232 EXTRACTS FROM NOTE-BOOKS. CH. XXXIV. 



should without his guidance have found it impos- 

 sible to make my way up to the heights to which 

 we were bound. " I'm no just liking the look of 

 the day either, sir," was his remark, " but still I 

 think it will hold up till near nicht ; we should 

 be in a bonny pass if it came on to drift while 

 we were up yonder." " A bonny pass, indeed !" 

 was my inward ejaculation. However, depending 

 on his skill in the weather, and not expecting 

 myself that any change would take place till 

 nightfall, although an ominous-looking cloud con- 

 cealed the upper part of the mountain, I went on 

 with all confidence. 



Our object was to reach a certain shoulder of 

 the hill, not far from the summit, from which the 

 snow had drifted when it first fell, leaving a 

 tolerably - sized tract of bare stones, where we 

 expected to find the ptarmigan basking in the 

 bright winter sun. It was certainly hard work, 

 and we felt little of the cold, as we laboured up 

 the steep hill. Perseverance meets with its 

 reward ; and we did at last reach the desired 

 spot, and almost immediately found a considerable 

 pack of ptarmigan, of which we managed to kill 

 four brace before they finally took their flight 

 round a distant shoulder of the hill where it was 

 impossible to follow them. An eagle dashed down 



