116 A GRAND PROSPECT. 



twilight had deepened almost into darkness. As we had 

 still far to go, we got benighted on the hill, and had some 

 difficulty in finding our way down to a small hamlet. Here 

 we procured torches made of bits of resinous pine -wood, and, 

 with their light, soon reached our camp about a mile farther 

 on, after having been on the hill for sixteen hours. 



Ramzan now recommended our moving a few miles farther 

 up the glen to a place where there were two or three log- 

 huts, the highest habitations in the glen, and then striking 

 off on to the range above them, where he thought we should 

 be pretty sure to find big bucks. Leaving the tents where 

 they stood, some blankets and other necessaries for passing 

 a few days on the hill were rolled up, and the same evening 

 we reached the huts. A fine brown bear, which we came 

 upon shortly after leaving the hot spring, was summarily 

 disposed of. 



Accompanied by a guide from the huts, next morning we 

 were far up the mountain-side ere the sun topped the multi- 

 form crests rising along the ridge of eternal snow and lighted 

 up such a sublimely grand prospect of fell, forest, and flood 

 as could hardly be surpassed. Immediately on either side 

 of the foaming torrent that roared sullenly below and filled 

 the valley with a sullen resonance, the mountains rose in 

 rugged precipices, rocky amphitheatres, and abrupt spurs 

 towards the huge naked crags and shining snow-piles that 

 stood out in awful magnificence and with surprising distinct- 

 ness against the deep blue morning sky ; two mighty twin- 

 like peaks, Noon and Koon, shooting up among their less 

 lofty neighbours to a height of over 23,000 feet above sea- 

 level. Glaciers lay in the hollows between some of the 

 higher spurs, whilst broad fields of glistening snow filled the 

 head of the main valley. Farther down it the steep moun- 

 tain-sides were, above, bright with green birch-woods, below, 

 dark with vast tracts of sombre-hued pine-forest, which here 

 and there seemed as if rent from top to bottom, where long 

 lines of uprooted and broken pine-trunks, masses of earth- 



