234 THE LAND'S END 



stretched away inland, lonely and dark, to the horizon. 

 There was on all that expanse but one small object 

 to arrest the sight a frozen pool a couple of miles 

 away which gleamed like grey glass in the level 

 beams. Many heath fires were burning, one not above 

 a mile from the hill and near enough for one to see 

 the yellow flames running before the wind and leap- 

 ing a dozen to twenty yards high. The sun seen 

 through the vast clouds of dun smoke had the ap- 

 pearance of a globe of fiery red copper. After it 

 had gone down and the earth began to darken the 

 smoke took an intense orange colour from the flames, 

 which seen against the pale blue sky gave a dreadful 

 magnificence to the scene. 



With this picture in my mind I went down the 

 hill, chilled to the marrow, thinking of the birds 

 asleep and occasionally disturbing one as I stumbled 

 over the stones in the dark and picked my way among 

 the black furze bushes. Indoors it was very com- 

 fortable, sitting by the fire, with the lighted lamp 

 on the table and a book waiting to be read ; then 

 supper and a pipe, but through it all that strange and 

 desolate aspect of nature remained persistently before 

 my inner sight. I went to bed and lay soft and 

 warm, covered with many blankets, but did not 

 sleep ; the wind increased in violence as the hours 

 went on, making its doleful wailing and shrieking 

 noises all round the house and causing the doors and 

 windows to rattle in their frames. In spirit I was in 

 it, out on the hillside where the birds were in their 

 secret hiding-places, in the black furze and heath, in 



