Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

466 i.ocii scAVio.
valley, nor of Jiioiintaitis, nor of any thing to rouse other
curiosity than that of a Geologist. Of course, I dreamed
of nothing but Loch Scavig; embodying all sorts of im-
possible rocks into all sorts of impossible shapes, and,
when awake, satisfying myself, that although my crea-
tions should all turn out wrong, I should at least see
rocks " very rough and very high, on which no grass
would grow," and scenery, which, as it appeared to have
been utterly neglected by the only two persons who had
ever opened their eyes on it, would crown me with the
laurels of a discoverer. The Lord of the Lsles, it is pro-
bable, had not been even projected in those days.
Having reached Gillan, and engaged a boat and a
crew in the evening-, that I might have the benefit of a
long day, I was on the beach at six o'clock in the morn-
ing, as the men were appointed to have been. The boat
was there, it is true, because I had left her securely
moored before I went to bed ; and I was too much used
to the ways of the world here, to be much surprised to
find that there were no men. By nine o'clock, they came
straggling down, half awake, and then they began to
talk. As usual, the palaver was high and hot, and, pro-
bably, as useless as, to me, it was mysterious ; being all
in the heathen tongue of the country. Like many other
councils, it seemed to produce no event, except that, in
the mean time, the tide had ebbed away, and the boat
was high and dry. They attempted to launch it, but in
vain ; so that it was necessary to return half a mile to
the " toun" for more help. More help produced a fresh
palaver; all, probably, tending to know whether the
Saxon would pay them something more for their having
detained him four hours; for by the time the boat was
afloat again, another hour had elapsed. The launch be-
ing completed, we found ourselves quite ready for sea;
except that, out of the four oars, there were three absent.