250 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
country. The greater part of the rivers on which the 
storm was most deadly, run into the Solway Frith, on 
which there is a place called the Beds of Esk, where the 
tide throws out, and leaves whatsoever is carried into it 
by the rivers. When the flood after the storm subsided, 
there were found on that place, and the shores adjacent, 
1S40 sheep, nine black cattle, three horses, two men, one 
woman, forty-five dogs, and one hundred and eighty 
hares, beside a number of meaner animals. 
To relate all the particular scenes of distress that occur- 
red during this tremendous hurricane is impossible — a vo- 
lume would not contain them. I shall, therefore, in order 
to give a true picture of the storm, merely relate what I 
saw, and shall in nothing exaggerate. But before doing 
this, I must mention a circumstance, curious in its nature, 
and connected with others that afterwards occurred. 
Sometime previous to that, a few young shepherds, (of 
whom I was one, and the youngest, though not the least 
ambitious of the number,) had formed themselves into a 
sort of literary society, that met periodically, at one or 
other of the houses of its members, where each read an 
essay on a subject previously given out; and after that, 
every essay was minutely investigated and criticised. We 
met in the evening, and continued our important discus- 
sions all night. Friday, the 23d of January, was the day 
appointed for one of these meetings, and it was to be held 
at Entertrony, a wild and remote shieling, at the very 
sources of the Ettrick, and now occupied by my own bro- 
ther. I had the honour of having been named as preses — 
so, leaving the charge of my flock with my master, off I 
set from Blackhouse, on Thursday, a very ill day, with a 
flaming bombastical essay in my jaocket, and my tongue 
trained to many wise and profound remarks, to attend this 
extraordinary meeting, though the place lay at the distance 
of twenty miles, over the wildest hills in the kingdom, 
and the time the depth of winter. I remained that night 
with my parents at Ettrick-house, and next day again set 
out on my journey. I had not, however, proceeded far, 
before I perceived, or thought I perceived, symptoms of 
an approaching storm, and that of no ordinary nature. I 
remember the day well: the wind, which was rough on 
the preceding day, had subsided into a dead calm; there 
Avas a slight fall of snow, which descended in small, thin 
flakes, that seemed to hover and reel in the air, as if un- 
certain whether to go upward or downward — the hills 
were covered down to the middle in deep folds of rime, 
or frost-fog — in the doughs that was dark, dense, and 
seemed as if it were heaped and crushed together — but on 
the brows of the hills it had a pale and fleecy appearance, 
and, altogether, I never beheld a day of such gloomy as- 
pect. A thought now began to intrude itself on me, 
though I strove all that I could to get quit of it, that it 
would be a wise course in me to return home to my sheep. 
Inclination urged me on, and I tried to bring reason to her 
aid, by saying to myself, “ I have no reason in the world 
to be afraid of my sheep, my master took the charge of 
them cheerfully, there is not a better shepherd in the king- 
dom, and I cannot doubt his concern in having them 
right.” All would not do; I stood still and contem- 
plated the day, and the more closely I examined it, the 
more was I impressed that some mischief was a brewing; 
so, with a heavy heart, I turned on my heel, and made 
the best of my way back the road I came; my elaborate 
essay, and all my wise observations, had come to no- 
thing. 
On my way home, I called at a place named the Hope- 
house, to see a maternal uncle, whom I loved; he was 
angry when he saw me, and said it was not like a prudent 
lad to be running up and down the country in such wea- 
ther, and at such a season; and urged me to make haste 
home, for it would be a drift before the morn. He ac- 
companied me to the top of the height called the Black 
Gate-head, and on parting, he shook his head, and said, 
“ Ah! it is a dangerous looking day! In troth I’m amaist 
fear’d to look at it.” I said I would not mind it, if any 
one knew from what quarter the storm would arise; but 
we might, in all likelihood, gather our sheep to the place 
where they would be most exposed to danger. He bade 
me keep a good look out all the way home, and wherever 
I observed the first opening through the rime, to be as- 
sured the wind would rise directly from that point. I did 
as he desired me, but the clouds continued close set all 
around, till the fall of evening; and as the snow had been 
accumulating all day, so as to render walking very un- 
furthersome, it was that time before I reached home. The 
first thing I did was to go to my master and inquire where 
he had left my sheep — he told me — but though I had al- 
ways the most perfect confidence in his experience, I 
was not pleased with what he had done — he had left a 
part of them far too high out on the hills, and the rest 
were not where I wanted them, and I told him so: he 
said he had done all for the best, but if there appeared to 
be any danger, if I would call him up in the morning, he 
would assist me. We had two beautiful servant girls, 
and with them I sat chattering till past eleven o’clock, 
and then I went down to the old tower. What could 
have taken me to that ruinous habitation of the Black 
Danglasses at that untimeous hour, I cannot recollect, but 
it certainly must have been from a supposition that one of 
the girls would follow me, or else that I would see a 
hare — both very unlikely events to have taken place on 
such a night. However, certain it is, that there I was at 
