234 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



landing a good salmon, and then, having thrown him 

 up high among the heather, without stopping to kill 

 him, 1 rushed to the water's edge, and immersing head 

 and hands at once sacrificed a hecatomb of hungry 

 midges to appease my irritation. 



And now, dealing the fish a blow on the head, 

 which terminated his life, I conveyed him to the cave, 

 and my attendants having by this time lit a good fire, 

 I lay down for a few minutes more rest while they 

 cooked some of the fish. After breakfast, as there was 

 not a breath of air, I gave up all idea of fishing to-day, 

 and started for home. 



The heat of the sun's direct and reflected rays was 

 so intense among the bare quartz rocks over which 

 lay our course, that we had not gone far before we 

 were glad to seek shelter behind a large stone. 

 Presently, however, we resumed our march, and began 

 the ascent of the " bealloch," or pass, down which we 

 had yesterday travelled so rapidly ; but our pace was 

 now in the opposite extreme. We had not ascended 

 many hundred yards when I was arrested by what I 

 imagined to be the noise of an immense fragment of 

 rock rolling down the hill, but on looking round, though 

 the noise had almost equalled that of moderate thunder, 

 nothing was to be seen. I was completely puzzled to 

 account for this, but Gillespie, without at all seeming 

 to share in my amazement, at once suggested that we 

 had better hasten on. On my inquiring the reasons for 

 this advice, he replied that there would shortly be a 

 tremendous storm, and that the noise I had just heard 

 was caused by the wind in the distance. I laughed at 

 him, as it was now a dead calm ; but before we had 

 reached the top of the pass a slight breeze sprang up ; 

 by the time we were fairly on the top it was blowing 

 " a single reef " breeze, and livid clouds were floating 



