun of 
 summer sparkles on the Ness, it must be a pleasant 
 pastime to stand on the bridge which crosses that 
 river from east to west, and watch the silvery fish 
 which gambol in its waters. 
 
 We stood on this bridge, even on the bleak day of 
 our sojourn there, and were casting, not a fly, but an 
 eye around us, when it fell on a sort of iron grating, 
 or trap-door, in the centre of the carriage-way, 
 Curious to ascertain the utility of such a dungeon, 
 we accosted a Highlander, passing at the time, for 
 information, and were not a little suprised at the 
 prompt and courteous answer we received. " That 
 sir," said he, " was the ancient prison of the town ; 
 many a felon was there confined, not half a century 
 since. As you will observe, there was no escaping 
 below save into the Ness, or above without discovery, 
 between \vhich and drowning there was but the 
 choice. On one occasion, however, when the jailor 
 proceeded to supply a thief confined there with 
 his morning's meal, he discovered that the rats 
 had taken time by the forelock, and made a meal of 
 his person during the night. The law was not 
 pleased with such interference on their parts, 
 consequently the place was abandoned as a 
 
200 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 prison, and remains, as you see, only as a subject of 
 curiosity." 
 
 "Very curious, indeed, and very disgusting," said 
 we, thanking him for his tale ; which, if true and 
 we have since heard it repeated reflects no great 
 credit on the humanity of those who could be guilty 
 of consigning a fellow-man to such a fate ; but since 
 the days of Cromwell they have prided themselves 
 on the purity of their English pronunciation, if not 
 on the purity of their actions. And with these 
 feelings we returned to the hotel, of which there are 
 two for selection at Inverness, large enough and 
 good enough to satisfy all who are not very mag- 
 nificent and fastidious in their requirements ; the 
 choice we must leave to those who travel so far 
 north. 
 
 In winter, Inverness is as dull a place, we surmise, 
 as may be ; but during the four months of the 
 sporting season, it wears a garb of cheerfulness and 
 prosperity, with which few towns in the north can 
 vie. Steamers from London, coaches from Perth, 
 and steamers from Glasgow, which ply vid Loch 
 Ness, and pass through, and near to, some of the 
 finest scenery in Scotland, bring shoals of visitors 
 and sportsmen ; and, in fact, what, generally speaking, 
 is a dull Highland town, then becomes a lively place 
 of pleasure. But we must be off, for thicker and 
 darker are the clouds which hang over the summits 
 of Meal Four Vournin. 
 
 The starting hour of Her Majesty's mail from 
 Inverness is, or rather was at the period to which we 
 refer, 2 A.M. of all hours probably the most incon- 
 venient and most objectionable to those who purpose 
 travelling thereby. Should you retire early, for a 
 few hours rest previous to your departure, at the 
 Very moment that you sink into a sound nap, the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 201 
 
 horn of the guard apprises you of that which 
 the waiter, notwithstanding the strict injunctions he 
 has received to arouse you in good time, of course, 
 has omitted ; thus leaving you only a few minutes 
 for slipping on your breeks and taking your seat ; 
 whereas, should you endeavour, by snoozing on a 
 sofa, to prepare for your journey, you arise feverish 
 and fatigued before that journey has actually com- 
 menced. Nevertheless, such was our doom, and this 
 not on a bright moonlight morning in Midsummer, 
 but on a dark, dense, lowering morning of Christmas 
 time, with the snow already a foot deep on the 
 ground, and then falling so fast, as to leave scarcely 
 a doubt that the Highland road would be well nigh 
 impassable ere mid- day. 
 
 We have already alluded to our anxiety to proceed 
 to the south, together with our anticipated hope of wit- 
 nessing a Highland snow-storm a hope w r hich was 
 about to be realized, somewhat more roughly, however, 
 than we had bargained for. Yet, notwithstanding 
 all the horrors depicted to us by the worthy landlord 
 of the Union, should the probable event arrive of 
 our being detained for a month in some rude wayside 
 shielling with nothing to eat but oatmeal, and little 
 to drink but whisky with the further possibility of 
 being dug out, half dead, from a snow-drift having 
 formed our plans, we were determined to put them 
 into practice ; and having, therefore, bid adieu to 
 our amiable companion over Corryarrick, who was 
 about to proceed to Aberdeen, well and warmly clad, 
 we took our seat in the mail. The horn of the 
 guard apprised the waking Invernessians that their 
 hopes, fears, and wishes, sentimental and commercial, 
 were safe in the letter-bag, and away we started 
 the very necessary addition of a pair of leaders having 
 
202 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 been made to the four ill-conditioned nags which 
 formed our team. 
 
 Without the coach there was not a passenger, and 
 within, save ourselves, but one, whom we very soon 
 ascertained to be a commercial individual or, pro- 
 bably we ought to say, commercial gentleman 
 who would doubtless have preferred his ease at his 
 inn, if duty had not made it indispensably necessary 
 that he should make an attempt to get forward to 
 Glasgow ; and doubtless, having satisfied his mind 
 on this point, he slunk into the corner of the vehicle, 
 with the full intention of sleeping, as much as possible, 
 throughout the journey in which determination, 
 however, he was doomed to be wofully disappointed. 
 Our party, therefore, if not a pleasant one, was a 
 small one, consisting of coachy, guard, post-boy, 
 bagsman, and our wandering self. 
 
 For a few miles we travelled on snug enough, but 
 a peep from the window told us all was white with- 
 out, and the snow fell faster and thicker ; thus we 
 continued till we had performed probably two -thirds 
 of the first stage, when a tremenduous bump, and 
 then a lurch, roused us from a slight doze ; or rather 
 the ejection from our friend in the opposite corner 
 into our lap, convinced us something was wrong. 
 In order to satisfy ourselves of this fact, however, 
 we let down the window sash, when, true enough, 
 there we were, fast in a snow-drift, in the very centre 
 of a vast and wild looking moorland; the moon, 
 notwithstanding the fast falling snow, however, still 
 gave ample light clearly to enable us to distinguish 
 all objects around, as well as the more distant moun- 
 tains. And thus our curiosity had very speedily 
 been gratified, for here, in truth, was a picture which 
 surpassed all we had hitherto beheld on canvass. 
 
 Naturally enough, we jumped out of the coach, 
 
AND PASTIMES. 203 
 
 knee deep in snow, to assist the guard and post-boy, 
 who were already hard at work, endeavouring to clear 
 the way spades, &c., being always carried by the 
 Highland mail guards during the winter ; and at 
 length, by the aid of six horses, we were once more 
 fairly en route. 
 
 During the whole of this time, however, the 
 " commercial gentleman" dozed snugly in the interior; 
 which convinced us of one fact, that he must have 
 been a dealer in grocery. 
 
 Having so far effected our escape from the moor, 
 we made tolerable progress for about two miles 
 farther, and were in great hopes of reaching the 
 first place of changing without further interruption. 
 Such, however, was not to be ; for within sight of 
 the welcome haven we once more sank deeply in a 
 snow-drift of far greater depth than the former one. 
 Snap went the traces of the leaders, and down went 
 the horse on which the post boy rode, almost burying 
 the lad, as well as himself, in the snow. The wind 
 had risen considerably, and the snow flakes fell larger, 
 foster, and more dense. Oh ! what a hideous night 
 it was ! there we were, truly, in a snow storm, and 
 that of no common order. What was to be done ? 
 We really began to think we had acted a mad part. 
 To move the carriage was impossible, and to reach 
 the shelter of the inn almost as impracticable. At 
 first, it was proposed that the whole party should 
 take refuge in the inside,* and quietly await the 
 break of day : to this, however, the guard made ob- 
 jections, and just ones. He was desirous, if possible, 
 
 * A case of this nature actually occurred, as early as the 
 29th of October, 1842, in Scotland; when with several others 
 we sat in the mail four hours awaiting the break of day, in 
 order to recover the line of road, which from the density of 
 the snow-storm we had lost. 
 
204 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 to get forward with the mail-bags on horseback ; and 
 was equally aware that, if the storm coiitinned 
 another half-hour, it would prevent the possibility 
 of moving the coach either forwards or backwards. 
 His advice was therefore listened to viz., that the 
 coachman should make his way back to Inverness, 
 while he, strapping the mail-bags on one of the 
 leaders, would endeavour to reach the first stage on 
 the other. 
 
 On our parts, however, this arrangement was by 
 no means satisfactory : we had not the most remote 
 desire of being snowed up for a month at Inverness, 
 and still less of retracing our steps, even for a league, 
 in company with the immovable bagsman, who had 
 not even been disturbed by our second fixation in the 
 drift, and who, for ought we know to the contrary, 
 still sleeps in the mail. Consequently, with a little 
 persuasion, we at length prevailed on the guard to 
 accept our companionship, and forthwith mounted on 
 the horse which carried the mail-bags. 
 
 We thus started for the little hostelry of Moy, 
 which, after various struggles, both of horse and 
 man, we at length reached in safety, leaving the 
 remainder of the party to return from whence they 
 came. 
 
 Having arrived so far, however, we were deter- 
 mined neither to succumb to persuasion, nor fear of 
 the dangers hinted at, should we continue our route 
 during the night. The guard was determined, with 
 a praiseworthy zeal, to proceed with the mail-bags if 
 practicable. And if in his intention he could suc- 
 ceed, why should not another, with such arguments 
 strengthened by the addition of a little siller ? We 
 at length obtained a horse, on the back of which was 
 strapped our share of the bags ; and having wrapped 
 ourselves snugly in as many outward garments as it 
 
PASTIMES, 205 
 
 was possible to move in, we obtained a couple of 
 guides, and once more started towards the south, 
 our next point of halting being the bridge of Car. 
 
 It would be as uninteresting to our readers, how- 
 ever, as tedious to ourselves, were we to dwell from 
 stage to stage of that most hazardous and exhausting 
 journey, which we nevertheless performed in safety, 
 having ridden through actual ravines, and over 
 mountains of snow and wilderness, on every variety 
 of cattle, from the cart-horse to the broken-down 
 thoroughbred, a distance of seventy-two miles to 
 Dalnarcardock ; and this during one of the most 
 severe snow-storms which had been known for years 
 in Scotland, beating directly in our faces for the greater 
 portion of the night. 
 
 On quitting Moy, what with the continued fury of 
 the snow, and utter impossibility of finding the road 
 across the vast moors, our difficulties greatly in- 
 creased ; and various were the rolls in the snow, in 
 which the whole party shared. After riding for 
 several hours, however, we at length reached Avie- 
 more, at which snug little hostelry we obtained some 
 hot and refreshing tea. On starting again from 
 thence, we were happily greeted by a change of 
 weather : the storm gradually relaxed in fury the 
 mist cleared from the mountain -tops and the bright 
 and frosty sun broke in brilliancy o'er the snow- 
 covered landscape. The effect was truly exhilarating, 
 after the difficulties and dangers we had experienced 
 during the night ; which may be conceived when 
 we add, that the snow in many places where it had 
 drifted was higher than the animals we rode, and in 
 all others at least two feet in depth. 
 
 But now we could see clearly. Moreover, the 
 road became more decided in its demarkation, so 
 that we advanced with renewed courage the intense 
 
206 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 pain of the bones of the face, and an occasional 
 somerset, being all we had to complain of, till once 
 more we came in sight of the " Hotel de la Poste 
 Dalwhinie," about two hours after mid-day. Thus 
 we had already been twelve hours exposed in rambling 
 through the mountains. 
 
 At Dalwhinie we found a large party crowding 
 round the smoky peat fires, who had arrived so far 
 by mail from the south ; but their vehicle having 
 being left half buried in a drift, several miles on 
 the road, they had walked through the snow to Dal- 
 whinie, where there was every chance of their re- 
 maining a fortnight, without they ventured on horse- 
 back, as we had done for which few seemed 
 inclined. 
 
 At Dalwhinie having procured a good basin of hot 
 broth, we again mounted fresh nags, and leaving the 
 
 Cr to amuse one another, we rode forward to 
 arcardock, at which place we found the road so 
 much improved, and so comparatively free from 
 snow, that having obtained a post-chaise, in which 
 the four animals prepared for the mail were har- 
 nessed, we got snugly into the interior, with the 
 comfort of lighted cigars to prevent rheumatism. 
 And thus we travelled the remaining distance to 
 Perth, at which city we arrived about two hours 
 after midnight. 
 
