346 Sketch of the Life of Mr, David Do2iglas. 



shadow, I proceeded in the descent. Of necessity we walked 

 slowly, stepping cautiously from ledge to ledge, but still having 

 exercise enough to excite a genial heat. The splendid constel- 

 lation of Orion, which had so often attracted my admiring gaze 

 in my own native land, and which had shortly passed the meri- 

 dian was my guide. I continued in a south-east direction till 

 two o'clock, when all at once I came to a low place, full of stunted 

 shrubs. Of more robust habit, however than those at the camp, I 

 instantly struck a light and found by an examination of my barom- 

 eter, that I was nearly five hundred feet below the camp. No 

 response was given to our repeated calls. It was evident that no 

 human being was near, so by the help of the moon's light we 

 shortly collected plenty of fuel, and kindled a fine fire. JSTo sooner 

 did its light and warmth begin to diftuse themselves over my 

 frame, than I found myself instantly seized with violent pain and 

 inflammation in my eyes, which had been rather painful on the 

 mountain, from the eftect of the sun's rays shining on the snow ; 

 a slight discharge of blood from both eyes followed, which gave 

 me some relief, and which proved that the attack was as much 

 attributable to violent fatigue as any other cause. Having tasted 

 neither food nor water since an early hour in the morning, I suf- 

 fered severely with thirst ; still I slept for a few hours, dreaming 

 the while of gurgling cascades, overhung with sparkhng rain- 

 bows, of which the dewy spray moistened my whole body, while 

 my lips were all the time glued together with thirst, and my 

 parched tongue almost rattled in my mouth. My poor man 

 Calipso was also attacked with inflammation in his eyes, and 

 gladly did we hail the approach of day." 



" The sum rose brightly on the morning of Thursda}^, January 

 30th, and gilding the snow over which w^e had passed, showed 

 our way to have been infinitely more rugged and precarious, than 

 it had appeared by moonlight. I discovered that by keeping a 

 mile and a half too much to the east, we had left the camp nearly 

 five hundred feet above our present situation; and returning 

 thither over the rocks, we found Honori engaged in preparing 

 breakfast. He had himself reached the camp about noon on the 

 second day. He gave me a calabash full of water, with a large 

 piece of ice in it, which refreshed me greatly. A few drops of 

 Laudanum in the eyes afl'orded instant relief both to Calipso and 

 myself. The man with provision was here also, so we shortly 

 made a comfortable meal, and immediately after, leaving one man 



