142 HILLSIDE, ROCK, AND DALE 



was not ready for eggs, but I secured a picture of 

 the site. Before I succeeded in this my camera had 

 a narrow escape of being smashed to atoms. To 

 reach the nest we had to climb up a steep, loose, 

 slate cliff, and I placed my camera, as I thought 

 securely, a short distance below the nest. It was 

 packed with the lenses in a limp canvas case. I was 

 just preparing to set up the apparatus when I had 

 the horror of seeing the case bounding full-speed 

 down the side of the hill ! Over and over it rolled, 

 jumping the larger stones, ever getting nearer and 

 nearer to the steep precipice sixty feet farther down. 

 The scene only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed 

 long to me sitting helpless above. At last, with one 

 big bound, it disappeared over the edge and was lost 

 to view. There was a drop here of forty feet, and 

 after this a long, slanting fall of three hundred feet 

 or more into the rushing river below, the roar of 

 which could be heard. I waited to hear the smashing 

 fall which I felt certain must be heard, but still 

 thought that it seemed to be long in coming. Was 

 it already on its way to the river, or could it possibly 

 have lodged at the foot of the steep fall of rock ? 

 Mr. Bond, who followed the camera as quickly as 

 anyone ever yet went down such a steep piece of 

 cliff, reached the edge soon after the bag disappeared, 

 and then shouted the welcome news that it was safe. 

 By a most miraculous piece of luck there happened 



