nsburgh and Cairnie House; and passing through Kilconquhar, the
beautiful church of the parish and manse (which do credit to the heritors)
are close by. The noble mansions of Elie and Kilconquhar, in the immediate
neighbourhood, are also seen, surrounded with fine old trees, and standing
in a rich and fertile district.

On arriving at Elie, the party gave the horse and vehicle in charge of the
hostler, and set out on foot for Kincraig. Immediately from the beach, at
the south-west end of the parish, Kincraig Hill rises to the height of
about two hundred feet above the level of the sea. Its southern front
presents a nearly perpendicular rugged wall of trap rock, of the most
picturesque appearance, and in these rocks are several caves, called
Macduff's Cave, the Hall Cave, and the Devil's Cave. There is a tradition
that Macduff, the Maormar or Earl of Fife, in his flight from the vengeance
of Macbeth, was concealed in the cave which still bears his name, and was
afterwards ferried across the Firth to Dunbar by the fishermen of the
place, from which circumstance it was called "Earlsferry;" and, besides
being constituted a royal burgh by Malcolm III, about 1057, it obtained the
privilege, that the persons of all, in flight, who should cross the Firth
from thence, should be for a time inviolable--no boat being allowed to
leave the shore in pursuit, till those who were pursued were half-seas
over.

The party now resolved that they should partake of luncheon on the
greensward, to fortify themselves for their proposed expedition among the
cliffs. While the viands were being produced, Mr Gordon set forth of
himself in quest of a very rare plant, which he was informed grew in this
locality.

On observing a group of persons gazing anxiously upwards at the overhanging
cliffs, he joined them, inquiring on what their attention was so earnestly
fixed. The persons addressed spoke not, but pointed to a spot about
half-way up the face of the rock. Mr Gordon looked in the direction
indicated, when, to his horror, he beheld a boy, apparently of about
fifteen years of age, climbing along a stony ledge, which was so narrow as
to be hardly visible from the spot where the group of terrified beholders
was stationed. Scarcely had there been time for Mr Gordon to fix his eye on
the human form that had reached so perilous a position, when a portion of
the ledge of rock on which the unhappy boy was standing gave way--a loud
scream rent the air, e