292 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE. 



keen blast of wind which suddenly swept along the shoulder 

 of the mountain, here and there lifting up the dry snow in 

 clouds. " We must make our way homewards at once," said 

 I. " Deed, ay ! it will no be a canny night," was the 

 shepherd's answer. Just as we were leaving the bare stones 

 a brace of ptarmigan rose, one of which I knocked down : 

 the bird fell on a part of the snow which sloped downwards 

 towards a nearly perpendicular cliff of great height : the 

 slope of the snow was not very great, so I ran to secure the 

 bird, which was fluttering towards the precipice : the shep- 

 herd was some little distance behind me, lighting his ever- 

 lasting pipe ; but when he saw me in pursuit of the ptarmigan 

 he shouted at me to stop : not exactly understanding him, I 

 still ran after the bird, when suddenly I found the snow giving 

 way with me, and sliding " en masse " towards the precipice. 

 There was no time to hesitate, so, springing back with a 

 power that only the emergency of the case could have given 

 me, I struggled upwards again towards my companion. How 

 I managed to escape I cannot tell, but in less time than it 

 takes to write the words I had retraced my steps several 

 yards, making use of my gun as a stick to keep myself from 

 sliding back again towards the end of the cliff. The shep- 

 herd was too much alarmed to move, but stood for a moment 

 speechless ; then recollecting himself, he rushed forward to 

 help me, holding out his long gun for me to take hold of. 

 For my own part, I had no time to be afraid, and in a few 

 moments was on terra firma, while a vast mass of snow 

 which I had set in motion rolled like an avalanche over the 

 precipice, carrying with it the unfortunate ptarmigan. 



I cannot describe my sensations on seeing the danger which 

 I had so narrowly escaped : however, no time was to be lost, 

 and we descended the mountain at a far quicker rate than we 

 had gone up it. The wind rose rapidly, moaning mournfully 

 through the passes of the mountain, and frequently carry- 

 ing with it dense showers of snow. The thickest of 

 these showers, however, fell above where we were, and the 

 wind still came from behind us, though gradually veering 

 round in a manner which plainly showed us that it would 

 be right ahead before we reached home. Every moment 

 brought us lower, and we went merrily on, though with 

 certain anxious glances occasionally to windward. Nor was* 

 our alarm unfounded, for just as we turned an angle of the 

 mountain, which brought us within view of the shepherd's 



