166 NOTES OF AN 



and Achill-head, stood forth in the sea, hke the everlasting 

 piers and buttresses of a world. At our feet lay a glorious 

 scene of gilded lake and sea, and dark mountain-promontory 

 thrown into long shadow and high relief by the setting sun. 

 We turned one mountain, and dropped down into a pleasant 

 valley where were several cots or cabins, and the people, men 

 and maidens, were winding yarn in the open air. They were 

 the picture of untainted pristine simplicity, and looked very 

 happy. One of the men left his work, and accompanied us 

 some distance through an intricate piece of ground, and, 

 pointing out our course as far as we could see, under a ledge of 

 rock on the face of the opposite chain of mountains, said it was 

 a long long way beyond that. I remarked we should reach 

 that point well enough in good day-light, and should probably 

 from thence see the remainder of our course. He shook his 

 head doubtingly. — Gentle reader ! art thou familiar with moun- 

 tains ? Let me advise thee never to trust thyself to a trackless 

 and unknown pass across them, for the sake of shortening 

 distance and saving time, without plenty of day-light before 

 thee. We boldly pressed forward. And now, that tliou mayest 

 fully sympathize with us, let me inform thee here, just at this 

 point, who we are. Our sole company, besides the guide, 

 consisted of myself and my wife, throughout these adventures. 

 We had now turned the range of remarkable mountains called 

 the Twelve Pins, and were crossing the Ma'am. How deceitful 

 is the distance and nature of mountains ! The ledge of rock 

 we were to make for, seemed, from where it was first pointed 

 out, an easy distance and almost straight line. We found wide 

 intervening valleys, by the descents into which we frequently 

 lost our mark, and, when we reached it at length, the sun shot 

 his last horizontal ray, and sank into the ocean. Fi'om this 

 point I had calculated on seeing our destination, or at least 

 the line of country to secure it ; but after clambering for some 

 time amongst alternate rock and bog until we had rounded it, 

 only the dull sweep of another interminable mountain-reach pre- 

 sented itself to the eye. I was aware that the summits of these 

 vast ridges were often a long undulating level, swelling higher 

 and higher to their crest, which I hoped one after another of 

 them would prove to be, and gain us the view downwards, on 

 the other side of the mountain, with our long-expected haven 

 in the distance. What was our dismay, when — instead of 



