] 80 THE MOOES AND THE MOUNTAINS. 



" On Monday we drove to a celebrated natural excava- 

 tion in the limestone rock along the shore, called the Smoo 

 cavern. There is a river, a short way up the country, 

 which jumps clown a big hole in the earth with a horrible 

 roar, and after rumbling and tumbling about in darkness 

 for some time, nobody knows where, it comes rolling out 

 of a recess in the inside of the Smoo cave, through which 

 it meanders, and flowing gently along, it seeks the day- 

 light, and then rolls into the sea. Now the cave itself is 

 like a great cathedral supported by natural pillars. Its 

 vast recesses are at first dim and mystical, but as the eye 

 begins to discern the great projections of the fretted roof, 

 it also perceives that that roof is gorgeously adorned with 

 many and various hues of green and orange, and brown and 

 blue, arising from the quantity of moss and lichens with 

 which the rocks, themselves of richest colours, are adorned. 

 From the interior, looking eastward, there is a. fine ocean 

 view, the sparkling waves contrasting finely with the black- 

 ness of the cavern roof, which seems to span the heavens as 

 with an arch. Several sketches were taken of this truly 

 singular scene, which, however rude and imperfect, when 

 compared with the 'dread magnificence 'of nature, may vet 

 serve to convey to you some feeble notion of its character. 



" On Tuesday morning we paid our respects at the 

 manse, where we saw the marks left by the lightning that 

 entered the room and broke all the windows last winter. 



