274 NETHER LOCHABER. 



bility as well A sensible old man whom we questioned on the 

 subject a few days ago, and a firm believer in the efficacy of this 

 " saline " draught, told us in confidence that the rationale of the 

 thing consisted in the fact that it immediately acted as a powerful 

 sudorific ; and that to this, he thought, was to be attributed the 

 thoroughness as well as the rapidity of the cure. Probably he was 

 right. It is a simple, cheap, and readily available remedy at all 

 events, and dwellers by the sea-side might do worse than give it a 

 trial at a pinch, when more orthodox remedies have failed, or are 

 not ready to hand. One grand thing about it is the certainty that, 

 if it does no good, it cannot possibly do harm. Another old man 

 in our neighbourhood, still hale and active, though in his eighty- 

 fourth year, told us lately that he never took a dose, not a ha'penny's 

 worth, of medicine, druggist's or doctor's stuff in his life. " When- 

 ever I felt out of sorts," he continued, "I just went down to the 

 sea and drank a good large draught of salt water; that was always 

 my medicine, and it never once failed to do me good." So that 

 there may be more virtue in sea water as a curative agent in 

 bronchial and stomachic ailments than the world generally wots. 

 And if so, how consoling the thought that this druggist's shop is 

 never shut ; the supply is exhaustless, and no charge ! 



A curious bit of popular superstition is the following, which a 

 gentleman in a neighbouring district was good enough to bring 

 recently under our notice. After breakfast, at which, among other 

 good things, we had some excellent fresh eggs, he suggested that 

 we should go into the kitchen to smoke, "and watch," he said, 

 " what my housekeeper will do with the empty egg-shells as the 

 breakfast things are brought up from the parlour." We went and 

 stood and watched accordingly, and this is what we saw, chatting 

 with our host the while, that the housekeeper might not suspect 

 that we took any particular interest in her doings. We noticed 

 that when the girl came into the kitchen and laid the tray upon 



