CH. XXXVII. HIGHLAND FISHERMEN. 273 



owners of the boats for the six or eight weeks 

 during which they are out at sea. These men earn 

 during the season from three to six pounds, a perfect 

 godsend to the poor fellows, whose eyes are seldom 

 gladdened by the sight of hard money during the 

 rest of the year. Just before the time when the 

 herring -boats go out, the roads are dotted with 

 little groups of Highlanders, each man having a 

 small parcel of necessaries tied up in a handkerchief 

 and carried on a stick over his shoulder. They 

 are sadly footsore and wayworn by the time they 

 have traversed the island from the west coast. 

 Being little accustomed for the most part to walk- 

 ing anywhere but on springy heather and turf, the 

 hard roads try them severely. Most of them are 

 undersized and bad specimens of the Celtic race. 

 Very little English is spoken amongst them, as not 

 one in ten understands a word of anything but 

 Gaelic. When they have occasion to go into a 

 roadside shop to purchase anything, or to ask a 

 question, a consultation is first held amongst the 

 party, and then the most learned in Saxon is deputed 

 to act as spokesman, for there is scarcely any Gaelic 

 spoken along the east coasts, the fishermen in par- 

 ticular being almost wholly a foreign race of people, 

 that is, not Highlanders. Some are English settlers, 

 and some are descendants of Danes and other races 

 who have originally been left by chance or choice 



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