126 HILL BIRDS OF SCOTLAND 



followed, and found him at once perfectly dead, with the 

 wings spread out, on an open patch of ground from which 

 the snow had drifted. When again going round the hill, 

 some birds were heard croaking a hundred yards or so 

 in front of the line. On making towards the sound, 

 intently examining the outline of the snow to obtain an 

 early view of the pack, a large sheet of ice was overlooked 

 and, my feet slipping, away I went downhill. Luckily 

 there was a drift of newly-fallen snow (soft as a feather 

 bed) about twenty feet below, and into this I pitched 

 quite easily, none the worse, not even a shake. Had it 

 not been for the snow, I must have gone over a hundred 

 feet to the bottom of a steep gully. . . . 



" It was now nearly dark, and time to be leaving the 

 hill ; so the keeper called the men together. As two of 

 them were not forthcoming, and had not been seen for over 

 an hour, I fired several shots without, however, the slightest 

 result. ... As a last resource I fired a few more shots, 

 and we then started downhill, finding no little difficulty 

 in picking our way owing to the uncertain light and extent 

 of the tracts of frozen snow. Luckily our pace was slow, 

 as after proceeding about a couple of hundred yards, a 

 faint cry some distance to the north was audible, during 

 one of our halts. After answering, and waiting a few 

 minutes, the men came up. Both were nearly beat, but 

 a pull at the Doctor and a few mouthfuls of food soon re- 

 vived them. We learned that, while holding the two 

 stations on the line, the poor fellows had been going around 

 the east side of the hill, cutting their way as best they 

 could through a frozen snow-drift, till at last it was dis- 

 covered impossible to proceed farther, and on turning 

 back they found to their dismay that some fresh snow 

 had fallen over the tracks previously cut ; consequently, 

 owing to the mist and gloom, they were in a decidedly 

 critical position. It was lucky the shouts were heard, as 



