A DAY AT LOUGH MELVIN. 47 



pensively, as he contemplated the unusual 

 breadth of the limestone ledge and the 

 shrunken aspect of the Rose Isle rapids be- 

 yond it. 



The rough weather of the preceding even- 

 ing had not terminated in rain, of which 

 indeed no very great quantity had fallen, 

 but had settled down into a steady hard 

 westerly gale, which had raged with undi- 

 minished violence throughout the night, but 

 since dawn had been gradually breaking, and 

 had now nearly dropped to a dead calm. 



Still, however, both in earth and sky, were 

 traces to be seen of elemental war : racks 

 of streamy cloud were still chasing each other 

 through the sky, the esplanade on which he 

 stood was strewed with the wet and still 

 green leaves of the ash, while a line of sticks 

 and other floating debris, like a high-water 

 mark on the sea-shore, might be traced at 

 some distance from the present channel of 

 the rapid. 



There is a curious peculiarity in the Erne : 

 its floods depend more upon the quantity of 

 wind than upon the quantity of rain. The 

 whole length of the river between its parent 

 lakes and the sea is but some seven or eight 



