extend themselves backwards at length upon their horses.

Upon reaching the margin of the river, they found themselves just above the commencement of a boisterous stream, and at the lower end of a long deep and black pool, stretching far up between the high wooded precipices. At this place, the opposite bank became suddenly low, sinking into a meadow, or what is called in Scotland a haugh. The intervening river presented a most unpromising ford, being full of large round stones. Macgillivray begged Amherst to wait until he should first try the passage. Hamish entered, the water rising nearly to his middle, and guiding himself by feeling with the rung in his right hand, he with the other half dragged and half supported the floundering animal his master rode, its feet stumbling and slipping over the rounded and polished fragments of granite in the bottom, so that the atmosphere of water he raised by splashing hid both himself and his rider from their view. Macgillivray was no sooner in safety on the grass of the farther bank than Hamish returned for Amherst, and afterwards for O'Gollochar, whose horses he successively led over in the same way.

They now found themselves in a piece of pasture of considerable extent, having a conical hill rising from one extremity of it, whence some lofty wooded steeps bent irregularly round it towards the river, where they terminated in a bold crag hanging over the stream, about two hundred yards above its junction with the larger river, and dividing it off from its deep bed. The flat top of this crag was covered with pines of the most picturesque form and gigantic growth, and although its face overhung the stream too precipitously to admit of the growth of any thing there but a few tortuous stems, and scattered shrub-like plants, the side fronting the haugh was every where thickly covered with hard grown deciduous trees. Those growing at the bottom shot up to an immense height, being fostered by the perfect shelter of the spot, and by the deep soil into which they had thrust their roots. The stems of these sylvan giants, however, were hid by an apparently impenetrable thicket of birch, alder, hazle, black thorn, and holly, growing for a considerable breadth about the edges of the wild pasture. To the surprise of Amherst, the thicket under the great rock seemed to be on fire, at least he

could not conceive how the flames and sparks, bickering up within it, could have existed without the conflagration of the whole. The gilly led the way across the haugh towards it, and, as they advanced, their ears were saluted by the lowing of cattle, none of which, however, were visible.

They had no sooner reached the edge of the thicket, than Macgillivray dismounted, begging of Amherst to do the same, and each leading his horse, they proceeded to follow the gilly through an almost imperceptible path, that wound under the intertwined branches, until their farther progress was arrested by a rugged, but formidable barrier, constructed with long crooked stakes, of unbarked knaggy pieces of oak, thrust deep into the ground, and crossing each other diagonally like a close wattle, the whole being united above with the living boughs of the bushes. Through this, which at first appeared to be impervious, they found a passage by a rude gate, made of similar materials. This was sentinelled by raw-boned Highlander, carrying a long gun. The man bent with a submissive air, and saluted Macgillivray in Gaelic, as he admitted them within the barrier, where, among the bushes of

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the thicket, here less densely set, they found large drove of cattle resting, the ground everywhere exhibiting traces of being much trodden by their hooves. Here they relinquished their horses to the care of the gilly, and having proceeded some yards farther, not without considerable risk of tumbling over the recumbent oxen, they reached a second barrier of less substantial materials than the first, though similarly constructed. Through this they were admitted by a small wicket, opened to them as before by an armed Highlander.

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They now breathed a freer air, the brushwood having ceased, and the leafy vault overhead being reared higher, on the tall upright stems of those trees growing near the base of the rock, which stood as close to each other as the ground could bear them, resembling the columns of some ancient temple.

"Amherst now perceived that they were opposite to the mouth of a cavern or grotto, partly natural, and partly artificial. A projecting ledge of the rock, covering a large area underneath it, had been built up in front, with a thick wall composed of sods and stones, so as to be entirely shut

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in, leaving only a low door-way for entrance. large fire was burning before it, and a number of rough terriers, and enormous wire-haired greyhounds of the Highland breed, starting up from their slumbers around it, began to assail them, but were soon reduced to quietness by the blows and clamorous execrations of five or six Highlanders, who were engaged in supplying the fire with dry fuel, and attending to the unpolished cookery of the fragments of two sheep, which, from the recent skins hanging on the trees, seemed to have been just slaughtered. Part of the flesh was seething in a large pot, hanging over the fire, from three rugged sticks set on end, whilst green branches were preparing to broil the remainder on.

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The interior of the grotto, to which they now advanced, was lighted up with large torches of bog-fir, yielding a pure and brilliant flame. At the entrance, they were met by a thin active looking little man, of middle age, in the Highland dress, with sandy hair, and a pale countenance, but with eyes glancing with a peculiar intelligence, curiously blended with an air of sharpness, courage, and cunning, cho to bo