in THE VAUGACULLEN 55 



above the place I had marked out for resting on, but I 

 hope I shall never take as long to go 20 feet again. 

 Once or twice I thought I must have dropped from the 

 exertion of holding on ; at one place I held on for a 

 moment and seriously meditated letting myself fall, with 

 the chance of catching the ledge ; but I saw it was use- 

 less to think of it ; my stick when it fell took no notice 

 of it, but slid over it like lightning. At last I reached it, 

 but found that I could not stop on it ; it was covered with 

 loose crumbly earth, on which I slid towards the brink 

 of the precipice. Tired out as I was, I saw it would 

 never do for me to risk losing my senses either in sleep 

 or fainting, for I felt unpleasantly like the latter once 

 or twice ; I suppose from the great exertion, coupled 

 with the unusual heat of the sun. Accordingly I at 

 once set to work to descend the last part ; it was about 

 100 feet more. I managed it somehow, but how I 

 cannot tell. All I know is, I looked at my watch as I 

 sank, completely done up, at the bottom on the snow (it 

 was the first place where it was not too steep for snow 

 to lie), and found that four hours, by no means of the 

 shortest kind, had I been clinging tooth and nail to 

 those delightful (?) rocks. Delightful or not, I was not 

 sorry to be under instead of on them. I never 

 admired a view more than I did that moment. 

 Presently I fancied I heard the most exquisite music, 

 like a glorious band in the inside of the mountains. 

 I was almost beginning to fancy I had been transported 

 back into the days of fairies, and that a castle, etc. etc., 

 was going to rise out of the earth, in which some 

 angelic princess was to be found who would welcome 

 the weary traveller, as having been the first to scale the 

 mighty barrier which divided the land of mortals from 

 the heavenly land over which she reigned supreme, for 

 which gallant act he was entitled to be rewarded by 



