nced eyes of the girl it was plain
what had caused the phenomenon. A short distance up the stream, the
whole facing of its lofty right bank had slipped down into its
channel. Not a tree, not a shrub, not a bed of moss was to be seen;
all was bare wet rock. A confused heap of mould, with branches and
roots sticking out of it in all directions, lay at its foot, closing
the view upward. The other side of the heap was beaten by the
raging burn. They could hear, though they could not see it. Any
moment the barrier might give way, and the water resume its course.
They made haste, therefore, to climb the opposite bank. In places
it was very steep, and the soil slipped so that often it seemed on
its way with them to the bottom, while the wind threatened to uproot
the trees to which they clung, and carry them off through the air.
It was with a fierce scramble they gained the top. Then the sight
was a grand one. The arrested water swirled and beat and foamed
against the landslip, then rushed to the left, through the wood,
over bushes and stones, a ragging river, the wind tearing off the
tops of its waves, to the Glashburn, into which it plunged, swelling
yet higher its huge volume. Rapidly it cut for itself a new
channel. Every moment a tree fell and shot with it like a rocket.
Looking up its course, they saw it come down the hillside a white
streak, and burst into boiling brown and roar at their feet. The
wind nearly swept them from their place; but they clung to the great
stones, and saw the airy torrent, as if emulating that below it,
fill itself with branches and leaves and lumps of foam. Then first
Ginevra became fully aware of the danger in which the house was, and
from which Gibbie had rescued her. Augmented in volume and rapidity
by the junction of its neighbour, the Glashburn was now within a
yard--so it seemed from that height at least--of the door. But they
must not linger. The nearest accessible shelter was the cottage,
and Gibbie knew it would need all Ginevra's strength to reach it.
Again he took her by the hand.

"But where's Mistress Mac Farlane?" she said. "Oh, Gibbie! we
mustn't leave her."

He replied by pointing down to the bed of the stream: there were she
and Angus crossing. Ginevra, was satisfied when she saw the
gamekeeper with her, and they set out, as fast as they could go,
ascending the mountain, Gibbie eager to have her in warmth and
safety before it was dark.

Both burns were