 Thus we had been twenty-four hours in performing 
 a distance of 1 1 7 miles : and this, considering the 
 intensity of the cold, the violence of the storm, and 
 the variety of difficulties we had to contend with, 
 was by many considered no easy task. At all events, 
 we had accomplished our desires : we had crossed 
 Corryarrick when snow clad, and witnessed a snow- 
 storm when travelling over the highest and wildest 
 route in the Highlands. We can never regret the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 207 
 
 former; indeed we suggest to many to do the same. 
 Of the latter, we can only add, that while we were 
 certainly not disappointed with the severity of the 
 storm, and can most fully credit the numberless 
 deaths and accidents which arise therefrom in the 
 Highlands, yet it was the first and will be the last 
 we shall willingly encounter. The excitement and 
 absolute necessity of action while on our journey 
 had caused us, for the time being, to think little of 
 the aches and pains which the exposure to the air 
 would cause us to endure on entering a heated 
 room. However, the effect was instantaneous ; phy- 
 sical powers forced to their utmost extent, gave 
 way; and for weeks we scarcely recovered the 
 effects of our winter excursion. 
 
 During our ride over the hills, we not only saw 
 abundant grouse, but whirled by one of the fiercest 
 gusts of the storm, a bird was actually driven against 
 the horse ridden by the mail guard ; which we se- 
 cured, and which is added to our store of stuffed 
 birds, in memory of the past. 
 
208 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 IN addition to many we have already named, there 
 are a variety of most interesting and desirable sport- 
 ing quarters that may be visited without difficulty 
 throughout the Highlands of Scotland, which afford 
 alike, beauty sufficient to attract the lover of fine 
 wild moorland scenery, and far more than interest to 
 him who, while he wanders on mountain and through 
 glen in search of nature's multiplicity of charms, 
 hears with the ear of a sportsman the chirping of the 
 grouse, which rise ever and anon from the flowery 
 heather through which he treads knee-deep ; and 
 looks afar, by the aid of his glass, at a hundred 
 antlers which roam the hill tops : indeed, nothing can 
 exceed the exhilarating effects which thrill through 
 the heart of a man, far more so of a sportsman, who 
 during the autumnal months visits the Highlands, 
 even as we have already said, though he only look 
 with longing eye, and dare not shoot. The abundant 
 bright rushing torrents from the mountains ; the 
 salmon rivers, and salmon pools ; the rippling trout 
 streams; the scattered coverts which harbour the 
 graceful roe-deer, and the deep historical interest of 
 the Highlands, which carry back the mind in a thou- 
 sand sources of excitement obtainable in few other 
 spots in Europe. 
 
 Among these sporting quarters, we should not 
 forget to name that of Ardverykie, which borders 
 
AND PASTIMES. 209 
 
 Loch Laggan, extending far towards the south, over 
 mountain and heathered hill, for many thousand 
 acres. There, on those vast hills, may be found 
 every species of Highland game in abundance, to 
 say last, but certainly not least, that each year the 
 red- deer in the forest become more numerous, till 
 we may live to see the herds which originally, un- 
 disturbed, ranged over these vast territories in thou- 
 sands, attain their former number and size. At a 
 convenient, we may say, beautifully chosen spot on 
 this shooting, within gunshot of the wide waters of 
 Loch Laggan, stands the Highland shooting quarter, 
 or what may be more properly termed the Highland 
 autumnal sporting residence, of the Marquis of Aber- 
 corn; and there, indeed, is an example of the effect 
 of wealth ! for what was, probably, in days lang syne, 
 the sheilling of some lawless wanderer in the moun- 
 tains, who lived on the produce of the chase afforded 
 him in wild expanse of forest and of moor and 
 whose larder was ever well stocked with the salted 
 venison haunch of the red-deer, as with the kippered 
 salmon and dark trout from the lake hard by, with 
 an occasional side of mutton, by way of variety, from 
 the neighbouring farmer's flock ; and thence became 
 the residence of some northern sheep farmer, -is 
 now a comparative palace in the wilderness, the 
 windows of which, glittering in the rays of the sink- 
 ing sun, shew the shadows of their number in the 
 calm and glassy surface of the Laggan. Could but 
 the forefathers of some of the present Lairds, who re- 
 joice in the increased revenues which the love of 
 sport draws from English pockets to doubly line their 
 purses, rise from the dead, and cast but one glance in 
 this mirror of Laggan, great would be their con- 
 sternation, doubtless, as they witnessed the sight of 
 many and many chimney tops reflecting therein ; the 
 
 T 3 
 
210 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 smoke from which, smelling not of peat, floats away 
 in the clear air of the mountain, and is caused by 
 many a coal fire or heated stove, over which a French 
 gastronomic artist watches in cap and apron : now 
 tasting the soup, d la grouse, now inspecting the 
 cotelette de saumon or truite d Vhuile, to say nothing 
 of the venison yes, the true mountain-fed, high- 
 flavoured, glorious venison haunch, which slowly 
 turns before a well-ranged grate. 
 
 But far greater would be the extent of their amaze- 
 ment, even to the standing of their hair on end, could 
 they select their own time to make their bow once 
 more on the wilderness, from which the hand of 
 death had caused them for ever to bid farewell, and 
 appear the coming August ; for if our information be 
 not incorrect, ere these pages have passed through 
 the hands of the printer, the British royal standard 
 will float in mid air, in the centre of that glen where 
 heretofore none but a rebellious pennon has ere been 
 unfurled. There, in that wild scene, where, save in 
 the memory of the present century, the footstep of 
 the gentle, scarcely of civilization, was never wont 
 to roam, the proudest nobles of the land now meet 
 in sportsman's garb, and revel in the delights of 
 sports and pastime, free from the turmoil of a London 
 season, far from London's splendid parks, but amid 
 nature's far more splendid scenery ; and England's 
 proudest, fairest, and most high-bred dames, sur- 
 rounded with the noblest children of the land we 
 live in, now watch the gambols of their loved ones, 
 'mid the blooming and sweet-scented heather ; and 
 deign not to turn away, when told of many a feat 
 with the gun and the rod. And if such as these find 
 joy in so wild a dwelling place, and by word and 
 action of kindness have found favour in the hearts of 
 many a rude Highlander, how will the notes of 
 
AND PASTIMES. 211 
 
 pibroch swell from hill to hill for the gathering of 
 clans to welcome their youthful and much loved 
 Sovereign, who thus, without guard or ceremony, in 
 company of him to her the first and dearest on earth, 
 loves to visit their wild mountains, that she may 
 share in his sport and pleasures, and visit scenes 
 where hitherto no sovereign of England has deigned 
 or dared to venture. 'Tis strange indeed that these 
 wild glens should e'er be visited by a crowned head, 
 and that the sovereign of Europe's proudest kingdom. 
 But of this shooting quarter for shooting quarter 
 ostensibly it is, though, forsooth, it has of late become 
 a commodious mountain dwelling near a lake (not 
 such, perchance, as may be gazed on by the bright 
 waters of Maggiore or Como ; nevertheless, truly a 
 palace in comparison to its wont) w r ashed by the 
 waters of Loch Laggan, and not lang syne, almost 
 unapproachable by any vehicle glorying in the pos- 
 session of springs : but now a royal carriage and 
 royal retinue will doubtless pass from Fort William, 
 a distance of about thirty miles. For the benefit of 
 the tourist, or those who may hereafter be disposed 
 to visit that portion of the Highlands which un- 
 questionably will be looked on with a greater degree 
 of interest than usual, from the fact of its being the 
 Queen of England's chosen route we may state, 
 that the boats which daily ply during the summer 
 months from Liverpool to Glasgow, are first-rate as 
 regards their accommodation, rapid in their transit, 
 and the charge made for the passage, as well as for 
 all necessary comforts on board, reasonable. Should 
 the object of a sportsman or a tourist be the West 
 Highlands, or even Inverness, let him disembark at 
 Greenock or Port Glasgow, from whence he will find 
 other boats, whose course enables the passenger to 
 enjoy some of the most magnificent scenery in the 
 
212 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 Highlands of Scotland; and will be, we presume, 
 almost precisely the line of country more particularly 
 selected for her Majesty's and her Royal Consort's 
 progress and pleasure. 
 
 Passing through the Kyles of Bute, these small 
 but commodious steam boats, termed the Highland 
 Boats, gain the western end of Loch Tyne at Loch 
 Gilphead : from thence the passengers are conveyed 
 a distance of nine miles through an interesting line of 
 country; the greater portion of which is the pro- 
 perty of Mr. Malcolm, a good sportsman and a hos- 
 pital Laird by numerous and convenient boats drawn 
 by horses at a rapid rate, at the termination of 
 which a steamer is found, with steam up, ready to 
 convey all travellers to Oban, and thence to Fort 
 William. If the weather be fine, nothing can be 
 more interesting, few parts of Europe more beauti- 
 ful, than the mountain scenery of Argyleshire, 
 which here presents itself; and the distant view of 
 the many islands which rise as from the sea, clear 
 and rugged in the distance, are in themselves a suf- 
 ficient sight to repay the lover of nature, if no other 
 objects of interest should present themselves. At 
 Fort William there is a very tolerable inn ; and to 
 those who are hardy enough to undertake the ascent 
 of the lofty Ben Nevis, generally we imagined to be 
 the highest mountain in Britain, though in regard to 
 this assertion we are by no means satisfied, as we 
 surmise that Invernesshire contains a rocky mount, 
 whose rugged pinnacle can lay claim to nearer ac- 
 acquaintance with the clouds. On this point, how- 
 ever, we will not here dwell ; but proceed to urge 
 those who have physical powers and taste, as we 
 have had, for such excursions, to attempt the ascent 
 of Nevis' s lofty sides ; which are by no means diffi- 
 cult of ascent when approached by a ridge towards 
 
AND PASTIMES. 213 
 
 the west, about a quarter of a mile up the river 
 Nevis. The view which then presents itself for the 
 first five or six hundred yards, is entirely confined to 
 Glennevis, and the grassy surface of the slopes offer 
 admirable pasture for sheep-feeding : indeed, this 
 spot, far distant from the turmoils and cares of busy 
 life, is celebrated for some of the best mutton and 
 whisky procurable in the Highlands. Of the former 
 we may speak with confidence, having had many a 
 practical gastronomic proof of its excellence ; and of 
 the latter, though no lover of the mountain dew, we 
 may nevertheless venture, with full faith in its high 
 flavour, to recommend it to those who have no ob- 
 jection to a Highland dram, or who desire to talk 
 over their morning's ramble in companionship with a 
 soothing glass of hot toddy. 
 
 But let us walk on : for each yard we ascend 
 higher and higher, brighter and more beautiful is 
 the picture which nature presents; diversified by 
 bushes, shrubs, and silvery birch woods, the abiding 
 places of the graceful roe-deer, and the raven-coloured 
 blackcock, with many a verdant spot to form a fore- 
 ground ; while below you, in the distance, the smoke 
 of rural hamlets, encircled by young plantations ; a 
 river rushing at the bottom of the vale, over many a 
 rock and stone, glides away in a clear stream, and, 
 meandering through \vood and vale, loses itself in the 
 sea at Fort William ; while, to heighten the delight 
 of this charming view, the sea and distant shores 
 present themselves as a background, formed by 
 many a blue and rugged mountain. It is indeed a 
 scene which expands the heart of one alive to the 
 charms of nature. 
 
 But walk on further, till the prospect opens to the 
 south-west, and you will behold the straights of 
 Correen, the islands of Shuna and Lismore, and the 
 
214 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 south-east part of Mull, together with the islands of 
 Sued and Kerrara, on the opposite coast of Argyle ; 
 and here two elevated hills appear in the far distance, 
 which declare themselves to be the Paps of Jura ; 
 while, turning to the west, you see the small Isles 
 of Rum and Canna, and the sound which separates 
 them from Skye. Beyond all these, if not already 
 sufficient to repay your fatigue, you have the Cullin 
 hills, which form the west of Skye itself, and many 
 parts of Lochiel, a name endeared to all who love 
 the courteous and the brave ; and who that does not 
 recollect the beautiful lines of Byron 
 
 " And wild and high the Camerons' gathering rose ! 
 
 The war note of Lochiel, which Alpyn's hills have heard.' ' 
 
 As higher and higher the pedestrian mounts, the 
 path, though by no means difficult, still changes in 
 its nature, till Ben, as if in anger that the stranger 
 should invade his territory, presents all at once the 
 brink of a precipice on his northern barriers, which 
 is almost perpendicular. 
 
