30 ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY LIFE [oh. ii. 
masses of rock. Behind me, my face being towards 
the mouth of the valley, there rose at its upper 
end a high mountain involved in clouds; on the 
right hand was another, in the form of a pyramidal 
rock, and, contiguous with it, a peak of less eleva¬ 
tion ; on the left hand, a high ridge running from the 
mountain in the north-west, and terminating at the 
mouth of the valley in a dark conical mass; and, 
straight before me, in the south-east, at the distance 
of nearly a mile, another vast mountain. The 
summits of all were at times enveloped in clouds. 
The wind, which blew from the west, was not keen, 
and the night was such as, in comfortable circum¬ 
stances, might be called warm. Yet on awakening 
from my slumber I felt chilly, and soon after began 
to shiver. I then rose, and gathered a few large 
stones and a good deal of grass and short heath, 
with which I formed a somewhat snug sort of 
couch. Unloosing my pack, I took a night-cap 
and a pair of stockings from it, which I applied to 
their proper use, for my feet had been wetted in 
crossing a brook, and my hat alone did not keep 
my head warm after the perspiration it had under¬ 
gone. Then, eating a little of my scanty store of 
barley bread, and drinking two or three cupfuls of 
water from a neighbouring rill, I lay down, put 
heather and my knapsack over my feet, placed 
myself in an easy posture, and fell asleep. 
“ I awoke fresh, but weak, about sunrise. The 
stream which I had followed here divided into two, 
and I chose the largest. It led me to a magnificent 
corrie, in the form of a deep hollow scooped out of 
the great ridge, on the left of the glen, as described, 
but now on my right hand in ascending it. The 
sides of this corrie were formed of sloping rock of 
vast height. The rivulet came tumbling down the 
centre in the form of a cataract. Here the rocks 
were most abrupt ; but I had determined to 
