DETAINING THE DOCTOE. 157 



However, as our steam-boat was far too late to admit of 

 working our way on Wednesday night to Tain, the pair 

 were disappointed of our company; and, after waiting till 

 nine o'clock, they — the doctor and the Quaker — sat down 

 to dinner by themselves. How they would pick and 

 choose out of such an enormous supply ! I believe they 

 had to compound next day for the landlord's extensive 

 preparations/' 



"Lairg, on Loch Shin, l&th August 1833. 

 . . . . " After passing Loch Eribol (why don't you look 

 at the map ?), we came upon the lower end of Loch Hope, 

 where there is a river of the same name, which you cross 

 by a chain boat. The fare is a half-penny. There were 

 at this time three of us, Dr Greville, Captain Graham, and 

 myself — the rest having gone up towards their night's 

 quarters by another route to the head of the loch. I gave 

 the woman who ferried us sixpence, which made her press 

 us to enter the ferry-house and take a drink of milk. 

 This we did, paying for the same. Half an hour before, 

 we met a doctor, galloping to see a dead man. We 

 stopped him, partly that the man might have some chance 

 of recovering, and partly to inquire about the fishing. He 

 declared it was excellent in the river Hope, of which the 

 course is extremely short, being only about a mile before 

 it joins the saline water of Loch Eribol. This being con- 



