OAT THE COAST OF ARRAN 141 



breaking into a cataract ; sometimes rolling over 

 a great boulder with a smooth and oily sweep 

 which only showed how vast was the volume of 

 water ; and, at the margin, swirling in and out 

 of the worn rock-basins, just as it must have 

 done for a thousand years. The flood had risen 

 so high that the flowers at the edge of the wood 

 were submerged. We saw a thistle and a hare- 

 bell fighting the current together. The well- 

 rooted thistle looked as if it would live, and held 

 up its head with stubborn bravery ; but the poor 

 harebell was as good as lost ; it rose and fell, 

 shaking convulsively, and would soon, as could 

 easily be seen, be carried down into the alien 

 tides of the sea. 



As we crossed the moor we had a wonderful 

 view of the estuary. The water and the islands 

 beyond were framed by the dense groves of trees 

 which stand on either side of the North Sannox 

 river. Though the clouds were black there was 

 blue in the sky somewhere, or we could not 



