Home Castle. 265 



and they looked forward to trying the new land some 

 day. 



We reached pretty Douglas in the evening, and 

 sounded our horn longer than usual to apprize mine host 

 that the host was upon him. We were greatly pleased 

 to see him and his good wife standing in the door of the 

 inn with pleasant, smiling faces to greet us. They had 

 arranged everything for our comfort. Many thanks to 

 those gentlemanly officers who had so kindly given up 

 their rooms to accommodate their American cousins. 

 Quarters for the gentlemen had been found in the vil- 

 lage, and Joe and Perry and the horses were all well 

 taken care of. Thus we successfully passed through 

 the only occasion where there seemed to be the slightest 

 difficulty about our resting-place for the night. 



'Douglas, the ancient seat of that family so noted 

 in Scotland's history, is really worth a visit. Home 

 Castle, their residence, is a commanding pile seen for 

 many miles up the valley as we approach the town. 

 Our visit to it was greatly enjoyed, we had such a 

 pretty walk in the evening, and a rest on the slope 

 of the hill overlooking the castle. We lay there in 

 the grass and enjoyed the quiet Scotch gloaming 

 which was gathering round us, and so silently, so slowly 

 shutting in the scene. The castle upon the left below 

 us, the Douglas water so placidly gliding through the 

 valley at our feet, the old church where lay moulder- 

 ing generations of the Douglases, and the dark woods 



