Untitled - Beeldbibliotheek

TO JOHN O' GROAT'S: II 73assured me that he had a friend who kept a shopin Tongue where I would find everything that Iwanted " the same as London," I knew very wellthat we were going into an almost uninhabitedcountry, with poor prospect of supplies.We had driven but a few miles to the Northwhen we found ourselves up against an almostimpassable obstacle. The road was being" boxed"that is to say, a fresh foundationwas being put in some two feet deep. There wasnothing but soft moss on either side and therewas, of course, no alternative road. Thus we hadto cross some two or three hundred yards ofjagged, close-packed rocks, not blinded or protectedin any way. No one seemed to haveconsidered the possibility of any traffic appearingin the course of the day, and there was nothingfor it but to charge straight ahead, surging,groaning and swaying in the most horriblemanner. The strain upon the springs was mostpainful to contemplate to have forded a river:would have tried them far less. But a singlebroken soap-dish was the full extent of thedamage.That evening we reached theNorthern slopeand camped by the road near Altnaharra. Themarch of the following day, from Altnaharra to