CHAP, xxxii.] HIGHLAND SCENERY. 245 



by the approaching masses of rain and drift. The clouds closed 

 round us, and the rain began to fall in straight hard torrents ; 

 at the same time, however, completely allaying the wind. 



" Well, well," said Donald, " I just dinna ken what to do." 

 Even I began to think that we might as well have remained at 

 home ; but, putting the best face on the matter, we got under 

 a projecting bank of the burn, and took out our provision of oat- 

 cake and cold grouse, and having demolished that, and made a 

 considerable vacuum in the whisky flask, I lit my cigar, and 

 meditated on the vanity of human pursuits in general, and of 

 deer-stalking in particular, while dreamy visions of balls, operas, 

 and the last pair of blue eyes that I had sworn everlasting alle- 

 giance to, passed before me. 



Donald was employed in the more useful employment of 

 bobbing for burn trout with a line and hook he had produced 

 out of his bonnet that wonderful blue bonnet, which, like the 

 bag in the fairy tale, contains anything and everything which is 

 required at a moment's notice. His bait was the worms which 

 in a somewliat sulky mood he kicked out of their damp homes 

 about the edge of the burn. Presently the ring-ousel began to 

 whistle on the hill side, and the cock grouse to crow in the valley 

 below us. Roused by these omens of better weather, I looked 

 out from our shelter, and saw the face of the sun struggling to 

 show itself through the masses of cloud, while the rain fell in 

 larger but more scattered drops. In a quarter of an hour the 

 clouds were rapidly disappearing, and the face of the hill as 

 quickly opening to our view. We remained under shelter a few 

 minutes longer, when suddenly, as if by magic, or like the lifting 

 of the curtain at a theatre, the whole hill was perfectly clear 

 from clouds, and looked more bright and splendidly beautiful than 

 anything I had ever seen. No symptoms were left of the rain, 

 excepting the drops on the heather, which shone like diamonds 

 in the evening sun. The masses of rock came out in every 

 degree of light and shade, from dazzling white to the darkest 

 purple, streaked here and there with the overpou rings of the 

 swollen rills and springs, which danced and leapt from rock to 

 rock, and from crag to crag, looking like streams of silver. 



" How beautiful !" was botli my inward and outward exclama- 

 tion. " Deed it 's not just so doui as it was," said Donald ; 



