northerly wind, which rushed down the
gullies of the mountain, made us regret the
not having fixed upon a more sheltered spot
for our habitation during the night, and I
therefore forded the river, in hopes of finding
such an one nearer to the foot of Skoul-
a-fiel; but our own fatigue, the weariness
of our horses, and the difficulty that would
have attended their, conveying the luggage
over the excessively rocky bed of the river,
induced us to prefer accommodating ourselves
as well as we could to our present
station, trusting that, by, fixing the tent-
pins deeper in the ground, and placing our
luggage-saddles, &c. round the bottom of
the tent, we should be able, at least in some
degree, to keep out the wind and cold.
Scarcely, however, had we composed ourselves
upon our homely bed, when a most
violent blast tore up the pegs, and exposed
us to the utmost fury of the elements. In
vain did we again attempt to fasten th em :
as often as we flattered ourselves they were
secure, the force of the wind immediately
drove them out, and the intense cold, added
to the continual flapping of the canvass
with a noise like thunder, prevented our en-
Sunday, j°ying a moment’s rest. Very early
Juy30- in the morning, therefore, of the
following day, I hastened to the river, designing
to pursue its course, with a view of
entering at the deep chasm,' and proceeding
along it to the perpendicular column of
rock, which I had previously remarked on
my return from the Geysers. The stream,
for some way, ran through a tolerably level
country, but, in proportion as I advanced,
its banks became more precipitous and
rocky, and continued to increase in elevation
and grandeur, so that, not unfrequently,
nothing more was to be seen than the steep
and craggy cliffs which arose to a great
height on each side of me, and the impetuous
torrent that ran foaming between
them, scarcely leaving a narrow ledge that
might afford room for my feet, and repeatedly
tumbling in its passage over shelves of
rock, thus forming cataracts, which varied
in height from two to three and even ten
feet. Occasionally, however, a cleft in the
northern side brought to my view the lofty
top of Skoul-a-fiel, with its pointed summits,
looking as if it took its rise from the
Very edge of the precipice. At length my