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248 CARAVAN DAYSAt Selkirk we did our shopping in half-stones,half-pounds and half-dozens, for the end wasdrawing near.On the Sunday at St. Mary's Loch the weatherchanged, the temperature dropped fifteen ortwenty degrees and wintry showers swept beforethe wind, turning the sparkling loch to a dark,forbidding grey. Nothing could possibly havebeen more appropriate. It was what I had hopedfor, plannedby the rigoursfor. To be driven back at the lastof the autumn storms had beenpart of my set programme. And at least it maybe said that it came off to this extent the weatherdid something to let us down gently,to make itas easy for us as it could be made. Certainly inour exposed position it was bitterly cold, andwe remained inside for the greater part of theday, overhauling every inch of the interior andtuning up to our best standard of decency andorder.We also,counting in the seventeen miles thatremained for the morrow, made sundry calculationsof the sum of all our travels. Since we setout for John o' Groat's the total mileage was 2160,occupying 24^ weeks. We had moved on on 128days and camped on 43. Our longest march was27 miles. Our biggest week 120. Our best