 The wanderer may be gratified, but is nevertheless 
 astonished, at the sudden appearance of this preci- 
 pice, the bosom of which is as cold as an eternal 
 snow can make it ; at least on the 8th of the month 
 of August we still found it, where the sun's rays 
 aided not the atmospheric heat in its demolition. 
 Here, looking to the east, Loch Laggan appears, on 
 whose glassy surface our sovereign Queen may, ere a 
 month elapse, be pleased to venture, as she did on 
 the waters of Loch Tay, where many a light bark 
 and many-coloured pennon, floating in the light 
 breezes, was seen by the multitude from neighbouring 
 heights, as her little regal flotilla, with echoing oar, 
 was swiftly propelled along its centre. And, to the 
 south-east, Loch Rannoch, in Perthshire, lies placidly 
 

 AND PASTIMES. 215 
 
 in the distance ; and, if you be accompanied by one 
 who is well acquainted with the country, you need 
 travel no further, for with a clear day and a bright 
 sky, advantages rarely attainable in mountain sce- 
 nery, you have before you Cruachan, in Glenorchay ; 
 Shiehallion, Ben More, and Ben Lawers in Perth- 
 shire ; Bhillan, in Glencoe ; Ben More, in the island 
 of Mull ; Bennanis, and other hills, in Rosshire ; in 
 fact, the whole of the great glen of Scotland, from 
 Fort George to the Sound of Mull, comprehending 
 the fresh-water lakes of Ness, Oich, and Lochy, 
 together with the course of the two rivers, Ness and 
 Lochy, from their very source to the spot of their 
 forming a junction with the briny element, across 
 the land eastward to the German Sea, to the west^ 
 ward expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Nature, in- 
 deed, here presents herself on a scale of universal 
 magnificence and vastness, offering objects not few 
 in number, or of common interest. 
 
216 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 AT the south-west of Mull, Colonsay, a spot inte- 
 resting to the hearts of all sportsmen, as being- one 
 of the favoured resorts of the noble red-deer, and the 
 Highland deer-hound, of which splendid animal Mr. 
 M'Neil, the owner of Colonsay, is so true a friend, 
 and has been, perhaps is, so celebrated a breeder 
 rises out of the sea like a shade of mist, though so 
 far in the distance as to be seldom observable with 
 the naked eye ; a fact which scarcely needs com- 
 ment when we state the distance at full fourscore 
 miles. Neither was it our good fortune to witness 
 the coast of Ireland, which many nevertheless affirm 
 to be visible from the heights of Ben Nevis. 
 
 Such, however, is the wide extent of landscape 
 seen from the towering Ben, reaching full fourscore 
 miles from the horizon of the sea, on the north-east 
 of Moroyshire to the island of Colonsay on the south- 
 west ; and this is of so varied a nature now the 
 peaceful vale, now towering hills, now torrents of 
 water, which here and there rattle down the preci- 
 pices over rock and cliff, that the eye has scarcely 
 time to rest on one object of interest ere it wanders 
 to another. In a word, the number, the extent and 
 variety of pleasing prospects, the wild and irregular 
 freaks of nature, the diversity of shapes and colours, 
 
AND PASTIMES. 217 
 
 the glassy surface of many a lake, the rippling waters 
 of the sparkling sea, the struggling and rushing 
 sounds of the many mountain streams, and, if the 
 weather be but favourable, the exhilarating effects of 
 mountain air, the glorious sun and the azure sky, 
 form a scene so resplendent, and yet so calming, 
 even in its grandeur, that the most fervid imagi- 
 nation will not be dissatisfied with a venture, even 
 to the summit of Ben Nevis ; an undertaking, if 
 not easy of accomplishment, by no means imprac- 
 ticable in the course of seven or eight hours. 
 
 To those who visit that portion of the Highlands 
 to which we have more particularly alluded, for the 
 sole purpose of ascending Ben Nevis, we would 
 suggest to them the advantage of making themselves 
 as comfortable as circumstances will admit in the 
 hostelry at Fort William, till they secure a fine day ; 
 not that it offers any peculiar features of elegance or 
 cleanliness virtues niggardly scattered on Highland 
 highways. * 
 
 Like the hardy and contented-minded individual, 
 however, who professed his powers of endurance 
 with such humble fare as a beefsteak and a bottle of 
 port, they may be enabled to follow his example, 
 with fresh salmon from the rivers at hand, and the 
 best of whisky toddy, without the loss of much 
 patience or physical comfort. 
 
 To those who are not satisfied with the enjoyable 
 sights we have enumerated as visible from the 
 shoulder of Ben, we beg their company a few leagues 
 farther towards the Ness. 
 
 Previous, however, to recommencing our line of 
 march, we may briefly name the probability of her 
 Majesty's steamer, Fairy, proceeding from Fort Wil- 
 liam by the Caledonian canal to Fort Augustus, 
 should her size permit her passing through the locks. 
 
 XJ 
 
218 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 If such be the case, we would give much to find our- 
 selves, that identical morning, high up on the slopes of 
 Ben Nevis, were it only to catch a glimpse of the Fairy 
 on the waters, with her snaky pennant curling, and 
 royal standard floating in the breeze ; a trifling sight, 
 though nevertheless an object which will, doubtless, 
 obliterate for ever from Highland hearts the memory 
 of all that may still remain in bitterness of the past, 
 and tend doubly to cement the seal of the Union ; 
 erasing nationalities, save in the picturesque garb 
 and romance of other days, from the minds of men, 
 who, as Christians, worship one God, and, as sub- 
 jects, obey one Sovereign. 
 
 To those also who are about to amuse themselves 
 during the autumn in rambling amid Highland 
 scenery, or whose intent it may be to pay their 
 annual visit to the heathered hills a determination 
 on their parts which calls forth in ours the sin of 
 envy a hint may not be unacceptable in reference 
 to the mode of approaching Loch Laggan otherwise 
 than by the way of Fort William, should curiosity 
 induce them to take a peep at the quarter chosen by 
 a Prince to try his sporting qualities, which, as far 
 as the gun is concerned, we have reason to believe 
 are by no means of an inferior order. 
 
 Travelling then from the south by the Highland 
 road from Perth to Inverness, we come to the hostelry 
 whicn we have already denominated, of Dalwhi- 
 nie. From this spot the route breaks off towards 
 Laggan through a wild interesting country, pursuing 
 which, the traveller may not only have a passing 
 glimpse of the royal sporting quarters, but also pro- 
 ceed, if he will, to Fort William, thence obtaining a 
 view of all the splendid scenery we have already 
 named ; but, should he prefer it, he may deviate 
 from the Port William route, and passing by the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 219 
 
 Corryarrick Zigzag, descend to the valley of the 
 Ness, and halt for the night at Fort Augustus. 
 
 At Aviemore also, a well known hostelry for tired 
 travellers on the Highland route, he will also find 
 himself amid scenes of sporting excellence which 
 can vie with most in the Highlands ; and we must 
 with truth admit, there are few roadside inns in 
 Scotland which can surpass in comfort and cleanli- 
 ness that of Aviemore, the landlord of which, for a 
 consideration, was, and we believe now is, enabled 
 to give the sportsman a good day's grouse shooting, 
 or a good day's salmon fishing, and the traveller or 
 tourist all necessary comforts for the inward man, as 
 well as a good pair of horses, should he desire from 
 thence to visit the route which borders the waters of 
 Laggan. 
 
 Should Fort William not be found an agreeable 
 halting quarter, an excursion onwards to Fort Au- 
 gustus, either by the route which skirts the base of 
 Ben Nevis, or a passage in the Caledonian steam- 
 boat, will amply repay the wanderer or the sports- 
 man for his trouble, if trouble it be ; for while the 
 one, with eager eye and gratified taste, looks on the 
 abundant and varied beauties which Nature in her 
 loveliness has supplied for his recreation, the imagi- 
 nation of the other, extending beyond these sources of 
 gratification, looks first on the fresh wide waters of 
 Loch Lochy, which extends full fourteen miles 
 through the wild valley, and fancy tells him many a 
 tale of Izaak Walton's art. 
 
 But now pursue your wanderings along the 
 southern bank by the road, which continues along 
 the water's edge about eight miles. Here, broken 
 by rough and varied stones, collected by the rapid 
 torrents which rush down the mountain sides when 
 iiowing from the heavy rains which visit this wild 
 
 V 2 
 
220 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 locality in the season of the tempest and the flood, 
 and leaving Loch Lochy, you behold Glengarry, a 
 narrow, but most picturesque and romantic valley, 
 bounded by mountains, whose densely wooded bases 
 are filled with every feathered tribe of game, the 
 antlered monarch of the north, and the graceful roe- 
 deer, while the ivy-grown ruin of Invergarry Castle, 
 now the only remaining property of its ancient Lairds, 
 speaks to the heart of many a bold but lawless war- 
 rior, who in days of clanship was wont to dwell there 
 in savage security. 
 
 Here again you behold another shooting quarter 
 of an English nobleman, who, having purchased the 
 extensive woodlands, moors, and wide acres of the 
 present Laird of Glengarry, now, amidst his Highland 
 tenantry, passes the autumnal months in following 
 with his chosen friends the pleasures of every species 
 of Highland sport, including deer stalking and salmon 
 fishing, and that with success and abundance to be 
 surpassed in few other localities. In the immediate 
 vicinity of the ancient ruin we have named, which 
 still gives to the Lairds of Glengarry the right of 
 freehold over a small patch of land (all that remains 
 to them of many thousand acres), stands the modern 
 and commodious shooting lodge of Lord Ward. 
 
 The house, embosomed in trees, and beauteous in 
 situation, is placed within half gunshot from the 
 waters of the small but beautiful lake of Oich, which 
 encircles the lawn. 
 
 The banks of this lake, which does not exceed four 
 miles in length, slope beautifully to the water, form- 
 ing a number of little bays, while the surface is 
 dotted over with several tufted islands ; indeed, 
 though insignificant in size, there are few lakes in 
 Scotland more picturesque and interesting. 
 
 Leaying Loch Oich, the route ascends over hea- 
 
AND PASTIMES. 221 
 
 tkerecl hills till the head of the vast waters of Loch 
 Ness are distinctly visible, with its rough and rocky 
 wood-clad banks, variegated with every beauteous 
 tint of nature, and on the northern extremity of 
 which stands Fort Augustus, situated between the 
 river Oich, which runs from the lake already named, 
 as also the Tarff from Loch Tarff. As, however, we 
 have endeavoured fully to describe Loch Ness in our 
 previous pages, we wall not inflict on our readers 
 further comment on its beauties, however interesting 
 they must ever be to those who love to dwell on the 
 many sources of interest with which the neighbour- 
 hood abounds. Neither must we halt at Fort Au- 
 gustus, though there, in that secluded spot, one of 
 the forts selected as a military station after the 
 Union, adds to the interest of the locality ; never- 
 theless, we may name to those who are desirous of 
 making it their abiding place for a brief period, that 
 he or they will find a snug little inn, and if he be 
 alone, and worthy of companionship, let him w r alk 
 across the drawbridge, which in ancient days was 
 wont to be lowered to friends only, but now, where 
 all are friends, it forms the sole entrance for the 
 visitor. On his right, having passed this bridge, he 
 will enter the square of the Port (where no longer 
 warriors, in " coats of mail, and military pride," are 
 lingering, and find the quarters of the governor. 
 Knock at the door and it will be opened, and every 
 attention granted you. Or, having taken your ease 
 at your little inn, if the morning but break fair and 
 bright, walk forth across the river Tarff by a wooden 
 bridge, and having ascended a high hill on the other 
 side, you will have a splendid view of Loch Ness, 
 stretched for many a league beneath you, while the 
 hamlet of Augustus and its fort will appear as a 
 
 u a 
 
222 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 country residence, obliterating in its peacefulness all 
 recollection of bloodshed and civil feuds. 
 " Cold must he be who ever gazed 
 
 Impassive on its beauty." 
 
 Nevertheless, the associations that are aroused, can- 
 not fail to heighten the delight with which such 
 scenes are contemplated. 
 
 Proceeding onwards, the glittering lake is lost to 
 view, but instead of approaching, as all around you 
 leads the mind to expect, a dreary, mountainous 
 country, you will be agreeably surprised to find 
 yourself entering a pleasant sequestered valley, 
 through which a trout stream winds its rapid course 
 into the Loch, the banks of which are richly clothed 
 with birch, while the land on which your footsteps 
 linger is on every side surrounded by high and rocky 
 mountains. 
 
 Thence walk on with renewed vigour to the sum- 
 mit of Seechuimin, or Cummin's seat, where you will 
 look on many a small but lovely Liliputian lake, for 
 any one of which an English millionaire would 
 readily pay the value of the estate which claims it, 
 could it be transported to adorn his broad park lands 
 in merry England; the largest of which is Loch 
 Tarff, about three miles in circumference, in which 
 here and there are scattered little tufted islands, on 
 which stands the silvery birch, surrounded with 
 brushwood and purple heather. 
 
