NE morning in 1833, when staying at Invereshie, Lord Ossulston set off stalking with ‘the old forester Charlie Mackintosh, who in his early days had been a poacher of the first order’. On viewing a herd of deer, they heard a sudden crack of rifle fire. ‘It’ll be a poacher,’ said Mackintosh and they hid behind a knoll to watch, ready to pounce on their victim as he was busy gralloching his quarry. This he did ‘with great quickness and dexterity, not omitting to wash the tallow and other treasures carefully in the burn... He next let the head hang over, so as to display the horns, and then, squatting down on a stone opposite, took out of his pocket what I thought would be his pipe or whisky flask; but it was a sketch-book!... Seeing that we had mistaken our man, I came out into the open, and then found myself face to face with my friend of many years to come—Landseer. He was staying with the Duke and Duchess of Bedford in their little settlement of
