THE BRABMAB GJLTHEBING. 59 



The Highland passes are greatly afflicted with the 

 presence of professional tramps sturdy ill-looking 

 villains, who wander over the country, begging from 

 door to door, and exacting alms often by threats or 

 through the fears of the inhabitants of these lonely 

 spots. One instance was given by Mrs. Robertson of 

 the audacity of one of the ruffians, who, during the 

 absence of her husband, sought to obtain relief. Not 

 liking the appearance of the tramp, she attempted to 

 close the door upon him ; but he forced his way into 

 the house, and, straightway went np to the table 

 where the children were eating their dinner, and, 

 taking a spoon from the hand of one of the little ones, 

 helped himself, sans ceremonic, to the porridge. 



"Eh, sir," said Mrs. Robertson, "but I could na' 

 stand that, so I took down my husband's gun from its 

 place on the wall and presented it at his head. Then, 

 dashing down the spoon on to the floor, he opened 

 the door and was off at full speed down the glen. Eh, 

 perhaps he would na' have run quite so fast had he 

 had an inkling that the gun was not loaded." 



Then, proceeding on our way, we ascended the 

 steep hills, winding round the Devil's Elbow, until we 

 reached the highest point in the road, some 2500 feet 

 above sea-level. After this we travelled along at 

 good speed, it being down-hill nearly all the rest of 

 the journey, noting as we passed along the Cluny 

 Water, a swift-flowing river, that at proper seasons 

 holds abundance of salmon, joining the Dee in the 

 vicinity of Braemar. Then we approach Callater, 

 passing Tolmount, a rugged mountain or " muckle 

 hull," as the inhabitants would describe it, of an 

 elevation of 3143 feet, and other grim mountains of 