 Such are the Highland scenes which present them- 
 selves to gratify the wanderer in the north. And 
 pleasing are they to the sportsman also, even though 
 he sport not, for while he looks on this lake we have 
 named, with its surrounding beauties, he will recol- 
 lect that it abounds with char, which, on a courteous 
 request from its owner, will afford him many an 
 hour's recreation. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 223 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 WE must now bid adieu to the Highlands, per- 
 haps for ever, with a few details in reference to the 
 Isle of Skye, both as regards its sporting advantages, 
 as well as with the view to point out briefly the 
 many objects of interest which will there be found 
 to greet the wanderer who may be disposed to 
 venture so far north. In so doing we may remark, 
 that we know of few summer trips that will more 
 entirely repay the lover of wild scenery ; while the 
 sportsman will find ample employment for the rod, 
 should shooting not be attainable. 
 
 As regards ourselves, we have more than once 
 looked on the Coolin mountains, and passed many a 
 pleasant hour on the heather ed hills, which form the 
 extensive patrimony of the Lord of the Isles. In- 
 deed, did no other inducement offer itself for a visit 
 to Skye, a perusal of Sir Walter Scott's beautiful 
 poem of " The Lord of the Isles" would be sufficient 
 to attract the steps of the wanderer to Skye's 
 romantic shores, where the sportsman might exclaim 
 with Ronald 
 
 " If true mine eye, 
 These are the savage wilds that lie 
 North of Strathnardill and Dunskye. 
 
 No human foot comes here. 
 And since these adverse breezes blow, 
 If my good liege love hunters' bow, 
 What hinders that on land we go 
 And strike a mountain deer ]" 
 
224 SCOTTISH SPOKTS 
 
 For the information of those who desire to behold 
 such spots, we may observe, that there are several 
 modes of attaining their wishes ; by far the most 
 convenient of which, provided the object be solely 
 that of visiting the island, is by steam boat, which, 
 if we are not mistaken, plies regularly twice a week 
 during the summer and autumnal months, and once 
 duriiig the winter, from Glasgow to Portree. For 
 those who love the sea, this is a most agreeable 
 mode of beholding some of the most romantic and 
 interesting parts of the Highlands ; yet, should the 
 wind, on the morning selected for starting, be 
 westerly or south-westerly inclined, and somewhat 
 puffy withal, far better remain, and make your way 
 by terra jinna, for under the above circumstances 
 no more disagreeable sea excursion exists that we 
 wot of. 
 
 On the other hand, having weathered the entrance 
 of the Clyde, fair weather and fair winds per- 
 mitting, you look with admiration and comfort over 
 the rocky promontory termed the Mull of Cantyre, 
 and probably listen with a degree of calm resigna- 
 tion to all the direful tales which the undue rapidity 
 of tides in that locality have inflicted on your fellow- 
 men. If the weather be foul, however, no need to 
 listen to romance, or look on that which may have 
 proved so deadly to your neighbour's ; for the roar of 
 waters, and tender disposition of the neighbouring 
 cliffs, who long to hug you in their fond, but too 
 rough embrace, will satisfy you for the nonce that 
 r tis as pleasing to hear the tale of the hardy sailor 
 who has had proof of Cantyre' s affection, on shore, 
 as to endeavour by practical information to be 
 enabled to tell of your own disasters. 
 
 Sail on, however, with a clear sky and light winds, 
 and you will be well repaid the venture, as each 
 league you glide through the clear blue sea, till 
 
AND PASTIMES. 225 
 
 " Mull's dark headland scarce they knew, 
 And Ardnamurchan's hills were blue ; 
 But then the squalls blew close and hard, 
 And fain to strike the galleys' yard 
 And take them to the oar " 
 
 as was once our doom, having embarked at Portree, 
 to pass a whole night beating about in sight of 
 Ardnamurchan's point, in the month of November, 
 with, every chance of providing a breakfast for the 
 sea-gulls instead of ourselves, on its iron-bound 
 coast. 
 
 But the month of August offers better fare and 
 better weather ; and at such period of the year, 
 having passed this second point, the steamer glides 
 on through many a narrow channel, and many a 
 splendid view of mountain and of wooded vale ; re- 
 paying you well, e'en though you may have been 
 somewhat inwardly unmanned by the roughness of 
 the sea, till at length the narrow sound of Kyleakin 
 tells you that accommodation is at hand ; and land- 
 ing at Dunvegan, you once more stretch your limbs 
 on the heathered mountains. 
 
 It has been our good fortune, however, to travel 
 to the Isle of Skye, or rather to the Ferry of 
 Kyleakin, which divides the Isle of Skye from the 
 main-land, both by the beautiful route from Glen- 
 moriston on Loch Ness, as also from Invergarry on 
 Loch Oich. The distance from either of which 
 places is within an easy day to Skye ; the country 
 over which you pass being most interesting, and in 
 all respects worthy of a sportsman's visit. 
 
 Arriving at Skye, we should recommend the halt- 
 ing place to be either at Portree or Dunvegan: 
 at both accommodation is to be obtained, and that of 
 a nature superior to most small places in the High- 
 lands of Scotland. There are, we believe, but few 
 
226 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 shootings let to the stranger in the Isle of Skye ; the 
 principal portion of the Island belonging to Lord 
 Macdonald himself, as all who know him are aware, 
 a first-rate sportsman ; the remaining portion, we 
 surmise, being the property of Macleod of Macleod, 
 with the exception of some trifling freeholds. 
 
 The Castle of Armisdale, the residence of the 
 above-named Lord, is a most picturesque, and in- 
 deed handsome Highland mansion ; and the woods 
 in which it is embosomed almost the only trees 
 which are seen in Skye prove what wealth can 
 secure, even in a wilderness, and add greatly to the 
 beauty of a locality which is surpassed by few in 
 Scotland, and which gathers fresh interest as being 
 the autumnal abiding place of the Lord of the Isles. 
 
 Lord Macdonald' s moors are very extensive, and 
 well preserved. We are not, however, enabled to 
 speak accurately of the amount of game generally 
 killed thereon during the grousing season, or of the 
 present state of the game to be found there ; yet w r e 
 imagine he can tell a yearly tale sufficient to satisfy 
 the most ardent desire of real sportsmen. Hut if the 
 grouse on his moors are abundant, the deer in his 
 forest are not only equally so in comparison, but 
 rank among the finest in the Highlands. Indeed, 
 we had once the good fortune to find ourselves in the 
 Isle of Skye, on a fine summer's day almost imme- 
 diately preceding the deer-stalking season. 
 
 Our object was more particularly, in the first 
 instance, to gain the summit of a high portion of the 
 Coolin mountains, from which we had been informed 
 a most wild and extensive view was attainable, and 
 thence to proceed to the lake of Coriskin of which 
 more anon. Having therefore left Dunvegan with 
 this intention, we had scarcely gained our intended 
 halting place, about midway between that place and 
 
AND PASTIMES. 227 
 
 Portree, ere the dark clouds lowered, and the mist 
 hung so heavily over the mountains, as to preclude 
 any chance of our object being secured. We there- 
 fore determined on remaining at the rude hostelry 
 for the night, in the hope that the following morning 
 would prove more favourable. With this deter- 
 mination, having secured the only sitting room the 
 house afforded, we awaited all chances <* 
 
 The weather having become somewhat clearer as 
 the afternoon advanced, we walked forth in com- 
 panionship of a cigar, with the hope that, as the 
 days were long, we might still gain the mountain-top 
 ere night-fall ; but the clouds still lowered so densely 
 on its peaked summit, that we were soon convinced 
 the attempt would be fruitless. 
 
 At this moment of our disappointment, a forester, 
 followed by one of the noble breed of deer-dogs, 
 walked up to the door of the inn where we were 
 standing, and him we immediately accosted as to the 
 nature of the deer forest, the number of the deer, as 
 also to the probability of our being gladdened by a 
 sight of any of them during our intended walk across 
 the island. 
 
 " I'm about to ascend the steep hill before us," 
 said he, very civilly, though not precisely in the 
 English language, " and if you like to be my com- 
 panion, it is more than probable you may be gratified, 
 with a sight of some score of them." 
 
 As may be imagined, we readily assented to 
 so agreeable a proposal : and well were we repaid 
 for the fatigue of an hour or two's brisk walk. 
 
 " Awhile their route they silent made, 
 As men who stalk for mountain deer." 
 
 Lord of the Isles. 
 
 For hardly had we gained the summit of the hill he 
 
228 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 named, when our arm was firmly clutched, and down 
 we went, half buried in heather, beside the hardy 
 forester. 
 
 " Whist !" said he, " and you'll see fourscore 
 deer or more on yon brae side." 
 
 We were soon made fully to understand, however, 
 that silence and patience were absolutely necessary ; 
 and having Calmly submitted to the orders of our 
 chief in every respect now creeping up the heather 
 now lying flat mid its flowery bed now bobbing 
 our head now sliding along with back half broken, 
 we at length gained a point where, having taken 
 breath, we were permitted to dwell on one of the 
 finest pictures which sportsman's eye may wish to 
 look on namely, at least one hundred head of red- 
 deer, peacefully grazing on the short green herb 
 with which the opposite slope of a hill was covered, 
 about three hundred yards distant from where we 
 lay, most comfortably enjoying a full and uninter- 
 rupted view. 
 
 Having looked on and enjoyed this splendid sight 
 till the western horizon informed us the sun would 
 soon sink behind the countless hills seen in the 
 distance, we arose, and moved on our return to the 
 valley, where we intended to await the anxious hope 
 of a fine clear morning. 
 
 We had, however, scarcely taken ten paces, ere 
 the whole herd of deer, following a common leader, 
 raised their heads and started at a sharp trot, then 
 formed in line, galloped over the hill- top, and were 
 lost to us for ever. A sight so gratifying, indeed so 
 splendid, once seen, can never be forgotten ; a sight 
 sufficiently convincing that the Lord of the Isles 
 possesses a shooting quarter worthy of the days of 
 his ancestors, and so stocked, and of such magnitude, 
 as to satisfy the most ardent lover of deer-stalking. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 229 
 
 There are red-deer also to be found, though, 
 we imagine, in far less number, on the property of 
 Mr. Macleod, as are his moorlands well stocked with 
 grouse. And here, while we mention the name of 
 this Highland Laird, we may add, that he is one who 
 well merits the name he bears, and not less so 
 the estimation in which he is held in the Isle of 
 Skye ; for there, amid the wild hills of his ancestors, 
 he has raised a comparative palace on the foundations 
 of his ancient castle, where, passing the greater por- 
 tion of the year alike, amid winter's rigours and 
 summer's sunshine, he cheers the hearts of the 
 islanders by his presence and protection, and adds in 
 every possible manner to their comfort and means of 
 existence, by giving labour to the strong, and tender- 
 ing the hand of benevolence to the weak. Such 
 men well merit to head the race from which they 
 inherit their possessions. And we can only add, 
 Would there were many more such ! 
 
 Fatigued with our walk over the hills, we soon 
 closed our eyes in sleep, (though, forsooth, our couch 
 was none of those termed downy), requesting to be 
 called with the sun, in order that we might start 
 early on our intended excursion to Coriskin, and 
 with the hope that the lowering clouds with which 
 the day had darkened might clear from the moun- 
 tains' tops during the night, and that all would be 
 sunshine and brightness in the morn. But the 
 hopes of man are but as feathers to be scattered to 
 the winds ; for, being aroused at daybreak from 
 pleasing dreams by the rattling of a heavy shower 
 against the windows, we felt -that all hope of moun- 
 tain views was at an end. This was sufficiently dis- 
 heartening to one who had come some distance 
 simply with the intention of visiting the wild 
 scenery of this part of the country, still more so that 
 
 x 
 
230 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the dense mist which accompanied the do \vnfall 
 entirely shut out the mountains almost to their very 
 bases, thus precluding all chance, all hope of the 
 prospect we had anticipated. 
 
 Determined, however, not to give up our enter- 
 prise, we waited only till the heaviest of the clouds 
 and rain had passed away, and then started for 
 Coriskin, about fourteen miles distant from the 
 quarters where we had passed the night. Nothing, 
 as we conceive, could exceed the wildness of the 
 scenery through which we passed during the first 
 seven miles of our walk, literally soaked by a Scotch 
 mist, which precluded the sight of all around us, and 
 this by the most rough and uninteresting sheep- 
 tracks, though enlivened we certainly were by the 
 occasional rising of a grouse ; but neither man nor 
 beast did we meet with, and the deer were out of 
 range. 
 
