292 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



the lineal descendant of a race of witches, and her grand- 

 father was acknowledged the most potent wizard of the dis- 

 trict. From him she inherited the much-boasted possession 

 of " the river-horse's bridle " and " the mermaid's stone," which 

 powerful spells she exhibited as proofs of her weird origin and 

 descent. 



In defiance of the boding cuckoo, I ordered out our vehicle 

 for Inveroran. No votary of nature can follow the windings 

 of this lovely strath of the Orchy without deep interest. The 

 road runs parallel to the river nearly the whole way, and by 

 a little observation, one can scarcely fail to catch a passing 

 glance at many of the creatures that frequent these lonely 

 wilds. An alpine hare, now of a mottled blue and grey, 

 scuttled along the road before us for a considerable distance. 

 She fortunately did not cross it that would have been a 

 clincher to the cuckoo ! A roebuck was browsing upon the 

 shoots of the birch and hazel bushes that fringe the river, 

 not fifty yards off. He only stared at the carriage and 

 " dandered " up the opposite hill. And now the dark out- 

 line of Bendora rose before us, whose slate-coloured crags add 

 greatly both to the gloom and grandeur of the forest. 



Arrived at Inveroran, there was the characteristic sight of 

 a fine herd of the mountain - deer, greedily feeding a little 

 below the crest of the near hill, upon the young sweet grass 

 which had sprung up upon a long stretch of burnt heather. 

 The telescope was soon brought to bear upon them, and some 

 fine harts were singled out. By the time we had dined, they 

 had fed down to the adjacent knolls. 



At break of day the landlord's son and tax-cart were at 

 the door of the inn to convey us part of the way to Loch 

 Bah. Peter Robertson was all ready to jump in, when we 

 passed the handsome new forest-lodge where he had taken 

 up his abode. We halted our cart at the nearest point to 

 the loch, and cut across on foot through the heathery morass. 

 A few redshanks, like well-set-up sentries, were stalking upon 



