XXII RAIN ON THE HILLS 207 



distance ; and I said to myself, " If I had but a sticic to sound 

 the water with ! " The next moment almost I saw one about 

 six feet in length standing upright in the ground. I could 

 scarcely believe my eyes. The stick must have been left by 

 mere chance by some shepherd. It came most opportunely 

 for me, however. The first place I tried in the water with it 

 (a spot where I thought I could wade), it went in to the depth 

 of at least five feet. This would never do ; so on I went up 

 the hill, splashing through the wet bog and heather. At last 

 I came to a place in the burn, where, by leaping from one stone 

 to the other, at no small risk to myself, I managed to get across. 

 My poor hound had to swim, and was very nearly carried off 

 by the stream. Instead of turning down again towards the 

 river, I still kept the high ground, remembering that I had to 

 pass through two or three other burns, one of them, at least, 

 much larger than any I had already crossed. I had now to 

 make my way over a long flat, covered with coarse grass, and 

 full of holes of water and rotten bog. I never walked a 

 more weary mile in my life, sinking, as I did, up to my knees 

 at nearly every step. When in the middle of this, I saw three 

 hinds and a calf walk deliberately along a ridge not three 

 hundred yards from me. I had to lead the hound for some 

 distance, as she lost all her fatigue on coming on their scent, 

 which she did as we passed their track. I made no attempt 

 on them, knowing the useless state of my rifle. We kept on, 

 and at last got across all the burns excepting the largest, which 

 was still between me and my dry clothes and dinner. I had 

 now got quite high up on the barren hill, leaving everything 

 but rock and heather far below me, the birch-woods not extend- 

 ing above half a mile from the river. I came here to another 

 long flat piece of ground ; and having to make many windings 

 and turnings to cross different small streams, I suddenly dis- 

 covered that I had entirely lost my points of the compass. So, 

 sitting down, I tried to make out which way the wind blew, as 

 my only guide. This soon set me right ; and after another 

 hour or two of weary walking, I found myself on the hill-top 

 almost immediately overhanging the Lodge, the smoke from 

 whose chimneys was a most welcome sight. On getting to it, 

 I found the river raging and pouring down between its narrow 

 banks in a manner that no one who has not seen a Highland 



