moon to light him. On the
morning of the day he made all his preparations very carefully. In
view of an absence of some hours, he provided himself with a good
packet of sandwiches and a flask of spirits. He then set out for
Fouranbuie Inn, a dreary hostel about four miles distant from the foot
of the mountain. There he made a substantial meal, and about four in
the afternoon started on his quest. He had resolved to ride off from
the inn on his bicycle, ostensibly toward a village farther on; then to
dismount at the foot of Ben Sgurrach, and, hiding his machine in some
bushes, to start the climb as dusk fell. Jock, as he had found out,
was accustomed to approach from another direction when returning from
work.

The January day was already closing when Bonar began the ascent. The
climb was decidedly pleasant; the wintry air, the excitement coming
from the spirit of adventure, the vigorous exercise--all tended to
raise the young man's ardor, and he trod the upward path with the
steady, swinging pace of a Highlander.

The moon had scarcely risen when clouds began to drift across the sky,
and the wind became more boisterous. The darkness increased, and soon
it became almost impossible to discern the path. Then cold, soft
particles brushed his cheek, and he realized that snow was beginning to
fall. In a snowstorm he had no better prospect of finding his way to
his bicycle down below than up to Davie Forbes' house. So he kept
mechanically groping his way upward, although the storm had commenced
in earnest now.

There was less difficulty in progressing while the pretty well-defined
pathway could be kept to; but the falling snow began to obliterate its
traces. His entire surroundings soon became shut out from the man's
vision. He moved on resolutely, although his face smarted and his eyes
were blinded by the steadily descending snow, which surrounded him on
all sides like a moving curtain of grayish white. He owned to himself
that it was impossible to proceed, but what was he to do? To return
was just as impossible!

Fortune at last favored him. Staggering through the wind and snow of
the ever-increasing storm, he ran unexpectedly upon a lofty wall of
rock looking to him like a high cliff. He had evidently lost the path,
for here was an insurmountable obstacle. Clinging to the rough
surface, he cautiously felt his way along the rock for some yards. He
was still ascending, but the ground was rough and pile