bruin's summer residence. 173 



By-and-bye we came to a dark corner, where, 

 high up, just above the belt of wood on the 

 edge of a watercourse, a big rock and a dwarf 

 birch-tree formed between them the most kix- 

 urious shelter from the noonday sun. Here 

 Bruin had made his lau', and from the tracks 

 on all sides we had no doubt it was one of his 

 favourite summer residences. As he was out, 

 we borrowed his place and had a really good 

 rest there. 



In another half- hour we reached the top of 

 the ridge, a series of small peaks with chasms 

 between each, which frustrated our original 

 plan of operations entirely. The summits 

 themselves were covered knee-deep in bilberry 

 bushes, the dark blue fruit of which, where 

 the sun had not yet thawed it, making the 

 most delicious iced dessert I ever tasted. 



Looking down on the other side of the 

 ridge, all was rum and desolation ; riven 

 rocks, precipitous walls of grey slate, great 



