182 THE MOORS AND THE MOUNTAINS. 



not long in devouring. Its date, however, was not very 

 recent (the 14th), and being written in bed, gave no 

 very strong assurance of your being as I have so often 

 prayed you might be. But a few minutes after our 

 arrival, the post came in and brought me a delightful 



bundle, among which yours of the 20th, 21st, and H 's 



of the 1 9th, were singled out and eaten. Of all things 

 be sure to be as much in the open air as possible, that 

 you may have a proper pennyworth of your native air, 

 and that I may have the happiness of finding you on my 

 return as strong as an American turkey 



"We begin work generally about half-past five in the 

 morning, and seldom finish till the commencement of the 

 ensuing day, so that we have seldom less than sixteen 

 hours' labour of one kind or another, although it is varied 

 in such a way as greatly to lessen the fatigue. 



"We left good Mrs Scobie's on Thursday last, at an 

 early hour. We had a long day's journey to Scourie, 

 nearly thirty miles. We sat, however, very comfortably 

 in our boat, taking a walk of a mile or two now and then 

 when the ground was hilly, which was a relief both to 

 ourselves and horses, particularly the latter. The road 

 was excellent — thanks to that great highwayman, the late 

 Duke of Sutherland — although the country through which 

 it lay was for the most part very bare and desolate, the 

 hills low and craggy, with their intermediate valleys filled 



