188 Leaving the Cave. [CHAP. xX. 
awakened by the murmuring of the sea, which was fast ap- 
proaching the cave. 
Finding that his sickly feeling had left him, and that he 
was on the whole much better, although his left side and 
shoulder were still very painful, he gathered himself to- 
gether and rose to his feet. He staggered about a little at 
first; but he was at last able to return in search of his gun. 
He found it in a woful plight. The stock was broken to 
bits, and the barrel and lock were laid in the hollow. He 
gathered up the fragments of the companion of his travels 
for so many years; and, divesting himself of the heaviest 
af his wallets, he left them in a corner of the cave. Then, 
keeping hold of the rocks, he contrived to reach the inner. 
side of the Tarlair valley. From thence he had a weary 
walk to Banff. He took many rests by the way, and at 
length reached home in the afternoon, sore, sick, and weary, 
and went to bed. His wounds were then looked to. It was 
found that none of his ribs were broken, and that he had 
only sustained some severe contusions. It was, however, 
nearly a fortnight before he could do any work. A month 
elapsed before he could walk to Tarlair for the wallets and re- 
mains of his gun, which he had left in the hollow of the cave. 
To support his family during his illness, he was forced to 
sell a considerable portion of the collection which he had 
made during the last few years. Although it was not so 
large as that which he had exhibited at Aberdeen, it con- 
tained many rarer birds, insects, crustacea, zoophytes, and 
plants; and it was, on the whole, much better got up. He 
sold about one hundred cases at this time, consisting chiefly 
of preserved birds, insects, and eggs. He also sold about 
three hundred plants, and more than two hundred zoophytes, 
besides about one hundred minerals or fossils. Among the 
plants were a great number unnamed. He had as yet no 
botanical books, and the friends to whom he applied could 
not supply the names. They considered them very rare, if 
not new and unnamed. 
