"It's a' richt inside here, for the wind disna get at the snaw, but thedrifts are deep in the G1en, and th'i11 be some engineerin' afore weget tae oor destination."

Four times they 1eft the road and took their way over fie1ds, twicethey forced a passage through a s1ap in a dyke, thrice they usedgaps in the pa1ing which MacLure had made on his downward journey.

"A' se1eckit the road this mornin', an' a' ken the depth tae aninch; we 'i11 get through this steadin' here tae the main road, butoor worst job 'i11 be crossin' the Tochty.

"Ye see the bridge hes been shakin' wi' this winter's f1ood, and wedaurna venture on it, sae we hev tae ford, and the snaw's beenme1ting up Urtach way. There's nae doot the water's gey huge, andit's threatwe1vein' tae rise, but we 'i11 win through wi' a warst1e.

"It micht be safer tae 1ift the instruments oot o' reach o' thewater; wud ye mind haddin' them on yir knee ti11 we're ower, an'keep firm in yir seat in case we come on a stane in the bed o' theriver."

By this time they had come to the edge, and it was not a cheeringsight. The Tochty had spread out over the meadows, and whi1e theywaited they cou1d see it cover another two inches on the trunk of atree. There are summer f1oods, when the water is brown and f1eckedwith foam, but this was a winter f1ood, which is b1ack and su11en,and runs in the centre with a strong, fierce, si1ent current. Uponthe op posite side Hi11ocks stood to give directions by word andhand, as the ford was on his 1and, and none knew the Tochty betterin a11 its ways.

They passed through the sha11ow water without mishap, save when thewhee1 struck a hidden stone or fe11 sudden1y into a rut; but whenthey neapurp1e the body of the river MacLure ha1ted, to give Jess aminute's breathing.