THE HILLS IN A MIST. 195 



perceive their sides, clothed in grey mist, above 

 which sometimes we caught a glimpse of a pinnacle 

 rising through the clear air, and just touched by the 

 rays of the morning sun. Here and there the 

 slopes of the hills were dimly seen through the 

 vapour, which in other places, however, rolled along 

 in thick masses, completely hiding the uplands from 

 view. Nearly every gorge and valley was filled with 

 heavy volumes of fog, whilst in some, a slight steam 

 only rising, allowed the trees to be faintly discovered. 

 There is nothing more grand than the aspect of 

 lofty peaks and crags and precipices imperfectly 

 revealed through a morning mist. It seems as 

 though the darkness of night, unwilling to depart, 

 lingers still fondly around them. Their hollows and 

 recesses are still wrapt in gloom, when all else around 

 is beaming with light. Within the tropics the con- 

 trast thus afforded has a startling effect ; but the 

 influence of the sun is not long to be resisted ; the 

 mist soon begins to disperse ; valley after valley 

 opens its depths to the view ; the outline of each 

 rocky peak becomes more and more defined against 

 the deep blue sky, and presently the whole scene 

 appears before you clear and bright, with every line 

 sharply drawn, every patch of colour properly 

 discriminated, a splendid panorama of towering 

 hills and waving forests. 



Whilst I was gazing at this picture, the report of 

 a fowling piece behind me drew my attention, and 

 on turning I was surprised to see the old command- 



o 2 



