. The birds of Iona & Mull . or twice streaming outbefore me. Doran, with tail and ears down, ran close up to myheels, and in a moment, with a crash like thunder, the stormburst upon us. The irresistible fury of the wind hurried mealong the road as it rushed past, now roaring at my ear, and nowhowling and shrieking as it whirled along the valley. The riverand lake foamed and boiled, and then rose up in circling eddiesof spray, like wreaths of smoke, filling the air as the blast boreit away up the sides of the hill. The rain poured down in hissing EXTRACTS FROM DIARIES. 199 sheets of water, del
. The birds of Iona & Mull . or twice streaming outbefore me. Doran, with tail and ears down, ran close up to myheels, and in a moment, with a crash like thunder, the stormburst upon us. The irresistible fury of the wind hurried mealong the road as it rushed past, now roaring at my ear, and nowhowling and shrieking as it whirled along the valley. The riverand lake foamed and boiled, and then rose up in circling eddiesof spray, like wreaths of smoke, filling the air as the blast boreit away up the sides of the hill. The rain poured down in hissing EXTRACTS FROM DIARIES. 199 sheets of water, deluging the whole face of the country; the roadwas covered with water, and every rivulet was swollen into afierce torrent, bearing stones, and earth, and peat along with itsturbid, coffee-coloured waters. Add to all this the night soon setin intensely dark. I hurried on, assisted by the storm on my back,till at length I came to the rivers, which, happily, were stillfordable, though sufficiently deep and rapid, and every moment. becoming worse. After this the rain became heavier than I thinkI ever saw it before (unless in the tropics during the rainyseason); it was difficult to keep the road in consequence of thedarkness, but the hollow rumbling of the water pouring into thebog holes by the roadside gave warning of the danger of a falsestep. Happily the twinkling light from the window of KinlochInn was now glimmering through the darkness and storm acrossthe head of Loch Sciidain, and after a vigorous push for about a 200 THE BIRDS OF IONA AND MULL. mile, crossing a narrow footbridge formed of two planks (which I hadto do on all fours), and fording another bad torrent, I at length ranmy nose up against the gable of the house, and, after groping alongto reach the door, I next found myself steaming before a huge fireof blazing peats roaring up the chimney, which quickly dried theIona tartans, and made the outward man all that was comfortable,while broiled herrings, potatoes, and tea
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsscotlandhebride
