28 ANGLING & ART IN SCOTLAND 



We arrived at Craignell about half-past eleven. 

 The farmer and his wife were still sitting up, but 

 as the Laird and the Factor were staying the night, 

 and as f/iey occupied the only spare room, &c. &c., 

 we knew what was coming ; but the Skipper, like 

 a man, put his foot down, and boldly asserted his 

 intention of staying the night at Craignell if he 

 had to sleep on the kitchen floor. This brought 

 out the Laird, a jovial-looking gentleman, in a 

 heavily-checked suit, who had been playing cards 

 in the sitting-room with the Factor, and who 

 cordially invited us in, insisting that the farmer 

 should give us a night's shelter somehow. Very 

 soon was a smoking supper placed before us, to 

 which we did ample justice, afterwards being shown 

 to our respective rooms. The Skipper and the 

 Duke slept on two shelves, like berths on board 

 a ship, in a very small cupboard leading out 

 of the sitting-room, while John and I shared 

 the narrowest of beds, in a room amongst the 

 rafters, also occupied by some farm-labourers ; but 

 that did not deter us from sleeping the sleep of 

 the just. 



In spite of the hard work we had gone through 

 on the previous day, I was wide awake next morn- 



