The Best American Hunting Stories by Anthony Licata

Author:Anthony Licata
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Weldon Owen Inc.

As we wait for Steven to bring the Argo, I notice a tree trunk half-buried in the peat and gesture at it. “That’s a Scots pine, probably a thousand years old, from the forest that was once here,” Niall says. “The peat preserves things.” He shows me a knob on the blackened trunk where stags, which were originally woodland animals but have adapted to the loss of the forests, have rubbed their antlers, revealing the reddish wood beneath. He looks up at the rim of the mountains above us and says something in Gaelic.

“It means Basin of the Bones,” he says. “The story is that a fellow stole some cattle belonging to one of the clan chieftains. When he heard the chieftain was after him, he claimed he hadn’t stolen them but knew who had, and would see they were punished and the cattle returned. He gave the cattle back, then murdered some people here and scattered their bones so it would look as if they’d been eaten by wolves. Hence the name.” It’s a grisly tale, and faithful enough to human nature to make you believe there’s at least a germ of truth to it.

Steven shows up with the Argo, and we swing the stag aboard. Driving back toward the lodge, Niall makes a slight detour to show me Loch Treag, a 9-mile-long lake bordering Corrour. “The water level is up, or you could see part of a crannog, a fortified island made from piling up stones, where people built their houses to be safe from attack. This one dates from the Bronze Age.” He points across the lake to a somewhat sinister-looking saddle with nearly sheer walls rising on both sides.

“This road we’re on is one of the old cattle droves, and it goes right through there. Place named Black Mouth in Gaelic.” It fits. It’s a dark, creepy little passage. Niall asks if I’ve ever heard the term blackmail. Of course, I say. “Well, you’re looking at the place it comes from. There was a band of cutthroats who controlled this place. You paid a toll to go through or suffered the consequences.”

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