I enjoyed the hospitality of a younger brother of Mr. Pepper's, to whom he had given me a very kind introduction. These gentlemen could not get suitable shepherds at that time, and were consequently obliged to live during the summer months at their out-stations. There is a freedom in this country life which makes it attractive, and its extreme loneliness is compensated for by the best of health, and plenty of invigorating exercise. A strong boy, ten years old, resided here with his uncle, who was my host, and with this lad for my guide and companion I rambled about over the rocks, and up and down the precipitous hills. We used to traverse extensive plains that were covered with thick grass, and had thousands of curiously-shaped stones, as high as my head jutting out here and there, all over them; and it was pleasant to see the playful sheep jumping upon them and off again. From the top of one of the highest of the hills—itself a mass of nearly inaccessible crags—I could see three large lakes, and the mountain masses, and the forests by which they were separated from each other. On one side was the 'Great Lake,' with its adamantine sentinels, the 'Split Rock' and 'China Wall'; on the other, two large sheets of water, which were known as 'Arthur's Lakes,' lay stretched beneath our feet, as in a clearly-painted picture, glittering in the sun like blue mirrors. In the distance we saw a large portion of the midland plains as far as Epping Forest and Ben Lomond, a hundred miles away. The whole country is a wilderness of rocks, forests, yellow grassy plains, and water. No houses of any kind were to be seen; not a garden or cultivated field was visible, and not a sound was to be heard save the occasional bleating of the sheep, and now and again the bellowing of cattle.
The season had changed since my last visit. The days were then almost insufferably hot; now they were exceedingly cold. The winter was drawing near, when the white
