Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

342 FOOD OF THE HIGHLANDS.
sued with activity, and with the eiiect of producing'
perpetual state of plenty among the people. Even in
siunmer, I have entered the Highland cottages hundreds
of times, without finding* fish, either in the act of eating or
in possession: and with regard to laying up winter stores,
I have found them even more deficient. It seems to me
that this is but a part of their general character of inac-
tivity. In Barra, where the people are active fishermen
for sale, they also consume much at home ; while, but a
few miles off', with the very same advantages, there are
whole villages, where the men will scarcely be at the
trouble of going to sea. They complain, by way of ex-
cuse, of the salt laws, and of the difficulty of procuring
salt. But this is really an excuse; as the Excise is
extremely liberal with respect to salt, and as there are no
difficulties which they might not overcome had they suf-
ficient energy. Were they inclined to buy salt, they
would soon find merchants ready enough to supply them.
In one view, this negligence ought rather to be a subject
for congratulation than otherwise ; as it would seem to
prove that they were not in \vant, and that fish was to
them rather a luxury than an article of necessity. But I
fear that this will not hold good. Scantiness of food, if
not real want, occasionally occurs at that season which is
the test of their foresight and the time of trial ; namely,
that which precedes the new harvest. That want has
sometimes, and even recently, arisen to something little
short of absolute famine. In such a case, they sometimes
trust to the sea, which will often disappoint them, from
bad weather, or various other causes ; when, were it
not for that improvidence, which is far too common a
feature among them, they might have had stores reserved
from those periods in which fishing is easy, and fish
abundant.
In this want of activity in fishing, the Highlanders
a