SKY.' LOCH SCAVIG. 281 



their grandeur ; nor must they be passed without notice, 

 though it is impossible to convey any idea of this spot, 

 which before my visit had never been seen by a stranger, 

 and was indeed known to few even of the inhabitants 

 of Sky. Scarcely any but the shepherds had trod these 

 sequestered retreats, the dwelling of clouds and soli- 

 tude ; fit haunts for the poetical demons of the storm.* 



* I have on a former occasion described the nautical circumstances 

 under which I did not reach Barra Head : it will not be useless to 

 describe those under which I accomplished a first visit to Loch Scavig. 

 The itinerary of a traveller is often of advantage to his successors, while 

 a single anecdote is often more characteristic of a people than a laboured 

 description. 



The expedition was to proceed from Giilan on the west side of 

 Sleat, and as a Highland boat is not soon set in motion, the crew was 

 bespoke on the preceding evening. It was in vain that the orders 

 were given for six in the morning, the men were not collected till nine, 

 a Highlander being seldom ready, even for his harvest field, before 

 ten o'clock. After the ordinary useless discussions we proceeded to 

 the beach, but the tide had ebbed and the boat was dry : it could 

 not be launched without further assistance. Before the requisite 

 assistance was procured an hour had elapsed. Being at length 

 launched, it was discovered, that out of the four oars required, 

 only one was present. It was necessary to procure the complement 

 from a neighbouring village, and this was scarcely accomplished in 

 another hour. Some hopes at last appeared that the day would not 

 elapse in preparations, but of the pins required for rowing, only two 

 could be found, swimming in the water which filled half of the boat. 

 Sky not being a lantl of wood, some time passed before this little but 

 indispensable requisite could be obtained, for which the teeth of a harrow 

 were at length procured. We were now fortunately under way, the 

 first stroke of the oars had been given, when an unlucky breeze springing 

 up, one of the crew proposed that we should return for a sail. It was in 

 vain to oppose this motion, too favourable to the natural indolence 

 of this people, although it was not easy to conjecture how a sail was 

 to be rigged on a boat which had neither step for a mast nor provision 

 for a rudder. It was wrong to wonder at the latter defect, as the 

 use of this contrivance is quite unknown in many parts of these islands. 

 In less than two hours the trunk of a birch tree was procured, which, 

 being fastened to one of the thwarts with some twine, was converted 

 into a mast worthy of the nrit navigator. A broomstick, secured t.e 



