204 AFOOT THROUGH THE 



would start next day to visit the snow-capped summits 

 that had long overshadowed my tents with the sullen 

 grandeur of their grey crags and snow-bound streams. 

 The distance did not appear very great, but I 

 had grown wary about deciding offhand the length 

 of routes, and fortunately started soon after my 

 early cup of tea. There was a severe touch in 

 the air then, a smack of winter that braced the 

 muscles, tinctured the blood with the strength of 

 the mountain air, and put trilling notes into a voice 

 not usually prone to sing! The climb was steep 

 from the set-off, there was scarcely a track through the 

 trees, and the spreading roots seeking firm foothold made 

 in places a network, freed from the soil, skilful to catch 

 the unwary foot. At times there was an interlude of 

 grass among the closely-growing trees, in colour vivid 

 almost to dazzling after the sombre shades in the forest, 

 the flowers themselves taking a more brilliant hue as the 

 higher levels were reached. Tiny androsace jewelled 

 the loose soil between the stones, while anemones, 

 alkanets, and myosotis of many varieties, starred 

 the grasses with the brilliancy of cut gems. Under 

 the trees were other treasures of ever-varying hues, 

 small mauve primula giving place to the larger 

 purple varieties, with bold white eyes and an inde- 

 pendent sturdiness of stem flowers beloved of the hill 

 dwellers, who gaily deck with them their sad- coloured 

 homespun caps and higher still, the " crimson snow," 

 the exquisite primula rosea that scarcely waits the 

 melting of the frost to peer forth and show its ruddy 

 trusses of delicate bloom. A small merg is the first 

 opening reached, and their flocks of ponies were grazing. 

 The sound of a sawmill at work gave a pleasant sugges- 

 tion of labour, always agreeable to personal idleness, 



