IN THE HIGHLANDS 97 



squeeze up to the end where the fire was burning against 

 the gable and where was also the bed. We were most 

 politely and hospitably welcomed. The good wife, like 

 all the Harris people, had most charming manners, but 

 she was busy preparing the family breakfast, and bade 

 us sit down on little low stools at the fire and wait till 

 she could milk the cows for us. 



Then occurred a curious scene, such as one could 

 hardly have witnessed elsewhere than in a Kaffir kraal 

 or an Eskimo tent or Red Indian tepe. There was a big 

 pot hanging by a chain over the peat fire, and a creel 

 heaped up with short heather, which the women tear 

 up by the root on the hillsides and with which they bed 

 the cows. The wife took an armful of this heather 

 and deposited it at the feet of the nearest cow, which 

 was tied up within two or three yards of the fire, to form 

 a drainer. Then, lifting the pot off the fire, she emptied 

 it on to the heather; the hot water disappeared and 

 ran away among the cow's legs, but the contents of the 

 pot, consisting of potatoes and fish boiled together, 

 remained on the top of the heather. Then from a very 

 black-looking bed three stark naked boys arose one by 

 one, aged, I should say, from six to ten years, and made 

 for the fish and potatoes, each youngster carrying off 

 as much as both his hands could contain. Back they 

 went to their bed, and started devouring their breakfast 

 with apparently great appetites under the blankets ! 

 No wonder the bed did not look tempting ! We got our 

 milk in course of time, but I do not think it was alto- 

 gether relished after the scene we had witnessed, which 

 impressed me so much that I have never forgotten it ! 



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