he intended to cross the Tay.
He had taken these directions, and pushed forward, in the expectation
that he would reach the last-mentioned place before it was late; but
the snow coming on, he soon lost all traces of the road, and, what was
worse, he soon after lost everything like an idea of what direction he
was travelling in. He had, however, no alternative but to proceed.
Exertion was indispensable to prevent his limbs from being benumbed
with cold; but the dense fall of snow prevented him from seeing any
distant object upon which he might direct his course, and thus arrive
at some place of shelter. In this state of uncertainty, he had
wandered he neither knew where nor how long, when--stumbling over the
bank, as already noticed, and being unable to extricate himself--he
was beginning to fear that he had reached the end of his journey
before his deliverers reached him.

On the following morning, which was fair, though the clouds still
appeared to be far from having discharged the whole of their contents,
the stranger was easily induced to accompany Betsy Braikens and her
brother to Perth--alleging, as his reason for doing so, a wish to see
the town, and the possibility of his being there able to procure some
mode of conveying himself to Aberdeen less laborious than travelling
had now become. They accordingly set forward together; but before they
had reached the head of Abernethy Glen, the snow again began to fall,
accompanied by gusts of wind, which whirled whole wreaths into the air
at once, and drove the dazzling particles before them with such
violence, that suffocation seemed to be the inevitable consequence of
being long exposed to the fury of the storm. In a short time the snow
had accumulated to such a depth in the hollows as to render
travelling a most laborious operation; and it was with some difficulty
that the party reached the domicile of Andrew Braikens, where they
thought it best to take shelter for the present, and postpone their
further journey till the weather should be more favourable. The storm
continued for nearly forty-eight hours without intermission, so that,
dating from the time at which they set out, it was not till the
evening of the third day that they reached Perth.

Whatever loss in the way of business this delay might have occasioned,
the merchant found, on his arrival, that it was only his absence which
had saved him from being declared bankrupt, and, in all probability,
imprisoned fo