Their course at first lay along the nearer bank of the Aivron; but, when
they had got away up the strath towards the neighborhood of the Bad
Step--which was, of course, impassable for the pony--Lionel had to
separate from his companions and ford the river, following up the other
side. Fortunately there was not much water in the stream; old Maggie
knew her way well enough; and with nothing more than an occasional
stumble among the slippery boulders and loose stones they reached the
opposite bank in safety. About a mile farther up the return crossing had
to be made; but this second ford was shallow and easy; and thenceforward
the united party went on together. At last they struck the Geinig; and
here a rude track took them away from the valley of the Aivron
altogether, into a solitary land of moor and rock.
It was a still and rather louring morning; but yet he did not perceive
any gloom in it at all; nay, there was rather a tender and wistful
beauty up in this lonely wilderness he was entering. The heavy masses of
cloud hung low and brooding over the purple hills; the heavens seemed to
be in close communion with the murmuring streams in these otherwise
voiceless solitudes; the long undulations were not darkly stained, they
only lay under a soft, transparent shadow.
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