226 
VALLE V OF THE QUANGO. 
Caoango They kindly presented my men with some 
tobacco, and marvelled greatly when they found that 1 
had never been able to teach myself to smoke. 
As wo were now alone, and sure of being on the way to 
the abodes of civilization, we went on briskly. 
On the 30th we came to a sudden descent from the high 
land, indented by deep, narrow valleys, over which we had 
lately been travelling. It is generally so steep that it can 
only bo descended at particular points, and even there I 
was obliged to dismount, though so weak that I had to be 
led by my companions to proven t my toppling over in 
walking down. It was annoying to feel myself so helpless, 
for I never liked to see a man, either sick or well, give in 
effeminately. Below us lay the valley of the Quango. If 
you sit on the spot whore Mary Queen of Scots viewed the 
battle of Langside, and look down on the vale of Clyde, 
you may seo in miniature tho glorious sight which a much 
greater and richer valley presented to our viow. It is 
about a hundred miles broad, clothed with dark forest, 
except where the light-green grass covers meadow-lands on 
the Quango, which hero and there glances out in tho sun 
as it wends its way to tho north. Tho opposite side of this 
great valley appears like a range of lofty mountains, and 
tho descent into it about a mile, which, measured perpen- 
dicularly, may be from a thousand to twelve hundred feet- 
Emerging from tho gloomy forests of Londa, this magnifi- 
cent prospect made us all feel as if a weight had been lifted 
off our eyelids. A cloud was passing across tho middle of 
the valley, from which rolling thunder pealed, while above 
all was glorious sunlight ; and when wo went down to the 
part where we saw it passing wc found that a very heavy 
thunder-shower had fallen under the path of the cloud, 
and tho bottom of tho valley, which from above seemed 
quite smooth, we discovered to be intersected by g roaf 
numbers of deep-cut streams. Looking back from below, 
the descent appears aB the edgo of a table-land, vv’tb 
numerous indented dells and spurs jutting out all along 
