6'40 



A DAY ON THE MOORS. 



into the room, with a lighted piece of peet (turf), and was blowing 

 the fire with both good will and dexterity. Of all cheap comforts, a 

 fire is at once the cheapest and the best ; a glow, that seemed like 

 warmth, spread through the chamber ; its walls looked less sad, and 

 pictures, parrots, and flowers were all improved by the blazing fire ; 

 even the atrabilious countenance of the emperor of the French was 

 brightened by the reflection from his majesty's scarlet coat, and the 

 god of Orange idolatry was less grim and phlegmatic, while the land- 

 lord pledged us in a welcome to Glen h. We were soon fairly 



established in our quarters ; the guns were unlocked from their tra- 

 velling case ; shot-pouches filled, and powder-flasks replenished ; dog- 

 whips untied, and dog-calls sounded, till the pointers yelled out a 

 response. All this delightful labour of preparation was not soon ac- 

 complished ; some tale was attached to every part of the process ; 

 anticipations of the result of next day's sport occasionally occupied 

 us ; we levelled our gun at the old hat in the window, and felt con- 

 fident of success ; but when we recollected we had never seen a muir- 

 fowl on his own hills, we almost doubted the efficacy of a Manton. 

 It was a tedious interval till dinner ; we guessed our bill of fare, from 

 the screaming and alarm among the poultry, and the disappearance 

 of a piece of hung-beef from a smoky corner of the kitchen ; our 

 journey had given us an interest in these proceedings; but oui* 

 anxieties would neither pluck the chickens, nor hasten the after- 

 stages of their cooking. The muir, indeed, was at no great distance, 

 and we might walk there with our dogs, to try their steadiness on 

 new game ; but we were too highly excited to brook such trifling ; 

 we could not endure the mimic sport, when the reality would so soon 

 be within our reach. It was some amusement to mark the various 

 parties who were travelling to further stages on the road, for similar 

 purposes with ourselves ; each gig furnished, like the discovery ships, 

 with every conceivable requisite to comfort, in a region which, by 

 English sportsmen, is supposed to be little better than that of Del 

 Fuego. Cloaks, coats, and caps were hung all around these vehicles ; 

 our pointers held a kind of tete-a-tete with the dogs of the strangers, 

 which commenced with congratulation, and generally ended with 

 worrying. The first symptoms of dinner were discovered by the 

 collie dog, who now left us to take his station in the kitchen ; the hat 

 in the shattered window was removed, and a leaf, torn from the school 

 writing-book of the landlord's son, supplied its place ; but whether 

 from an ambition of greater neatness, or the vanity of showing the 

 family accomplishments, we could not decide. But all our enjoy- 

 ments on this uncomfortable evening were in the future tense ; even 

 dinner, that diurnal festival, to which we recur at short intervals, 

 with all the regularity of Moslem devotions, and much more than 

 their fervour, had little that could please on its own account, but as 

 finishing some part of the business of the day, and leaving less in the 

 perspective of bed-time. 



We could not as yet drink whiskey toddy, for we tasted it at first 

 as if it had been laudanum, and the genius loci would not be propi- 

 tiated by any other libation. The whole inmates of the family were 

 on watch to announce the appearances of the evening, and the very 



