the lone tower, and if his spirits were not sore cast down,
he must have been a man all muscle and no nerve!
A cold wind blew at times in short, sharp gusts,
confusing and wearisome as I struggled to keep my precarious
foothold over the mighty rocks, buffeting me so
that I could with difficulty draw breath, and could only,
wonder wearily at the tireless energy of the wind and
its persistent power, and strike out blindly. Breathless
and panting I reached the further side, and taking refuge
under some stunted bushes, was pleased to find that,
though progress had seemed slow, I had succeeded in
passing the greater part of the way to the rise leading
to Apharwat, and that once under the lee of the hill I
should be protected from the wind.
Meantime I sat and watched the various flowers that
brightened this blossoming land, fritillaries of dusky
tones hung their heads from their slim green stalks,
showing lurid spots and blotches when the light
shone through. Pink androsace made a soft, sweet
carpet under the dure rocks, and gorgeous golden
anemones struck a cheerful note, th e y , alone
having caught and kept some light when the
sun had last shone on the grey slope. Tiny ferns
forced their way through the hard soil, and a variety of
minute sedums and saxifrages gave their aid in the
embellishment of the drear scene. Time was pressing,
and the steepest of the track had yet to be surmounted,
so I trudged on, and having reached the zigzag track
which marks the next stage of the climb, was consider-!
ably humbled to find how narrow the merg was in
reality, though taking so much time in the crossing.
Freed from the fatiguing wind and the hindering
stones, I made better progress, and found myself much
aided by the manufacture of land marks to cheer me on.
A hoary tree, partly disembowelled by the wild tempests,
was noted and climbed to, then a great plant of rhubarb
was marked down, and just when my energies began
again to flag an unusual spot of light colour on the hillside
raised my curiosity. I had first to decide whether
it were a living thing or blocks of masonry. A few
moments of scramble, and the manufactured theory was
abandoned. Then came the question whether they
were fagots piled there by coolies ready for transport
down or flowers. Undoubtedly there were flowers,
bunches of them, what joy! a great bank of rhododendrons,
the beautiful leaves with brown velvet lining, a
fitting background to the heads of soft pink blossoms
What strange accident had resulted in this beauty spot
in the bleak, drear hillside none could tell, on a height
but seldom and for short periods free from snow and
frost. They were flourishing as cheerily and flowering as
bountifully as in the most favoured home gardens.
I t was impossible not to be moved by such a dis-,
covery, beauty cut off from all camaraderie is always
pathetic, and these flowered lonely and unseen, save by
a chance wanderer who preferred his own path rather
than to follow in others’ footsteps. The delicacy and
abundance of the bloom, though hampered by the blasts
of fierce tornados and thé long continued winter frosts,
was a, vastly cheering sight, like the chance meeting
with a kind friend when adrift in an unknown desert,
and I have seldom felt so deeply in Nature’s debt as I
did that day, and naught wherewith to pay the debt ! As
some equivalent an undying, memory and a thankful
spirit may be countedv From that spot upward there
was little to mark save increasing steepness, rough
stones, added difficulty in breathing. I t was past mid