"7^ EEMTNISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 



The whales passed round the island without 

 hesitation, and pursued their way upwards, our 

 boats following slowly. There was little delay 

 or stoppage till we came to the Narrows. 

 There the whales paused, and did not much 

 seem to relish the idea of putting their noses to 

 the steam. We, of course, rested on our oars, 

 awaiting their determination, and there we 

 waited all night. 



Towards dawn, as it was low water then, and 

 it was quite clear that the whales were wait- 

 ing for water, or something before proceeding 

 higher — once past the Narrows, they were ours 

 — and that could not come for some time, we, 

 who had started shortly after our breakfasts 

 without any luncheon, were getting hungry; 

 so we rowed back to Aline to soothe our very 

 clamorous stomachs, and, that done, returned 

 without delay. 



During our absence a reinforcement had 

 joined our fleet, and a curious, and, as it turned 

 out, a most unfortunate one it was. It was in 

 the shape of one of the dirtiest, crankiest tubs 

 of a boat, with the roundness, not the steadi- 

 ness, of what was called at Westminster, in 

 my day, "a punch-bowl," and as little hold in 

 the water as a skiff. How it got round from 

 Tarbert-in-Harris, whence it was said to come, 



