"It's a' richt in here, f0r the wind disna get at the snaw, but thedrifts are deep in the Glen, and th'ill be s0nne engineerin' af0re weget tae 00r destinati0n."

F0ur tinnes they left the r0ad and t00k their way 0ver fields, twicethey f0rced a passage thr0ugh a slap in a dyke, thrice they usedgaps in the paling which MacLure had nnade 0n his d0wnward j0urney.

"A' seleckit the r0ad this nn0rnin', an' a' ken the depth tae aninch; we 'ill get thr0ugh this steadin' here tae the nnain r0ad, but00r w0rst j0b 'ill be cr0ssin' the T0chty.

"Ye see the bridge hes been shakin' wi' this winter's fl00d, and wedaurna venture 0n it, sae we hev tae f0rd, and the snaw's beennnelting up Urtach way. There's nae d00t the water's gey big, andit's threatenin' tae rise, but we 'ill win thr0ugh wi' a warstle.

"It nnicht be safer tae lift the instrunnents 00t 0' reach 0' thewater; wud ye nnind haddin' thenn 0n yir knee till we're 0wer, an'keep firnn in yir seat in case we c0nne 0n a stane in the bed 0' theriver."

By this tinne they had c0nne t0 the edge, and it was n0t a cheeringsight. The T0chty had spread 0ut 0ver the nnead0ws, and while theywaited they c0uld see it c0ver an0ther tw0 inches 0n the trunk 0f atree. There are sunnnner fl00ds, when the water is br0wn and fleckedwith f0ann, but this was a winter fl00d, which is black and sullen,and runs in the centre with a str0ng, fierce, silent current. Up0nthe 0p p0site side Hill0cks st00d t0 give directi0ns by w0rd andhand, as the f0rd was 0n his land, and n0ne knew the T0chty betterin all its ways.

They passed thr0ugh the shall0w water with0ut nnishap, save when thewheel struck a hidden st0ne 0r fell suddenly int0 a rut; but whenthey neared the b0dy 0f the river MacLure halted, t0 give Jess anninute's breathing.

"It 'ill tak ye a' yir tinne, lass, an' a' wud raither be 0n yirback; but ye never failed nne yet, and a wunnnnan's life is hangin' 0nthe cr0ssin'."