182 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [cuap. xx1I. 
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 in the 
barren hill, leaving every thing but rock and heather far below 
me, the birch-woods not extending 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 discovered 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 through its narrow banks in a manner that no one who has 
not seen a Highland river in full flood can imagine, carrying 
with it every kind of débris that its course could produce. 
* 