 At length, after a brisk walk, we arrived at one of 
 the most primitive Highland bothies that ere was 
 erected for the residence of human being. We 
 question whether all the art of Cubitt or of Nash 
 could have imitated the rusticity of its appearance in 
 an English pleasure-ground, even had the same 
 materials been placed at their disposal ; in fact, we 
 entered a sort of cattle-shed formed of sods, with 
 one opening in the top, for the double purpose of 
 admitting light and giving vent to the smoke which 
 issued from a peat fire that smouldered in the centre, 
 the dense vapour of which so completely filled the 
 room, if such it may be called, that it was some 
 moments after our entrance ere the pupils of our 
 eyes became sufficiently dilated to penetrate the 
 obscurity. Here we found the family indolently 
 reclining round the peat fire, on which a frugal 
 meal of porridge was preparing, with- the occasional 
 
x 2 
 
A:>D PASTIMES. 2oo 
 
 addition of rnilk and limpets, whose shells scattered 
 about the entrance seemed to identify it as their 
 chief means of subsistence. In short, everything 
 bore the aspect of the most extreme poverty, and 
 most unwholesome dirt. 
 
 Yet, in the midst of these miseries to the eye of 
 civilization, there were no grounds for sorrow to the 
 beholder, inasmuch as the sight was pleasingly 
 blended with looks of cheerfulness and content, 
 added to a disposition of kindness and hospitality, 
 even to the offer of a share of the contents of the 
 cauldron, which left a gratifying recollection on our 
 hearts, and might have been an example to those 
 who, with tenfold means, are loth to welcome the 
 stranger. 
 
 Having halted a brief hour, to rest from the 
 fatigues of our struggle over the rough sheep-tracks 
 and swampy grounds, which had hitherto intercepted 
 our path, the day having somewhat improved, we 
 lighted our cigars, and bidding adieu to our rustic 
 entertainers, hastened on our way, every mile of 
 which became more wild and desolate. But while 
 we advance, we may here observe, that we were 
 greeted with the sight of numberless shaggy ponies, 
 which in absolute wildiiess grazed on the hill-sides, 
 among which we could have selected several pair 
 which would not have disgraced the elegant phaeton, 
 of many a fail* lady daily seen in the parks of 
 London. 
 
 As may be supposed, this breed of ponies is pecu- 
 liarly hardy. Permitted to range for almost the 
 whole of the year on these -remote hill-sides, they 
 possess a sureness of foot ever desirable ; and when 
 brought to a more salubrious climate, and more 
 abundant pasture, what may at first appear a wild 
 animal, all bone, mane, and tail, is often found to be 
 
 x 3 
 
234 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 a well shaped, well boned, useful, and even graceful 
 pony. The price of these animals formerly averaged 
 about 51. ; in fact, a selection of the best pair among 
 sixty, would not have exceeded ten. 
 
 The increased facilities of steam and railways 
 have, however, materially altered all such matters ; 
 for while formerly Skye and the neighbouring isles 
 alone afforded a market for them, hundreds are now 
 annually sent to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and even 
 Liverpool, from whence they naturally find their 
 way to the small city of London. But even now a 
 very moderate price will secure a much admired 
 pair. 
 
 But we were now on the summit of one of the 
 smaller range of the Coolin mountains, and every 
 step we advanced offered fresh scenes of interest and 
 delight. Indeed, a more exquisite and savage scene, 
 or one of more romantic wHdness and beauty, can 
 scarcely be conceived ; for here we looked down on 
 the dark waters of Coriskin, surrounded by pathless 
 and inaccessible mountains, the tops of which were 
 here and there so rugged as strongly to resemble 
 the shivered crater of an exhausted volcano. The 
 eye rested on literally nothing but barren and naked 
 rocks, and those on which we walked were as bare 
 as the pavements of St. James's-street not a sign of 
 vegetation appeared ; indeed, there can scarcely be 
 found a spot in Europe so bare of all that is luxuriant 
 in nature. Descend with us now to the shores of 
 these dark waters, and you will agree with us, even 
 be you a sportsman, that, with the exception of 
 a herd of the noble antlered monarchs of the moun- 
 tain, there is nothing more worthy of a visit, nothing 
 more interesting and remarkable, in the whole length 
 and breadth of the Isle of Skye. 
 
 It is true, the mist still lingered, not only on the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 235 
 
 mountain-tops, but also here and there even on the 
 surface of the lake, which our guide informed us 
 was popularly called the Water Kettle ; the proper 
 name of which is Coriskin from the deep corrie, or 
 hollow, in the mountains of Coolin, which affords the 
 basin for this wonderful sheet of water on which 
 there are one or two small islets, almost covered 
 with juniper or some such bushy shrub. Upon the 
 whole, though we may have witnessed scenes of 
 desolation more extensive and more solemn, never 
 have we looked on one which dwells more deeply on 
 the eye and heart than that at Coriskin, at the same 
 time that the rugged grandeur of its mountains 
 redeemed it from entire dreariness. 
 
 From this lake to the sea the distance is not 
 great ; time, however, did not permit of our linger- 
 ing long ; but, for the sake of our sporting friends, 
 we may add, that the waters which rush towards 
 that sea are filled with hundreds of trout and salmon 
 struggling onwards in their journey to the fresh waters 
 of the lake ; while the wild and infinite number of 
 sea-fowl, hovering over their prey, offer many an 
 hour's amusement with the rifle and the fowling-piece. 
 
 We have dwelt but briefly on the interest of a 
 spot which all who visit Skye should endeavour to 
 behold ; they will be amply repaid for the difficulties 
 they may encounter in their route. And the beau- 
 tiful lines of Scott, who refers to Coriskin, will sink 
 with truthfulness in their memory, and substantiate 
 our assertions. 
 
 " I've traversed many a mountain strand, 
 Abroad and in my native land, 
 And it has been my lot to' tread 
 Where safety more than pleasure led : 
 Thus many a waste I 've wander'd o'er, 
 Climb'd many a crag, crossed many a moor ; 
 But, by my halidome, 
 
2ob SCOTTISH SPOliTS 
 
 A scene so rude, so wild as this, 
 Yet so sublime in barrenness, 
 Ne'er did my wandering footsteps press, 
 Where'er I happ'd to roam." 
 
 On leaving Coriskin, one of the hardest day's 
 walking we have ever encountered, at length closed 
 an excursion of most unusual interest ; and as, 
 feverish, exhausted, and soaked, we entered the 
 little hostelry at Dun vegan, where we awaited the 
 arrival of the steamer on the following day to convey 
 us from such wild scenes to more southern lands, we 
 felt, and felt truly, that pleasing as may be, and are, 
 the reminiscences of many a sweet and flowery spot 
 where the hand of nature has rested in luxuriance of 
 foliage and beauty, there is scarcely less pleasure 
 certainly more excitement, to be gained in scenes of 
 wildness, where the hand of man intrudeth not, as 
 you wander 
 
 " On mountain or in glen, 
 Nor tree, nor shrub, nor plant, nor flower, 
 Nor aught of vegetative power, 
 
 The weary eye may ken." 
 
 Previous to leaving Skye, we may add, that there 
 are abundant small lakes, formed from the arms of 
 the sea, where excellent trout fishing may be obtained 
 for the asking; and he who desires to cast a fly 
 thereon, as well as in many of the numerous trout 
 streams which intersect the glens of Skye, will be 
 amply repaid for a visit to those waters. 
 
 On the opposite shores of Invernesshire may also 
 be seen the Highland residence of Mr. Mackenzie, of 
 Applecross, whose moors abound in grouse, and 
 whose deer-forest is one of the best provided in the 
 Highlands. And the island of Uist, the property of 
 the Earl of Dunmore, is also well stocked with these 
 
AND PASTIMES. 237 
 
 noble animals, as are also his Leathered hills with 
 grouse. 
 
 But we must now bid adieu to scenes never to be 
 forgotten till the memory of pleasant days of sport- 
 ing wandering cease to give us interest ; or that the 
 grouse season's annual arrival causes our heart to 
 beat with the desire to be treading the flowery 
 heather: the approach of which in 1847, now so 
 near at hand, we trust may offer abundant sport and 
 success to all who visit the land of the mountain and 
 the flood. Though we greatly fear the game book 
 at many of the best quarters will tell but a sorry 
 tale for even while we write we have before us 
 details which give but little reason to hope for 
 abundance ; indeed, from one of the best quarters in 
 Perthshire, we have received the following infor- 
 mation : 
 
 " After a day's fishing on Loch Tay, we arrived 
 here, I am sorry to say, to hear nothing but the 
 
 most miserable reports of grouse ; F , the 
 
 keeper, never having known anything at all like it. 
 On the north side of the river, there is scarcely 
 a bird left alive, distemper has made so complete a 
 sweep : the south side rather better, but very few in 
 a brood." 
 
 This is difficult to be accounted for, and much to 
 be regretted; nevertheless, when the glorious day 
 arrives, we trust matters may be found somewhat 
 better than this account leads us to anticipate. 
 
238 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 " Where the .Northern Ocean in vast whirls 
 
 Boils round the naked, melancholy Isles 
 
 Of further Thule, and the Atlantic surge 
 
 Pours in among the stormy Hebrides. 
 
 Who can recount what transmigrations there 
 
 Are annual made 1 What nations come and go 1 
 
 And how the living clouds arise 
 
 Infinite wings ! till all the plume-dark air 
 
 And rude resounding shore are one wild cry !" 
 
 ALTHOUGH neither the Shetland, nor more imme- 
 diate Isles of Orkney, can be named, in reference to 
 their natural beauties, or as regards the customs, 
 manners, or habits of those who vegetate in that 
 wild portion of Her Majesty's northern dominions, 
 with their neighbours of the Scottish mainland, yet 
 do they contain many a source of interest, which 
 will amply repay the sportsman or tourist who, 
 selecting the fair weather of summer, ventures a 
 ramble o'er the grassy hills where the graceful 
 Minna, and still more lovely Brencla, were wont to 
 wander ; though neither in the former w r ill he find 
 the old Norwegian Udaler to tender him hospitality, 
 nor a Norna of the fitful head, with whom to while 
 away an idle hour in magic story ; nor in the latter 
 will he meet a Cleveland or a Bruce, with their 
 pirate crew. Yet, should he visit Kirk wall, a week 
 or two may nevertheless be well spent amid such 
 
AXD PASTIMES. 230 
 
 scenes, to say nothing of the sport of shooting the 
 multitudes of wild fowl, of every species, which are 
 to be met with in numbers beyond all belief in those 
 Northern Isles, varied by a day or two in company 
 with the seals, which congregate in hundreds on 
 their rocky shores. 
 
 There, also, when weary of such sport, some 
 relaxation offers itself in visiting the hills, and 
 selecting a pair of shelties, although the quantity, 
 as well as the quality, has materially diminished of 
 late years, doubtless owing to the facility which con- 
 stant steam communication offers for supplying the 
 markets of the south with Liliputian ponies, as well 
 as Orkney mutton, only to be surpassed by that of 
 Portland. These little shaggy animals heretofore 
 scarcely known in England, save as a prize to some 
 newly breeched scion of the aristocracy brought 
 shoeless from their wild native hills, where hitherto 
 they have existed on the Lord knows what in the 
 winter, for assert we dare not sold for a sum not 
 exceeding the value of an English donkey, are now 
 bought up by scores for the southern dealer, who 
 naturally doubles their value to all English pur- 
 chasers, in proportion as the islanders have ascer- 
 tained it from the increased demand. Even now, 
 however, you may still see them at the fair of Kirk- 
 wall, and listen also, as we have done, to the voice of 
 the pedlar who sells his wares beneath the ancient 
 walls of the cathedral of St. Magnus. 
 
 Previous, however, to dwelling on the peculiarities 
 of the Orkney and Shetland Isles, either as regards 
 their sporting qualities or local interests, let us speak 
 as to the most agreeable mode of placing foot on 
 their shores ; the former of which, at all periods of 
 the year, is most difficult of access from the main- 
 land of Scotland, save in the fairest weather and 
 
240 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 during the most favourable tides, owing to the 
 uncertain waters and extraordinary rapidity of those 
 of the Pentland Frith ; whereas the latter, until 
 very recently, was almost entirely cut off from all 
 communication with the mainland, save by the occa- 
 sional fortunate event of a vessel's arrival from Aber- 
 deen, or other eastern port, which, at uncertain periods 
 during the summer, but rarely during the winter, 
 made its welcome appearance on their rocky 
 coast. 
 
