THE GREAT SCULPTOR 101 



great wet blankets, detaching 1 ample portions of 

 themselves to occupy and fill up the corries and 

 the hollows between the ridges that occur on even 

 the steepest mountain -side. When you look at 

 a mountain in sunlight, it seems to offer an almost 

 uniform upward climb. If you have ever climbed 

 one you know that there are many breaks in the 

 rise, many flat and even hollow places to cross, 

 where you lose some of the altitude you have 

 achieved. When the vapour mass of a depression 

 comes upon the hills, its wandering arms of grey 

 reveal those large irregularities, and, even in con- 

 cealing much of the hill, disclose important aspects 

 of its true character which the brightest sunshine 

 conceals. With nightfall comes rain no gentle 

 shower, but the downright, determined " precipi- 

 tation " of wet weather in the hills. 



Next morning it is still at it, and there is 

 nothing to do but look out at the hill opposite, 

 with a description of which I began. I said that 

 in about a score of places its sky-line is notched, 

 and each notch was the apparent starting-point 

 of a long scar, seaming the hill from top to 

 bottom. To-day each scar is marked out with the 

 white of falling water, each with its little tributary 

 threads, and the whole system covers the hillside 

 with a loosely woven lace. When a gust of wind 

 comes along, the threads of the lace are caught 

 at the steepest places, lifted clean- out of their 

 courses, and transformed into fine clouds of travel- 

 ling spray. With an extra strong gust the whole 

 hill-face seems to be involved in white smoke, 

 but the smoke disappears, and the white -lace 



