EEMINISOENCES OF THE LEWS. 89 



ally served as crew, and but for the latter, the 

 sole serviceable seaman of the lot, I believe we 

 should have come to grief. "With no wind that 

 blew could this useful vessel get out of our loch, 

 and if she ever did get out, she never came back 

 again for months. F. M. once took his wife 

 a cruise in her, and, coming back, was glad 

 to land on a rock in the middle of the loch, 

 where he would have been now, but that, for- 

 tunately, E. M. and I were shooting in the 

 neighbourhood, and our boat was drawn up on 

 the shore, with a gillie in charge, who descry- 

 ing the party, relieved them from their posi- 

 tion and took them home. After this event, 

 F. M. only embarked his own precious person 

 in this sylph of the waves. Did he attempt 

 taking her anywhere stalking, the odds were 

 he had to land where best he could, and make 

 his way across country to his ground. She 

 looked pretty from the windows of the house, 

 and that was all the use she ever was to F. M., 

 who, after keeping her for two seasons, sold 

 her for less money than he paid for the cables 

 he furnished her with. She never was of any 

 use to any one but the skipper and " John of 

 the Yacht," who both saved money enough out 

 of their wages during the time she was in ser- 

 vice to take them out to Australia, where they 



