n the mountains, recovered strength at a wonderful rate.

Those were delightful days to Max. His old nervousness was rapidly
leaving him, and he was never happier than when out with the two lads
fishing, shooting, boating, or watching Kenneth as he stood spear-armed
in the bows, trying to transfix some shadowy skate as it glided as if
flying over the sandy bottom of the sea-loch.

One grandly exciting day to Max was on the occasion of a deer-stalking
expedition, which resulted, through the clever generalship of Tavish, in
both lads getting a good shot at a stag.

Max was first, and, after a long, wearisome climb, he lay among some
rocks for quite a couple of hours, with Tavish, watching a herd of deer,
before the time came when, under the forester's guidance, the deadly
rifle, which Max had found terribly heavy, was rested upon a stone, and
Tavish whispered to him,--

"Keep ta piece steady on ta stane, laddie, and when ta stag comes well
oot into ta glen, ye'll chust tak' a glint along ta bar'l and aim richt
at ta showlder, and doon she goes."

Max's hands trembled, his heart beat fast, and the perspiration stood on
his brow, as he waited till, from out of a narrow pass which they had
been watching, a noble-looking stag trotted slowly into the glen, and,
broadside on, turned its head in their direction.

Max saw the great eyes, the branching antlers, and, in his excitement,
the forest monarch seemed to be of huge proportions.

"Noo!" was whispered close to his ear; and, "glinting" along the barrel,
after fixing the sight right upon the animal's flank, Max drew the
trigger, felt as if some one had struck him a violent blow in the
shoulder, and then lay there on his chest, gazing at a cloud of smoke
and listening to the rolling echoes as they died away.

"Aweel, aweel!" said a voice close by him, in saddened tones. "Ye're
verra young, laddie. Ye'll hae to try again."

"Isn't it dead?" said Max.

"Na, she's no' deid, laddie."

"But I don't see it. Where is the stag?"

"Ahint the mountain yonder, laddie; going like the wind."

"Oh!" said Max; and for the next few minutes he did not know which way
he felt--sorry he had missed, or glad that the noble beast had got away.

Kenneth was more successful. He brought down his quarry a couple of
hours later, and the rough pony carried home the carcase for Long Shon
to break up, Max partaking of a joint of the venison a few days later,
and thinking it was very goo