68 STUDIES OF NATURE 



great hills beyond them ; and then came the fine 

 shore scenery between Sannox and the Cock of 

 Arran. The cliffs, or rather the mountain ridge, 

 is continuous, and rises to about fifteen hundred 

 feet, being never more than half a mile from the 

 sea. We sail near enough to make out the 

 details and the colour distinctly the light moss, 

 the darker green of the grass, the still darker 

 ferns, the heather, the pink and brown sand- 

 stone, and the narrow bright strip of sand. 

 Beyond this comes Loch Eanza with its Castle, 

 and its fleet of boats tossing in the harbour. 

 Then, having rounded the point, we enter the 

 Sound of Kilbrannan, and begin to feel the force 

 of the wind which now meets us full in the teeth. 

 Standing at the prow of the vessel, I realise 

 what that force is by the way in which it seems 

 to press on every square inch of exposed flesh, 

 pushing it back, as it were, from the bone. We 

 pitch a good deal now, and the malady of the 

 sea has already got its victims they huddle 



