The Expedition of Humphry Clinker

242 TOBIAS SMOLLETT
at an open window that looks into the court-yard, which is by this
time filled with a crowd of his vassals and dependents, who worship
his first appearance, by uncovering their heads, and bowing to the
earth with the most humble prostration. As all these people have
something to communicate in the way of proposal, complaint, or
petition, they wait patiently till the laird comes forth, and, follow-
ing him in his walks, are favoured each with a short audience in
his turn. Two days ago, he dispatched above an hundred different
sollicitors, in walking with us to the house of a neighbouring
gentleman, where we dined by invitation. Our landlord’s house-
keeping is equally rough and hospitable, and savours much of the
simplicity of ancient times: the great hall, paved with flat stones,
is about forty-five feet by twenty-two, and serves not only for a
dining-room, but also for a bed-chamber to gentlemen-dependents
and hangers-on of the family. At night, half a dozen occasional beds
are ranged on each side along the wall. These are made of fresh
heath, pulled up by the roots, and disposed in such a manner as
to make a very agreeable couch, where they lie, without any other
covering than the plaid—My uncle and I were indulged with
separate chambers and down beds, which we begged to exchange
for a layer of heath; and indeed I never slept so much to my satis-
faction. It was not only soft and elastic, but the plant, being in
flower, diffused an agreeable fragrance, which is wonderfully
refreshing and restorative.
Yesterday we were invited to the funeral of an old lady, the
grand-mother of a gentleman in this neighbourhood, and found
ourselves in the midst of fifty people, who were regaled with a
sumptuous feast, accompanied by the music of a dozen pipers. In
short, this meeting had all the air of a grand festival; and the guests
did such honour to the entertainment, that many of them could not
stand when we were reminded of the business on which we had met.
The company forthwith taking horse, rode in a very irregular
cavalcade to the place of interment, a church, at the distance of two
long miles from the castle. On our arrival, however, we found we
had committed a small oversight, in leaving the corpse behind;
so that we were obliged to wheel about, and met the old gentle-
woman half way, carried upon poles by the nearest relations of her
family, and attended by the coronach, composed of a multitude of
old hags, who tore their hair, beat their breasts, and howled most
hideously. At the grave, the orator, or senachie, pronounced the