322 WITH NATURE AXD A CAMERA. 



thirst and fatigue. To our unutterable dismay, the 

 packer of our luncheon basket had forgotten to put 

 us up a drop of anything to drink. 



"What! naething to drink?" says Donald. 



"Not a drop," says I. 



Poor fellow ! it was only by a tremendous effort 

 he survived the calamity. 



"Is there any water on the island?" I iiupiired. 



" Oo ay, I ken a place where maybe there'll be 

 a Avee drap, I'm thinking ; Ijut watter's watter, after 

 a', sir," he added sadly and significantly. 



We found the " drap " under a huge crag, warm, 

 brown in colour, and of peaty aroma. It had 

 plenty of birds' feathers in it, showing that it was a 

 place where they came to bathe; liowever, I tried 

 it. The endeavour was vain ; it simply would not 

 go down. My brother declined altogether to try it, 

 but not so Donald ; he went down on his knees, 

 and for a while there was a sound as of many 

 waters rushing through a confined space. When 

 he arose, he wiped his mouth with the l)ack of his 

 great l^rown hand, and, looking at us with con- 

 siderable disdain, remarked — " Ah weel, I say the 

 mon who canna driidv that is no dry." 



Late one evening in June, 1895, we found 

 ourselves at Girvan, on the Ayrshire coast, and 

 directly opposite Ailsa (A-aig, to which we were 

 anxious to pay a flying visit, and get away South 

 by a train leaving Girvan about twelve o'clock the 

 following day. We discovered that the " awesome 

 rock " was rented by two brothers, curiously enough 

 named Girvan, one of wlioiu lived on it, and the 

 other in the town ; the former showing visitors over 

 the rock, and the latter conveying them forth and 

 back in a small steamboat. 1 hunted this worthy 

 man out, and told him that we waiiUMl lo niu over 