 Indeed, it is a strange, but not the less true, state- 
 ment, that until within the last ten years, notwith- 
 standing the power of steam being used as a means 
 of transit to all the nations of Europe, so large a 
 portion of Her Majesty's northern subjects, in 
 number not less than thirty thousand, should be thus 
 almost absolutely excluded from any participation in 
 the advantages obtained by all other portions of Great 
 Britain ; indeed, deprived of communication with 
 their fellow-men, as were they in some far distant 
 land of the foreigner. 
 
 The assertion of u better late than never" is, how- 
 ever, a just one ; and matters are now unquestionably 
 3 roved ; there is, nevertheless, still a wide field, 
 it would doubtless be agreeable to these northern 
 islanders did Prince Albert, who is a tourist and a 
 sportsman, feel inclined to have a crack at a seal, 
 or bid for a pony, some fine summer day, en attendant 
 the more noble sport of deer-stalking ; inasmuch as 
 the Shetlanders might then lay some claim to the 
 commiseration of the generous people of England 
 if still neglected, as they have ever been, by their 
 canny neighbours. 
 
 To those who may desire to visit the Orkneys 
 the inhabitants of which are now a mixed race 
 between the old Norwegian line and the more recent 
 
AND PASTIMES. 241 
 
 Scoth importations, but nevertheless, most hospitable 
 and agreeable people we suggest their taking 
 passage on board a very commodious and well regu- 
 lated steamer of 250 horse-power, which starts, if we 
 err not, each Tuesday, during the summer and 
 autumnal months, from the Grantham Pier, at Leith. 
 Her captain, be he the same corpulent gentleman as 
 was wont to pace her decks in the days that we were 
 wandering, is not only an amiable man and most 
 admirable seaman, a qualification which, in good 
 faith, is not seldom required in his passage on one of 
 the most turbulent seas in Europe, or the world 
 but also one of considerable information, of which 
 he is rarely niggardly to those who desire such 
 favour. 
 
 Should you touch at Arbroath, on the eastern 
 coast of Scotland which is generally the case, 
 weather permitting ; as also at Stonehaven and 
 thence to the proud, cold City of Aberdeen, he will 
 point out to you all spots and places which your 
 guide-book has laid down ; and tell you many a tale 
 of the Bell Rock, and of Dunstaffnege Castle ; and, 
 having given you time to pass an hour or two in the 
 above-named city, he will steam you on to Wick 
 sweet locale of herrings and of dirt from whence, 
 rounding the northern headland of that bay, you will 
 cross the turbulent waters of the Pentland Frith ; 
 till, at length, gliding through many a rocky isle 
 and islet, you will drop your anchor in the harbour 
 of Kirkwall, and look on the ancient tower of St. 
 Magnus. 
 
 Thence, should your intention be that of proceed- 
 ing still onwards on your rambles, even to the 
 shores of Shetland, he will carefully steer your gal- 
 lant bark round the rugged promontory of Shum- 
 burgh Head for such is the wild and precipitous 
 
242 
 
 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 cliff against which the pirate " Bruce," though not a 
 less wary seamen, managed to wreck his clever little 
 Revenge ; and steering, with well-known knowledge 
 of the dangers which surround him, through many 
 an eddying whirlpool, you will weather the abrupt 
 coast, look on the summit of Rocness Hill, and hear 
 the rattling of the cable as it falls yard by yard into 
 the still waters of Limerick Bay. 
 
 But, should your intention be that of remaining to 
 amuse yourself at Kirkwall, you will there find a very 
 decent little hostelry, which should it please you not, 
 you can cross the island to Stromness, and visit the 
 harbour, a sight of which has made the tear of joy 
 to glisten in many a hardy sailor's eye, who has been 
 previously hugged for hours in the rough embrace of 
 the Pentland tides. Time will be afforded you for 
 this excursion, ere the steamer, which, being char- 
 tered to convey the mails, is therefore tolerably regu- 
 lar as to time, returns. 
 
 On the other hand, should you desire to visit the 
 Orkneys from the mainland, thus crossing by the way 
 of the rough and turbulent Pentland Frith, finding 
 yourself at Wick a locale in which most assuredly 
 you will remain not a moment longer than necessity 
 compels, inasmuch as a more vile and dirty hole 
 Scotland cannot produce, and more can scarcely be 
 advanced in its disfavour you have then a distance 
 of eighteen miles to drive, in any vehicle which 
 chance and the aid of siller may put you in posses- 
 sion of, to the house of John O' Groat, that is to say, 
 to the spot which that illustrious individual selected 
 as a freehold on which to found his home a home 
 which no longer exists, save in the imagination of 
 man. In the immediate neighbourhood, however, of 
 that spot, where once the house stood, you will still 
 find scattered a few sheillings or cottages, one of 
 
AND PASTIMES. 24o 
 
 which glories in the name of the " Mariner" of 
 Hima, and is, in fact, the most northern hotel, post- 
 office, and house of her Majesty's northern dominions, 
 pretending to offer accommodation to the traveller ; 
 but in which you can rarely indulge your gastrono- 
 mic desires, be your appetite ever so exciting, even 
 to the obtaining of an egg. 
 
 There, on that lonely spot, as you lounge along a 
 shore literally formed of minute shells, so desolate is 
 all around you that your mind can scarcely bring 
 back the imagination to southern civilization; the 
 only human being who may chance to cross your 
 path being sonic ill-remunerated and hardy indivi- 
 duals, whose chief means of existence is derived 
 from the dangerous and laborious occupation of con- 
 veying the mail-bags to and fro across the rapid 
 Frith. 
 
 Never can we forget the night that it was our ill- 
 fortune to pass in this dog-hole, in the anxious hope 
 that the dawn of a fair bright morning would enable 
 us to take a passage across these turbulent waters in 
 safety. When, however, the sun did rise, it was 
 only to throw its faint rays, struggling through a 
 misty rain, over one of the most tempestuous seas 
 and tremendous currents it is possible for the mind 
 of man to conceive. Indeed, all hope of crossing in 
 comfort was out of the question, for the rapid waters 
 roared and swelled ; and, notwithstanding that the 
 anxiety of the hardy boatmen to perform their duty, 
 and obtain their paltry wages, of which they were 
 otherwise deprived, induced them to put to sea, with 
 the endeavour of making their passage ; drenched to 
 the skin, and well nigh swamped, they were soon 
 obliged to return to the shore, which they reached 
 with difficulty, and in imminent danger of their 
 lives. 
 
 y 2 
 
244 SCOTTISH SPOBTS 
 
 And these are the waters of the Pentland Frith ; 
 a channel, alas ! but too well known to all the inha- 
 bitants of the Northern Isles ; for have not its angry 
 waters been the tomb alike of the father and the son, 
 the mother and her infant ? Indeed, there is not a 
 mariner who has ventured on those uncertain waters, 
 but has pronounced them as most perilous perhaps 
 the most perilous channel in Europe. 
 
 Yet were we informed that it was, probably now 
 now is, considered by the " theoretical" bunglers of 
 the Edinburgh Post-office department who waft 
 their theory to St. Martin's for the edification of 
 those who must be of course practically acquainted 
 in such matters (most of them having never even 
 crossed the Border), as a mere arm of some calm 
 lake, practical and easy of passage at all periods, in 
 all tides, and during all seasons. And while they 
 are or ought to be aware that the boats, thus em- 
 ployed by Government to convey the mails, are the 
 only public means of conveyance from the mainland 
 of Scotland to the Orkneys ; yet even the annual 
 boon of a few pounds yearly was felt, as we were 
 told by the boatmen, to be far too heavy a burden on 
 the exchequer to be thus risked in the hope of bene- 
 fitting some thousands of human beings in so far 
 distant and so little cared for a locale ; or with hope 
 of saving the lives of those employed in the service 
 of the Crown, for which they receive a most un- 
 worthy pittance. 
 
 Rowland Hill, and his present chief, however, 
 have far more expansive views ; and, happily, more 
 just and liberal notions than hitherto have found 
 place in the heads or hearts of Post-office secretaries ; 
 and it is, therefore, to be hoped, that although 
 hitherto the energies of the wiiole department have 
 been employed solely in making an increase to the 
 
A.M) PASTIMES. 243 
 
 revenue, without the slightest consideration as re- 
 gards practical accommodation to the public, they 
 may henceforth have it instilled into their minds, 
 that instead of everlastingly counting up their pence 
 to show a good quarterly surplus, their best means of 
 obtaining that surplus would be, by listening to the 
 suggestions of their practical officers, and doing their 
 utmost to further the advance of civilization, and 
 extend the comforts of every class of the community 
 throughout the British dominions, whether at John 
 O' Groat's House or Richmond Hill. 
 
 But let us now return to the subject from which 
 we have wandered from feelings excited in our minds 
 by the just complaints of the Government servants 
 employed as boatmen to convey the mails across the 
 Pentland Frith ; and which dangerous channel of 
 the sea we have crossed more than once in fair 
 weather, yet even then with so little comfort as to 
 leave us no inducement to recommend either sports- 
 man or tourist to make the attempt, if his object be 
 simply that of visiting the Orkneys. 
 
 While these islands belonged to Norway and Den- 
 mark, many Norwegians settled on them, and their 
 language was exclusively in use ; but, since they have 
 be eii annexed to Scotland, a great change has taken 
 place, and the Norse tongue has long since ceased to 
 be heard. 
 
 A few relics of the Udal tenure the universal 
 tenure of land among free nations of the north may 
 still be found ; and there are instances of families 
 still inhabiting the Orkneys, who possess landed 
 property which has descended from father to son 
 from time immemorial. The present inhabitants 
 are an intelligent, educated, moral, and hospitable 
 people ; indeed we may name, as a subject of some 
 surprise, that not withstanding the local difficulties 
 
246 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 they have to contend with, they appear in every 
 respect more civilized and more intellectual than 
 their neighbours of the Scottish mainland, notwith- 
 standing the vaunted education of the lower class, 
 both Highlander and Lowlander. 
 
 The Orkneys, in centuries past, were the general 
 rendezvous of the piratical fleets which constantly 
 devastated the coasts alike of England and of France ; 
 and it was not till the year 1468 that the islands 
 were pledged to Scotland a pledge, we know not 
 how to congratulate them, which has never been 
 redeemed. 
 
 Kirkwall, situated in a bay on the north coast of 
 Ponoma, is the capital of the islands ; and the visitor 
 of this remote district will be gratified by a sight of 
 the cathedral of St. Magnus, which is one of the most 
 remarkable specimens of middle-age architecture in 
 Scotland, having been built by Olave, king of Den- 
 mark. In its immediate vicinity, the ruins of the 
 Bishop's palace still offer an object of interest; as 
 also the palace of the Earl of Stewart, the last feudal 
 Earl of Orkney, who was executed for high treason. 
 
 The town is situated close to the sea, its narrow 
 and ill-paved streets having all the appearance of a 
 Norman town. 
 
 The Isles of Orkney can boast of little game, 
 although, on some parts of the higher lands, many 
 grouse are to be met with, as also abundant hares ; 
 as a shooting quarter, however, it is out of the ques- 
 tion ; for even were the difficulties which offer them- 
 selves for approaching the island a matter of less 
 importance when pleasure is the object, there is de- 
 cidedly not sufficient game to offer a very tempting 
 bait for so long a journey to the Southron. To him, 
 however, who lands at Kirkwall, with the intention 
 of rambling through the Orkneys in search of beauties 
 
AND PASTIMES. 249 
 
 which he has found in fairer lands, and who, at the 
 same time being a sportsman, has prepared himself 
 for all chances, by numbering among his baggage 
 for the line of march, a double-barrel and a fishing- 
 rod, may chance to pass a morning on the Wideford 
 hill of Pomona agreeably, and cast many a success- 
 ful fly in the rippling waters and lakes with which 
 the isles abound. Sea-fowl also visit the Orkneys in 
 thousands ; and a protecting Providence, caring for 
 and watching over all, appears to have selected the 
 rocky coast of these wild islands as an abundant 
 abiding place for fish, whereby numerous families 
 are provided with a means of existence otherwise un- 
 attainable. Cod-fish, herrings and lobsters abound 
 along the coast ; indeed the London market, we are 
 credibly informed, is chiefly supplied with lobsters 
 from the Orkneys. The neighbouring shores are 
 also constantly visited by seals ; from which, indeed, 
 it has been conjectured that the islands derive their 
 name ore, in the language of the Northman, signi- 
 fying seal. 
 
