TOUR IN THE WESTERN ISLES. 109 



notice, any anecdotes or remarks collected here must 

 relate to the party more than the place, and an 

 account of Lewis would only be a repetition of what 

 must already have been printed. My reasons for 

 writing, then, are truly selfish to let you know what 

 we have done to kill time, and to give you a farther 

 sketch of our plans. Every morning we shoot grouse, 

 hares, snipes, and deer till five o'clock, then eat the 

 most luxurious dinners of game and fish, drinking 

 claret, champagne, hermitage, and hock : at night we 

 are uniformly and universally dead (drunk). Your 

 humble servant being in the chair (ex officio) does his 

 best, and having a good capacity enough for wine, 

 does odd enough things. Yesterday our mess fell off 

 Campbell and I and two natives set in to it, and 

 among four had twelve port-bottles : the natives and 

 Bob being stowed away, I finished another bottle and 

 a half of port with an old exciseman, major of the 

 volunteers. This morning I went out and found all 

 Stornoway in full tongue at my astonishing feat; 

 went to the moors, walked it off, and killed a brace 

 of hares at one discharge (keeping their skins for 

 shoes) above a hundred yards off, and a grouse soon 

 after still farther ; and to-night we give a ball. Now 

 for business : my friend Stuart and I separate from 

 the party at Faroe and try Iceland; after this go 

 abroad for twelve months, and first to Sweden, Nor- 

 way, and Denmark ; live cheap and study at Upsal ; 

 then take Eussia. Now, could not you give us a 

 letter or two of recommendation, either to your own 



