er belongs to me," said
Ravenswood. "But yonder is Wolf's Crag, and whatever it still contains
is at your service."

The roar of the sea had long announced their approach to the cliffs, on
the summit of which, like the nest of some sea-eagle, the founder of the
fortalice had perched his eyrie. The pale moon, which had hitherto been
contending with flitting clouds, now shone out, and gave them a view
of the solitary and naked tower, situated on a projecting cliff that
beetled on the German Ocean. On three sides the rock was precipitous;
on the fourth, which was that towards the land, it had been originally
fenced by an artificial ditch and drawbridge, but the latter was broken
down and ruinous, and the former had been in part filled up, so as to
allow passage for a horseman into the narrow courtyard, encircled on two
sides with low offices and stables, partly ruinous, and closed on the
landward front by a low embattled wall, while the remaining side of the
quadrangle was occupied by the tower itself, which, tall and narrow, and
built of a greyish stone, stood glimmering in the moonlight, like
the sheeted spectre of some huge giant. A wilder or more disconsolate
dwelling it was perhaps difficult to conceive. The sombrous and heavy
sound of the billows, successively dashing against the rocky beach at a
profound distance beneath, was to the ear what the landscape was to the
eye--a symbol of unvaried and monotonous melancholy, not unmingled with
horror.

Although the night was not far advanced, there was no sign of living
inhabitant about this forlorn abode, excepting that one, and only
one, of the narrow and stanchelled windows which appeared at irregular
heights and distances in the walls of the building showed a small
glimmer of light.

"There," said Ravenswood, "sits the only male domestic that remains to
the house of Ravenswood; and it is well that he does remain there, since
otherwise we had little hope to find either light or fire. But follow me
cautiously; the road is narrow, and admits only one horse in front."

In effect, the path led along a kind of isthmus, at the peninsular
extremity of which the tower was situated, with that exclusive attention
to strength and security, in preference to every circumstances of
convenience, which dictated to the Scottish barons the choice of their
situations, as well as their style of building.

By adopting the cautious mode of approach recommended by the proprietor
of this