EEMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 219 



partake of for the rest of the day can do so 

 again. Having got throngli the meal as best 

 you can, towards eleven, or perhaps earlier, you 

 proceed to make your calls of either kindness, 

 pleasure, or what not. Wherever you go, and 

 particularly among your friends, you are asked 

 to take some refreshment. 'Now, refreshment 

 means one (at laste, your honour) glass of 

 whisky, neat if you like, or with as little water 

 as you like. To refuse would be a deadly 

 affront, never to be forgiven. Now, supposing 

 your acquaintance to be large — mine was (for 

 Soval being on the highroad to Harris, I might 

 as well have taken out a license, and put up 

 my arms on a sign-board, for every one going 

 the road rested himself there) — you took in a 

 good deal of refreshment between twelve and 

 four or five o'clock, when dinner took place, to 

 which you sat down with a sort of whisky appe- 

 tite — that is to say, none at all. You got 

 breathing time during dinner; for the true 

 Highlander, like the Enghsh labourer, eats his 

 dinner first and drinks his liquor afterwards. 

 After dinner two tumblers of toddy are the 

 general allowance. But the tumblers are large, 

 and therefore two glasses of whisky are required 

 in order that the miller should not he drowned ; 

 and, as a new fashion has been introduced — 