 Let those who love to dwell on the dark waters of 
 the deep blue sea, and who desire a shot at a sea- 
 eagle, there called bonxie, or Scua-gull, a very rare 
 bird, which rears its young on the high hills of 
 Foula and other places, come with us to Shetland. 
 
 We scarcely ever recollect a more glorious sum- 
 mer's night than that, when, standing on the deck of 
 the large steamer we have already named, we be- 
 held the rays of a bright moon cast her glittering 
 beams on the swelling waters, which rolled towards 
 the shores of Tair Isle ; and subsequently having 
 breasted the unexampled tide, which literally roars, 
 even in its calmness, round the rocky base of Shum- 
 burgh Head, we cast our anchor in the Bay of Ler- 
 wick soon after midnight if night there be at all in 
 
'^50 SCOTTISH SPOUTS 
 
 that northern latitude, for there the long days of 
 midsummer rarely say farewell, or are clothed in 
 darkness. At a reasonable hour in the morning 
 subsequent to our arrival, we landed on the little pier 
 of Shetland's capital ; but had scarcely set foot 
 on this northern isle, ere the hand of the stranger 
 was held forth in kindness and hospitality to bid us 
 welcome, and offer us those courtesies so doubly 
 gratifying when unexpected and unsought. 
 
 Nevertheless, on such occasions, when the object 
 is to see everything worthy and within the range of 
 possibility of being seen, without entailing unneces- 
 sary trouble on others, we hold that it is far better 
 to secure an independent resting place, under the 
 roof of public accommodation, where you may com- 
 mand the waiter at discretion, if such be your 
 pleasure and he be well paid, rather than lay your 
 head to rest on the pillow of any man, however much 
 you may regard him, or appreciate his generous offers 
 of hospitality. With feelings such as these, there- 
 fore, although we gratefully accepted the invitation 
 which had been courteously tendered us as far as 
 that most essential pastime dinner was concerned, 
 we declined the rest, and forthwith walked through 
 the only street, curious and narrow as it is, which 
 with some hundred additional straggling houses, form 
 the city for city we conclude it must be, of Ler- 
 wick. We arrived at the sign of the Uclaler, the 
 principal, in fact only abiding place for tired and 
 hungry travellers, and solicited accomodation, which, 
 such as it proved, was immediately placed at our 
 disposal ; the only public sitting room, in fact, the 
 only good apartment which the establishment could 
 boast of, (that we had obtained being literally a 
 closet) being already occupied by a young En- 
 glishman. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 251 
 
 Haying secured, therefore, such as we could get, 
 we set forth to see the sights if sights there were 
 to see in this, the only town of Shetland, and the 
 capital of the island. The houses, originally built 
 merely for the accomodation of fishermen from foreign 
 countries, who annually visited Shetland during the 
 cod and herring season, line the water' s edge ; and 
 as there are no roads throughout the interior of the 
 island, till very recently no wheeled vehicle has been 
 seen there ; and even now, a cart or a pony-chair, 
 belonging to the amiable gentleman who had greeted 
 us on our arrival, and who, having built a commo- 
 dious house within a mile or two of the town, had 
 made an approach thereto, is all in the carriage 
 line the island can produce. 
 
 Streets were, therefore, never thought of; and 
 consequently the town presents a singularly confused 
 appearance, with no other thoroughfare than a 
 tortuous, ill-paved lane between the houses. It is 
 nevertheless, more particularly at the periods of the 
 steamer's arrival from the mainland, a bustling, in- 
 teresting little place, with a thriving and industrious 
 population, possessing some well-supplied shops ; 
 and has so good a harbour, protected by the shores 
 of Bressy Island on the one side, and by those of 
 the mainland on the other, that Lerwick ought 
 to become a town of considerable commercial im- 
 portance. 
 
 Having passed the principal portion of our first 
 day in Shetland in walking about the town and im- 
 mediate neighbourhood, with the intention of visiting 
 the interior of the island on the morrow, we returned 
 in the afternoon to our hostelry, in order to prepare for 
 
 the hospitalities of Mr. , when curiosity induced 
 
 us to peep into the apartments we had been informed 
 were occupied by an Englishman : and true enough, 
 
252 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 there sat, writing, a countryman. On seeing him, 
 our first impression was that of apologizing for our 
 intrusion, but a courteous welcome satisfied us on 
 this point ; and a glance at the occupier of the room 
 convinced us, that had not some casual care clouded 
 a brow of unusual frankness, merriment and laughter 
 would have reigned there. 
 
 " This moment I was taking the liberty of writing 
 to you," said he ; " yes, writing to you, sir ; and at 
 this you will be the less surprised, when I tell you 
 the very unpleasant predicament in which I am 
 placed ; and still more so, when I further add an 
 explanation of it. The facts are simply these : 
 Having been shooting with a friend in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Tongue, west of Thurso, I was in- 
 formed that a steamer touched each week at Wick, 
 on its passage to the Shetland Isles, which I had 
 much curiosity to visit. With this intention, I 
 started last week, with the view of meeting my 
 servant, whom I had sent forward to Wick with my 
 baggage ; but, owing to some delay, I did not reach 
 that place till the very moment the steamer was 
 about to leave. To jump, therefore, into a shore- 
 boat, and get on board as she was fairly under 
 weigh, was literally all that I could accomplish ; 
 and having done this, so interested was I at look- 
 ing at the wild and rocky declivities which 
 formed the entrance to the bay, the distant town 
 and country, that we were well nigh a league in 
 sea ere I discovered that neither my servant nor 
 baggage was on board ; indeed with the exception 
 of a carpet-bag containing some linen and books, 
 which 1 had luckily retained, I had nothing but 
 the clothes on my back, and barely sufficient means 
 to pay my passage here. Finding myself in such a 
 predicament, although my first thought was to re- 
 
AND PASTIMES. 253 
 
 turn by the steamer, on consideration, and being 
 desirous to visit the interior of the islands, fearing 
 also I might miss him, I determined to make myself 
 as comfortable as circumstances would permit, and 
 therefore wrote for my servant to join me with my 
 goods and chattels; the steamer has, however, again 
 arrived, and my position is worse than before, for no 
 servant has made his appearance; and here I am, 
 without means or clothes, or indeed the knowledge 
 of how to act," 
 
 After this explanation, and putting just faith in 
 the manners and appearance of the gentlemanlike 
 stranger, many members of whose family we recently 
 found we were known to, we soon relieved his mind 
 of any further anxiety as to the means of joining his 
 servant and baggage by the return of the vessel ; 
 and as he had already become acquainted with those 
 parts of the interior we were desirous of visiting, we 
 determined to sally forth in company on the morrow, 
 in order that we might be enabled to enjoy as much 
 as possible of the island scenery ere the vessel 
 started again on her return to the mainland of 
 Scotland. 
 
 Having arranged this matter, we prepared to join 
 
 the festivities of the hospitable mansion of , 
 
 which, in modern comfort, is built by the side of a 
 lake, about half a league distant from the town of 
 Lerwick. All around, however, is barren hill and 
 uninteresting country; but the careful hand of art 
 has done all that man could do to make that, which 
 in nature is wild and desolate, pleasing to the eye, 
 and agreeable as a residence. A view of the lake on 
 the one side, with its neighbouring hills, and on the 
 other, the distant islands of Fetlar, Papa-Stour, 
 Bressay, and the wide ocean, break the monotony of 
 a scene which would otherwise leave nothing but 
 
 z 
 
254 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 desolate effects on the mind. A garden also sur- 
 rounds the habitation, in which every attempt at 
 cultivation, in many cases successfully made, adds to 
 the general appearance of comfort, if not luxuriance ; 
 in fact, this is perhaps the only spot in the whole 
 island where the flowers of summer may be plucked, 
 or luxuriant vegetation finds a resting-place. 
 
 Nothing could exceed the kindness of our warm- 
 hearted and liberal host; and as the party which 
 assembled, consisting of some few Englishmen who 
 like ourselves had visited the northern shores ;for the 
 sake of the scenery, together with the commandant 
 of the little fort, and other residents of Lerwick, 
 sat at the well-supplied board, arranged with all the 
 luxury and comfort of our southern homes, we soon 
 forgot, amid the merriment and joviality of the even- 
 ing, that we were far from the land of our birth, or 
 that nature in its barrenness surrounded us. Here 
 we first tasted the tusk-fish, which is excellent in 
 flavour, and, together with the ling, is one of the 
 most valuable and hazardous of the open sea fisheries, 
 which contribute largely to the prosperity of the 
 settlement. 
 
 This agreeable meeting, which lasted till well 
 nigh midnight, over, the whole party lighted their 
 cigars, and prepared to return to Lerwick. 
 
 The night was one of unusual brilliancy countless 
 stars glittered in the wide expanse of heaven, and 
 the air, soft, yet fresh, added greatly to the comfort 
 of our ramble homewards. The midnight hour had 
 tolled, yet all was so clear and brilliant, though no 
 fulness of moon lighted our path, that every object 
 appeared as clearly to the eye as were it mid-day; 
 indeed, in the high latitude of Shetland, the light of 
 day at Midsummer never totally disappears, and the 
 smallest print can be read at midnight, when the 
 
AND PASTIMES. 255 
 
 lingering rays of the preceding day mingle with and 
 give way to the early dawn of the morrow. Of this 
 fact we had sufficient proof, as one of our party pro- 
 duced a copy of the Times newspaper from his 
 pocket, every letter of which was distinctly visible. 
 
 During the winter the nights are proportionately 
 long and dreary; and, in the month of December, 
 the sun is not above the horizon more than five 
 hours and twenty minutes ; making these Northern 
 Isles, cut off as they then are from all but rare 
 means of communication with the mainland, we 
 should imagine, one of the most dreary places of 
 residence in Europe. Books, too, must be few; 
 the pleasures of the daily press less attainable than 
 were you on the banks of the Sutlej ; society limited 
 and ever formed by the same circle; and as for 
 sporting, save amid the feathered tribe which inhabit 
 the rocky cVffs. that is out of the question. 
 
 The morning subsequent to our hospitable enter- 
 tainment dawned in every respect favourable to our 
 intended excursion across the island, or as there 
 termed, the mainland of Shetland; and having 
 stowed away a hearty and substantial breakfast, in 
 company with the agreeable acquaintance whose 
 misfortunes had introduced him to us, we mounted 
 some small but powerful little shelties, and prepared to 
 follow our guide across the mountain-tracks. Thus, 
 as we rode along in agreeable conversation over hill 
 and dale, we had ample time to look on the wildness 
 with which on all sides we were surrounded, which 
 the clearness of the horizon made less sad, yet more 
 distinct to view. 
 
 The surface of the island is particularly rugged 
 and wild, and not unfrequently bears the appearance 
 of actual desolation and sterility; indeed, the small 
 tracts of cultivated and fertile land generally near 
 
 z 2 
 
256 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the vales and sea coast, rich pastures, arid bright 
 green meadows, are pleasing exceptions to the general 
 character of the country; yet, like angels' visits, 
 few and far between, Yet the majestic cliffs and 
 towering headlands that frown over the stormy seas ; 
 the turbulent surges raised by the conflicting currents 
 and torrents that sweep round the headlands; the 
 numerous detached and very singular pyramids of 
 rock which rise to a great elevation along several 
 parts of the coast, and the openings of innumerable 
 lofty and dark caverns in the cliffs and precipices 
 along the shore, some of great beauty, and others of 
 gloomy grandeur, either separately or grouped to- 
 gether, form, very magnificent and highly picturesque 
 features; a sight of which will amply repay the 
 lover of such savage scenes, should he venture to 
 cross the rough and uncertain waters which sepa- 
 rate the Shetlanders from their Scottish neighbours. 
 But of all the objects most worthy of interest, in 
 our humble opinion, is one which we beheld about 
 mid-day, after a long march half ride, half ramble 
 across treeless moors, stony hills, and rough sheep- 
 tracks, to the south-eastern extremity of the island. 
 There, on a point or headland, which towers above 
 the roaring sea, which even in its calmness swells 
 like thunder against the rocky shore, you will be 
 interested by the sight of a small island, if such it 
 can be designated, the top of which forms a grass 
 plot; in extent about one quarter of an acre, on the 
 very surface of a cliff, which appears as if rent from 
 the neighbouring mainland by some sudden effort of 
 angry Nature. This abrupt and almost triangular 
 cliff or headland, which stands as if in defiance of 
 the thundering waters which rush around its base 
 about forty yards from the coast, becomes an object 
 of greater curiosity when we relate the fact, that 
 
AND PASTIMES. 257 
 
 man in his boldness has obtained an approach thereto 
 by the means of a basket slung on ropes. 
 
