116 



A GRAND PROSPECT. 



twilight had deepened ahnost into darkness. As we hac 

 still far to go, we got benighted on the hill, and had some 

 difficulty in finding our way down to a small hamlet. Hei 

 we procured torches made of bits of resinous pine -wood, an( 

 with their light, soon reached our camp about a mile farthe^ 

 on, after having been on the hill for sixteen hours. 



Eamzan now recommended our moving a few miles farthei 

 up the glen to a place where there were two or three log-j 

 huts, the highest habitations in the glen, and then striking 

 off on to the range above them, where he thought we shouh 

 be pretty sure to find big bucks. Leaving the tents whei 

 they stood, some blankets and other necessaries for passin* 

 a few days on the hill were rolled up, and the same evenii 

 we reached the huts. A fine brown bear, which we cam^ 

 upon shortly after leaving the hot spring, was summarilj 

 disposed of. 



Accompanied by a guide from the huts, next morning w^ 

 were far up the mountain-side ere the sun topped the multi 

 form crests rising along the ridge of eternal snow and lighted 

 up such a sublimely grand prospect of fell, forest, and floo( 

 as could hardly be surpassed. Immediately on either side 

 of the foaming torrent that roared sullenly below and fille( 

 the valley with a sullen resonance, the mountains rose ii 

 rugged precipices, rocky amphitheatres, and abrupt spui 

 towards the huge naked crags and shining snow-piles thai 

 stood out in awful magnificence and with surprising distinci 

 ness against the deep blue morning sky ; two mighty twinj 

 like peaks, Noon and Koon, shooting up among their les 

 lofty neighbours to a height of over 23,000 feet above seaj 

 level. Glaciers lay in the hollows between some of th^ 

 higher spurs, whilst broad fields of glistening snow filled tN 

 head of the main valley. Farther down it the steep moun* 

 tain-sides were, above, bright with green birch-woods, belowj 

 dark with vast tracts of sombre-hued pine-forest, which her4 

 and there seemed as if rent from top to bottom, where lon| 

 lines of uprooted and broken pine-trunks, masses of earth- 



