ON TO THE HILLS. 5 



two. We then turned through a gap in the hills, 

 and were now in a purely Highland glen, with 

 bare mountains towering on each side; to the left 

 those fine rolling, heathy slopes so pleasant to the 

 eye of the grouse-shooter ; while on the right hand 

 the hills are abrupt and rocky, here and there 

 broken by perilous corries, down which the hill- 

 burns, swollen by the late rains, tumbled in innume- 

 rable waterfalls. Not a tree to be seen, except 

 a few birches on the banks of the brawling stream 

 that coursed through the glen. 



By-and-by the hills were closer and more pic- 

 turesque, and gradually there came indications of 

 the region being inhabited a bit of pasture 

 neatly enclosed, or a rustic bridge, and, at last, the 

 flagstaff on a projecting shoulder of the hill ; round 

 which we drove, and arrived at Ardenmohr. 



The Major was quietly smoking an Indian pipe, 

 and sitting on the door-steps. He rose gladly to 

 receive us, and said he had heard the wheels long 

 before we came up, everything being so still in 

 the glen, and that he was nearly sure it must be 

 our party. " Now what about dinner ? " he asked. 



We had dined voted tea and went into the 

 Lodge. 



