A NARROW ESCAPE. 207 



clearing all that day, and that apparently 

 deserted. 



I had very nearly an end put to my 

 travellmg before I finished this day's work, 

 thanks to the never-ceasing rain. About a 

 hundred yards of our path lay across the face 

 of an extremely steep bed of slate, where at 

 some earlier day a landshp had taken place, 

 clearmg a bare track right through the forest 

 down to the river's brim. 



It was an ugly rumous-looking piece of 

 hillside, and the pathway was about as bad as 

 it could be, a mere succession of narrow foot- 

 holds on the steep and slippery slate. When 

 I was half way across this, and heartily thank- 

 ful I had got so far ^dthout making a false 

 step, a big stone came skipping past me, and 

 as I looked up to see where it came from there 

 was a roar and a rattle, and showers of stones 

 of all sizes, from respectable pebbles to things 

 as large as millstones, came hurtling round 



