ON THE COAST OF ARRAN 137 



' Aye, aye, a coorse day a varra coorse day.' 

 ' The fisher lads will do but poorly.' 

 * Aye, weel ; the deil's bairns ha' aye their 

 father's luck. And what will ye be doing the 

 day ? Ye'll neither get to the taps nor on to 

 the water ; the wind would blaw ye clean aff 

 either o' them. But listen to me the first fair 

 day ye get, gae right onto the taps. Dinna mind 

 your books or your maps, but gae straight oot 

 o' Corrie, and mak for the ridges. Ay man, 

 when ye get there ye'll see the finest sight in 

 a' the Island. Goatfell ? Whew ! it's just a 

 rubble o' stanes, and naething to what ye'll find 

 up there.' I promised to take the old autocrat's 

 advice upon the first opportunity, and pursued 

 my walk in the rain. 



In the afternoon there was a great tide. All 

 distant views were hidden. The sky was dark 

 and the sea black, though visited now and then 

 by momentary gleams of silvery light when 

 some cloud was suddenly torn to pieces by the 



