Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 6, 1898

THE CELTIC MONTHLY.
39
bewildered, as though an unseen hand had
touched them and turned them to stone.
They were brave girl.s, active, ready-witted,
liiit the disaster had fallen so swiftly upon them
that, at first, thought was paralysed. Had they
kept the road there would have been little to
fear ; losing their train would have been the
worst calamity. But in their search for roots
they had crossed the treacherous Nant, there
was no pathway where they were, and the tiny
plank bridge with its one guiding rail was still
far distant. They might follow the river till
they found the bridge, but any attempt to regain
the road would be fraught with peril, owing to
the bogs and hidden springs. Colina was the
tirst to recover herself and speak.
" I wish we had brought Peter, he would have
helped us," she said a little tremulously.
" I was afraid he would chase the deer or
rabbits if he saw any," Moya answered. " We
must just stand still till the mist lifts."
"Stand still ! we dare not do that — it would
be death," said Colina quietly. "We must keep
moving on; we may strike the right path to the
bridge."
" We can but try," her cousin answered.
" But we had better join hands or we may lose
each other."
Hand in hand, very cautiou.sly they began to
feel their way forward. At first the tinkle of
the water told them they were still near the
river, but soon the sound was lost and they
failed to regain it. On, on, dragging their
weary limbs over dank ferns, sloppy moss, or
black sharp fragments of rock, they made their
way painfully, for how long they could not tell.
The mist shewed no signs of lifting, its wet,
chilly folds held them, their serge skirts hung
limp and drenched, they were cold to the very
marrow. As they struggled on, the ground
began to slope, as they were on the hill side, but
neither was conscious of the fact. A sharp cry
from Colina made Moya jiause. A projecting
rock, keen edged as a razor, had cut through
shoe and stocking, wounding the foot badly.
"What is it? are you hurt, dear?" Moya
asked anxiously.
Colina could not at once reply ; the pain had
made her catch her breath, and brought the
tears to her eyes. Ere she could collect herself
a sound as unexpected as welcome reached their
ears. from above them, high overheard
apparently, a shout came down as though
answering the cry of pain, and several others
followed, each coming nearer as it seemed.
Moya grasped her fainting cousin and screamed
loudly in reply.
" Help ! help ! we are here ! " she called, and
the muflfted cry must have been heard she was
sure. But no further shout came, and they
stood waiting in agonised suspense for some
minutes. At last Moya spoke, half soljbing in
her anxiety and misery.
" They must have missed us somehow. Let
us go straight on, the sound was right above us.
Do try to walk Cola, and lean on me."
Colina obeyed, and the painful march was
resumed. She could use her foot with care. Up
a steeper incline than they had yet mounted,
they made their way, and now they could hear
water again rushing over rocks noisely. Ihen
a high black rock was skirted, an abrupt corner
turned, the mist suddenly grew red in front of
them, and they were standing at the entrance of
a yawning fissure in the rocks, before a blazing
fire that leaped and crackled against the rock
behind it.
It was a weird scene the roaring fire revealed.
Beyond its circle of light lay utter darkness.
All around the illuminated space smooth stones
were scattered, and before it reposed the largest
wolf hound the girls had ever seen. The beast
lifted its head and regarded them fixedly, but
made no motion to rise. And so, for almost
five minutes, the three stared at each other.
Then with a low moan Colina sank on the
nearest stone.
" Oh Moya, I can go no further ! I must
rest 1 " .she panted.
"There is nobody here, let us go into the
corner behind tlie dog," returned Moya peering
round. " Some shepherd must have lighted the
fire, he wont hurt us when he comes back. He
has been seeking us I know."
{To he concluded.)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
■ "THE CHILDREN OF THE MIST."
The Editor, L'Mc Mouthl;i,
Sir — I see that in this month's CiUic Monthhj
Mr. Mackay (Hereford) follows Dr. Forbes' lead
and calls Highlanders " Children of the misf <nut the
fiiir
Will Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel MacGregor give
us some more " vords of tiiiihun mul triitli," and
tell us, on some better authority than Sir Walter
Scott's Very erroneous deduction in his mtroduction
to the "The Legend of Montrose" — not "Rob
Roy"— when and why the term " Cliildreii of the
Mist " became the exclusive property of the Mac-
gregors to the exclusion of the Mackay s, Forbeses,
Campbells, etc. .' If there be anything in the name,
I ask are the hills of Sutherland and Argyll less
misty than the braes of Balqubidder (
I certainly think the Colonel is slightly in thi
mist, both as regards deduction and orthography,
in his reference to the ancient name of his clan and
the Gaelic name applied to Scotsmen generally.
Yours etc.,
Smrey. G. Murray Campbell.