 To him who looks on this tremendous cliff, and 
 watches the turbulent sea, which boils and foams 
 some hundred yards beneath the spot on which he 
 stands, it becomes a matter of wonder and surprise 
 that any human being should trust himself in so frail 
 a means of conveyance, for an object which is 
 scarcely of sufficient interest to mention even in 
 these pages. It is nevertheless a fact, that a few 
 hardy islanders, having cast an eye of desire on the 
 luxuriant herb which flourished on this extraordinary 
 rock, became jealous of the myriads of gulls which 
 were wont to make it their resting-place ; surmising, 
 perhaps justly, that the pasture was better suited to 
 the wants of their little sheep which fed on the 
 mainland. With difficulty, one more bold than his 
 comrades, a rope encircling his waist, made his way 
 down the precipitous side of the cliffs, swam boldly 
 across the narrow channel of turbulent waves which 
 roar between the rocks, and with almost incredible 
 activity now climbing, now crawling gained the 
 summit of the island. Having attained this point, 
 his comrades formed a means of communication by 
 attaching a stone to the end of a string, which they 
 threw across the gulf : ropes were thus drawn over, 
 then stakes, then implements to drive them in the 
 earth ; on these a strong basket was at length inge- 
 niously slung, in which an individual ventured, a 
 cord being attached to each side, and thus he was 
 enabled to drag himself across. 
 
 These matters satisfactorily arranged, what was at 
 first a most hazardous means of conveyance was at 
 length so improved on as to become tolerably safe, 
 and now has for years existed as a mode by which 
 not only do these adventurous Shetlanders cross from 
 
 z3 
 
258 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 the mainland to the little island, but actually carrying 
 in their laps, while seated in the perilous basket, 
 sheep after sheep, which having disposed on the 
 grassy plot, they leave to feed on the sweet herb, 
 without the slightest protection from the blasts of 
 heaven, or aught else than their own instinct to pro- 
 tect them during the day ; but tenfold more so during 
 the darkness of night, from the dangers which sur- 
 round them. Indeed, were a rope to break in cross- 
 ing, or the slightest accident to occur, man and beast 
 would be cast some hundred yards below in the 
 foaming element, to eternity. For the small dona- 
 tion of half-a-crown, those who visit this spot will 
 find more than one individual ready to cross and 
 recross the dark and tremendous chasm. And we 
 must own that curiosity induced us not only to ex- 
 pend that sum to behold the venture, but we also 
 witnessed the feat of a sheep being also carefully 
 conveyed to his neighbours, who fed quietly on the 
 sweet herb. 
 
 This one hazardous step was, however, quite suf- 
 ficient to satisfy our curiosity ; and as, with nerves 
 extended to the full, we watched the frightful pro- 
 gress of the basket, and its living contents of man 
 and beast, we must own we felt regret that no means 
 could be put in force to prevent the risk of human 
 life for so little advantage. 
 
 The hundreds of sea-fowl which whirled around 
 the rocks, sending forth their screams and piercing 
 cries as we fired a ball at a cormorant floating on the 
 ocean beneath, all contributed to a scene whose wild- 
 ness and desolation, yet peculiar interest, once seen, 
 can scarcely be erased from the memory. 
 
 Having lingered long on this spot, and viewed 
 from the distance many a rocky eminence and distant 
 island, which the brightness of the day fortunately 
 
AND PASTIMES. 259 
 
 placed more distinctly on the horizon, we prepared 
 by a different route, to return to Lerwick, as the 
 steamer in which we intended to re-embark was to 
 heave her anchor that evening. 
 
 During the whole of our walk, however, the same 
 uninteresting country alone was to be seen, not a 
 tree, not a shrub to enliven the monotony of our 
 walk ; and as for game, though a few hares, we were 
 told, existed in the island, not a grouse, or any 
 other species of the game tribe, did we meet with. 
 
 For the information of sportsmen, however, we 
 may observe, that they will readily find a great 
 number and variety of sea-fowl, which render the 
 ornithology of the district an interesting study. The 
 sea-eagle, previously alluded to in these pages, and 
 there called bonxie, or Scua-gull, a very rare bird, 
 rears its young in the high hills of Foula and other 
 elevated places. The great owl, termed provincially 
 katogle ; the arctic and parasite gull, the cormorant, 
 guillemots, lyres, or shearwaters, kittywakes, shel- 
 drakes, terns, sea-hawks, and a vast variety of simi- 
 lar birds, are all common to Shetland. And the 
 slaughter of seals in the deep caverns and rocky 
 borders of the sea-coast is in itself quite sufficient 
 sport to enable the lover of wild scenery to pass a 
 week in good fellowship with the hospitable and 
 simple-hearted Shetlander. 
 
260 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CONNECTED also with other matters of interest 
 afforded to him who rambles as we did on the lands 
 of the Udaler, we cannot close this rough account of 
 our most pleasing excursion, without making some 
 additional remarks to those we have already made, 
 in regard to those diminutive and graceful little ani- 
 mals, the Shetland ponies. These little creatures, 
 now so well known all over England, indeed Europe, 
 from the facility of exportation heretofore named, 
 are supposed to exist to the number of at least ten 
 thousand in the Shetland Isles. The pure breed are 
 to be had at the low standard of eight hands, the 
 largest never exceeding twelve ; we allude, of course, 
 to the true and uncontaminated breed. 
 
 And these little animals, notwithstanding their 
 being allowed to provide for themselves, ranging 
 whither their will directs, over hill and pasture, alike 
 by day and night, during the warmth of summer as 
 in winter's bleakness, are nevertheless vigorous in 
 proportion to their size, beyond all belief, capable of 
 carrying great weights, and are naturally hardy in 
 accordance with their mode of existence. 
 
 The Shetland cow, equally diminutive in size and 
 in weight, but rarely exceeding two hundred and 
 eighty pounds, yet yielding three English quarts of 
 milk per day, is another animal peculiar to these 
 
AND PASTIMES. 261 
 
 northern isles, as graceful in form, and, when well 
 fed, as excellent in flesh, as the best beef to be pur- 
 chased in the London market. 
 
 The native sheep may also be classed amongst the 
 wild animals which feed on the pasture, and range 
 the numerous hills between Feideland and Shum- 
 burgh Head, from Sandness to the Noup of Nesting. 
 These little creatures, in number exceeding sixty 
 thousand, are remarkable for their diminutive size 
 and weight, which seldom reaches thirty pounds; 
 and being totally free from the care or protection of 
 a shepherd, they have attained a degree of fleetness 
 and instinct which would be considered foreign to 
 the nature of the animal, by those who have wit- 
 nessed none but flocks, the tinkling bell of whose 
 leader has sounded far up the valley of some rich 
 and luxuriant pasture-land of merry England. 
 
 But we have dwelt longer than we had intended 
 on the interest of the Shetland Isles a portion of 
 her Majesty's dominions we never can regret having 
 visited; a spot in the far bleak north, to the comfort 
 of which we would still hope the legislature may 
 cast a thought and give a care ; for there, amid those 
 wild hills on the borders of those rocky shores, live, 
 exist, and labour under the protection, and as sub- 
 jects, of the British throne, thirty thousand souls. 
 But the " blue peter" floats aloft on board the royal 
 mail steamer, and the hissing and spluttering steam 
 reminds us that, should we not hasten, like our 
 brother in distress, whom we have rescued from his 
 loneliness, we may be doomed to while away a week 
 in riding Shetland ponies, shooting cormorants and 
 seals, or searching for bonxies' eggs several amuse- 
 ments, all agreeable in due season, but which at the 
 moment we could dispense with. 
 
 On board once more, the revolving paddles soon 
 
262 SCOTTISH SPORTS 
 
 told that we were rapidly bidding farewell to the 
 Shetlanders; and as we advanced, the lowering 
 clouds on Shumburgh's towering head, on which we 
 gazed as if the figure of Norna was about to appear 
 on the top of some wild peak for our especial grati- 
 fication, reminded us that the brightness of the day 
 was past, and that we might look out for what the 
 sailors term a dirty night an unpleasant truth, the 
 commencement of which was practically proved to 
 us by the unusual rolling of our large vessel, which 
 was hurled like a cork amid the terrible tides, which 
 handled us roughly and uncourteously as we bade 
 the bold and darkening cliffs adieu! In fact, the 
 recollections of that tempestuous night can never be 
 erased from our memory a memory which scarcely 
 needed jogging, as far as regards the circumstance 
 of our very soon feeling a dreadful alloverishness, 
 which compelled us to turn in had we not, at the 
 moment we now write, been forcibly reminded of the 
 fact; having an hour since dined luxuriantly on 
 machereau d la sauce piquante, a loin of Dartmoor 
 mutton, stewed in a manner which would have proved 
 satisfactory to the veriest gourmand, to say nothing 
 of a lobster fresh from the blue ocean on which our 
 window looks, and with which having made too free, 
 the slight sensations which we experienced, together 
 with our subject, at once recalled the fact of how we 
 lay all that night in the bay before Fair Isle. And 
 as the light of day once more broke, as we hoped, to 
 our great relief, we heard a sudden crash, so terrible, 
 so loud, so unpleasant to us a landsman, that earn- 
 estly we vowed, ere the ship righted from her terrific 
 lurch, that if once we put foot again safe and sound 
 on the mainland of Scotland, no sporting or wander- 
 ing tastes should ever induce us to take passage in a 
 northern steamer. 
 
AND PASTIMES. 263 
 
 We had yet, however, some days to try our pa- 
 tience; for, ere we had gained the smooth water 
 'mid the Isles of Orkney, it was found that we had 
 split the main shaft of the vessel fore and aft ; and 
 that the wind having died away at the very identical 
 moment we most required its services, we might 
 perhaps, as the engines had become useless, the tides 
 particularly adverse, and scarcely a breath of air to 
 fill the sails, have managed to run straight on the 
 stupendous rocks with which on all sides we were 
 surrounded ; and, had such been the case, the morn- 
 ing papers would have secured the pleasure of con- 
 veying the intelligence to our friends, that a large 
 steamer of 250 horse power having driven ashore in 
 a gale on one of the Orkney Isles (although it was a 
 dead calm), every soul perished. However, a merci- 
 ful Providence, on this occasion, decided otherwise ; 
 and, after rolling here and rolling there, a friendly 
 puff carried us round a formidable rock, instead of 
 on it ; and, with a delight which few can conceive but 
 those who have been placed in a similar situation, we 
 heard the anchor drop, and found ourselves in safety. 
 
 The fact of being there, in the calm waters of 
 a small bay amid the Orkney Isles, and getting to 
 Aberdeen, or even to Wick, with no shaft on which 
 to revolve our paddles, was another question. A 
 council of war, or rather of peace, was therefore 
 held; and as fortunately we had a gallant and in- 
 telligent naval officer on board, who suggested many 
 practical plans for splicing even a steamer's shaft, a 
 boat was dispatched on shore, and messengers were 
 sent across the island to Kirkwall for all the black- 
 smiths and all the iron in the town. All the black- 
 smiths and all the iron, however, that could be 
 obtained, were only, the one capable, the other suf- 
 ficient, to make four sort of rings by which to bind 
 
264 SCOTTISH SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 
 
 our broken limb, by two days' hard labour; ad 
 interim, we had no alternative but that of shooting 
 puffins and catching codlins, diversified by eating 
 breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, supper, washed down 
 with beer, porter, brandy, champagne, port, claret, 
 and sherry. At last, however, the welcome sound 
 of the puffing steam greeted our ears once more, and 
 we were fairly under way again; we had, however, 
 scarcely weathered the island, ere crack went the 
 handywork of the Orkney smith. On this occasion, 
 however, the wind proved fair, every sail was hoisted, 
 and we made headway sufficient for safety. The 
 naval officer then proposed that a chain should be 
 strongly bound round the shaft ; this was successfully 
 managed, and good fortune and a fair night enabled 
 us to make the harbour of Wick, where, taking the 
 mail for the south, we recorded the vow already 
 made, never again to seek pleasure on the Shetland 
 seas. 
 
 With this determination, we bade them farewell, 
 as did we our travelling companion, who was once 
 more greeted with the presence of his faithful ser- 
 vant, who, like his master, had been acting a comedy 
 of errors imprimis by allowing him to go on board 
 alone, with the full idea that he would call for him 
 at the inn as he passed for embarkation; and, 
 secondly, by making two vain attempts to cross the 
 Pentland Frith and catch the steamer at Kirkwall, 
 by which he lost a second chance of a passage to 
 Shetland. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 London: Printed by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland-st., Oxford-st. 
 
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