A DAY ON THE MOUNTAINS. 



The stranger has now made his three tours. There 

 is one thing more he must do before he goes into 

 Cumberland. He must spend a day on the moun- 

 tains : and if alone, so much the better. If he 

 knows what it is to spend a day so far above the 

 every-day world, he is aware that it is good to 

 be alone, (unless there is danger in the case) ; and, 

 if he is a novice, let him try whether it be not 

 so. Let him go forth early, with a stout stick in 

 his hand, provision for the day in his knapsack or 

 his pocket, and, if he chooses, a book : but we do 

 not think he will read to-day. A map is essen- 

 tial, to explain to him what he sees ; and it is very 

 well to have a pocket-compass, in case of sudden 

 fog, or any awkward doubt about the way. In case 

 of an ascent of a formidable mountain, like Scaw- 

 fell or Helvellyn, it is rash to go without a guide : 

 but our tourist shall undertake something more 

 moderate, and reasonably safe, for a beginning. 



What mountain shall it be? He might go up 

 Blackcombe, on his way to or from Furness : and 

 from thence he might see, in fair weather, as 

 Wordsworth tells us, " a more extensive view than 

 from any other point in Britain," — seven English 

 counties, and seven Scotch, a good deal of Wales, 



