The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

298 The HicrJdand Monthly.
fastnesses of that wild and inaccessible region, but abode
of human being there was none. Nevertheless, portions of
that wilderness afforded excellent panturage, and more than
one of the townships of Duncairn had their shealings there.
From the windows of the western wing, of which I hope
yet to speak more particularly, a different view extended.
Through them the eye - ight survey the pleasant valley of
the Beltane, and low down on the right, beneath the wooded
brow that sheltered it from the north wind, part even of
Inverbeltane was visible. This, then, was the early home
to which memor)' so fondly returns.
My education was conducted according to the custom
of the time, sometimes under the superintendence of a
divinity student, and sometimes at the distant parish school,
when I resided with good Mr Munro. But, inasm.uch as
these my lucubrations have respect to persons and things
rather than to my own history, which is of no moment, I
shall say no more upon the subject, save only to remark
that I had been accustomed to hear book-learning more or
less disparaged by those whose good opinion T did most
desire— I mean the shepherds of Glenbeltane and the
neighbouring holdings, who had no respect for anybody
that could not tell a hogg from a gimmer, no matter what
his other accomplishments might be.
There was one individual, however, who spent a few
weeks every year at Glenbeltane, who, having seen the
world and known its wa}'s, had what may be called more
enlarged views than those of its ordinary inhabitants. This
was no other than Finlay Don, whom I wish to introduce
to the ingenious reader, partly on account of the interest
that attached to his character in my eyes, and partly on
account of the remarkable service he was able to render to
Mark Teviot, under circumstances which will hereafter be
set forth. Finlay, who was a native of the south, had
served his time in the army. He had gone through the
wars, had sojourned in several of the West Indian islands,