12 FOXHUNTING ON LAKELAND FELLS 



and had he been alone when the accident happened 

 he might easily have had a very bad time of it 

 indeed, as the weather was bitterly cold and the 

 district was an unfrequented one. 



We read of people in the Arctic regions going 

 snow-blind, as well as perishing with cold, but the 

 same things may happen on the fells, if one does not 

 take reasonable care. 



I was once on the top of Fairfield, at the head 

 of the Rydal valley, when the sun was shining 

 warmly, and the reflected light from the crusted 

 snow was intense. Having previously experienced 

 the symptoms of snow-blindness in Canada, I 

 repeated the experience that day, and I verily 

 beUeve I should have gone temporarily blind had 

 I not moved away to where the glare w^as less acute. 



As regards perishing from cold, this may easily 

 happen to a person on the high tops in winter, 

 should he, through over-exertion, be compelled, 

 or perhaps I should say, give in to his desire to sit 

 down. A drowsiness comes over one, and sleep 

 may end in the person being badly frozen, if 

 nothing worse. I have recollections of a youth 

 who ventured to the top of Red Screes one winter's 

 morning on hunting bent, and, being quite unused 

 to hill cUmbing, sat down in an exhausted con- 

 dition. He took some rousing too, and had he 

 been left to his own devices I very much doubt if 

 he would have left the hill alive. 



