618 ikfnas of tbe 1Rot>, iRffle, an& Gun 



good as the master was accustomed to produce with 

 his right hand alone ; the drawing by the left hand 

 was not inferior to that by the right. 



But there came a pathetic and mournful end to this 

 brilliant career. In his closing days Landseer's intellect 

 was clouded the facile hand lost its cunning, the active 

 brain grew torpid, and death mercifully came to spare 

 his admirers the spectacle of a mind hopelessly wrecked. 

 Mr. F. G. Stephens thus describes the first premonitions 

 of this calamity : 



" I remember him during the painting of this picture 

 [' A Flood in the Highlands '] on the Tuesday before 

 it was sent to the Academy putting a few touches 

 on the canvas. He looked as if about to become old, 

 although his age by no means justified the notion ; 

 it was not that he had lost activity or energy, or 

 that his form had shrunk, for he moved as firmly and 

 swiftly as ever ; indeed he was rather demonstrative, 

 stepping on and off the platform in his studio with 

 needless display, and his form was stout and well filled. 

 Nevertheless, without seeming to be overworked, he 

 did not look robust, and he had a nervous way remark- 

 able in so distinguished a man, one who was usually 

 by no means unconscious of himself, and yet, to those 

 he liked, full of kindness. The wide green shade which 

 he wore above his eyes projected straight from his 

 forehead, and cast a large shadow on his plump, 

 somewhat livid features, and in the shadow one saw 

 that his eyes had suffered. The grey ' Tweed' suit 

 and its sober trim, a little emphatically ' quiet/ marked 

 the man ; so did his stout, not fat nor robust figure. 



