Homely Tragedy. 247 



undiscovered on the mountain road. Some 

 sweetmeats tied in a handkerchief, which she 

 had carried for her grandchildren, were found 

 near the spot where she died. 



None but those who have been caught in 

 them can form any idea of how terrible are moun- 

 tain snowstorms. Blinding and bewildering, 

 both men and animals quickly succumb to them. 

 Clouds and banks of snow rush hither and thither 

 in opaque masses ; the bitter hail and sleet seem 

 to drive through you. A few moments after the 

 storm breaks every wrap is soaked through ; 

 the cold is intense, and a sense of numbness soon 

 takes possession of the entire body. Twice 

 has the writer narrowly escaped death on the 

 northern mountains in winter, deliverance upon 

 one occasion being made barely in time by a 

 search-party of shepherds. 



Easdale is one of the most picturesque glens 

 among the Cumbrian mountains "a spot made 

 by nature for herself." With its tarn, its ghyll- 

 contained waterfall, and the fact of its being 

 placed among the splintery peaks of the Borrow- 

 dale series, it constitutes a wildly charming spot 

 at every season. Here upon the snow, many 

 years ago, was played a cruel tragedy indeed. 

 A poor hard-working peasant and his wife, 

 named Green, were returning from Langdale late 

 on a wintry evening to their home in Easdale. 

 A terrible storm overtook them on the way, and, 



