136 DAYS OF DEEE-STALKING. 



louder and louder the thunder echoed from hill to hill, till 

 it died far away on the rugged peak of Schehalien. 



" I ken this Beg is no fit place for Christian men in the 

 fire-flaught. The day is mischancy, and sure as daith some- 

 thing will happen, for I heard the lament sung yesterday in 

 the gloaming, and well I ken it came from no living 

 mouth." 



" Did you see your taishe, Peter." 



" I munna tell what I saw ; but it was that I wudna like 

 to see again ; and sin' I hae trod the hills, I never saw sic 

 fire as this." 



The storm was indeed awful. Tortoise was sitting under 

 the hill, Peter Fraser was on his left, Maclaren and 

 Jamieson were close to his right and front, and Sandy 

 Macintosh was with the hounds at a little distance. 



The thunder clouds were now vertical; no interval 

 between the fire and the crash, but both instantaneous, 

 like the volleying of heavy ordnance : another vivid flash, 

 and a loud, piercing, and protracted shriek was heard from 

 Fraser. The men were driven abroad, as if an engine of 

 war had burst amongst them : each had received a violent 

 shock all of them in the legs ; but, providentially, no one 

 had sustained a serious injury. When the first surprise 

 was over, they began to try their powers of moving. Fraser 

 limped like Vulcan ; but after certain moans, and a little 

 rubbing of their legs, and skipping .about to try their 

 powers, all were soon sensible that they were as sound as 

 ever. 



It was evident, from their yelling, that the dogs had 

 received a violent shock also. 



The hurricane now bore away, raging and driving onward 

 to the west. The peals were longer, but less loud. Then 

 came down the rear storm in one continuous sheet of water, 

 and soon the awful voice died away in distant murmurs. 

 The weather gleam began faintly to appear behind Ben-y- 

 gloe, growing more vivid as the dark mass rolled onward ; 

 at last, the sun broke forth once more the winds were at 

 rest and all around looked serene and fair as in the 

 morning. You would not have known that this thing had 

 been, but for the small pools, or lappies, as they are called, 



