HIRED IN A BOG. 73 



Mr. Lyell has asserted of peat-mosses generally ; and he 

 mentions also particularly, 'that in Mar Forest, large trunks 

 of Scotch fir, which had fallen from age and decay, were 

 soon immured in peat, formed partly out of their perishing 

 leaves and branches, and in part from the growth of other 

 plants.' In the Forest of Atholl, we find everywhere in 

 these bogs, roots of trees fixed to the subsoil, so that no 

 doubt can exist of their having grown on the spot. My 

 men dig some of them up annually, and they make ex- 

 cellent firewood, burning with great brilliancy, owing to 

 the quantity of turpentine they contain. The eminent 

 author I have quoted says also 'It is curious to reflect 

 that considerable tracts have by these accidents been per- 

 manently sterilised, and that during a period when civilisa- 

 tion has been making a great progress, large areas of Europe 

 have been rendered less capable of administering to the 

 wants of man.' " 



" I cannot quite assent to this latter remark of your 

 eminent geologist, since I opine that venison and moor fowl, 

 which the moss now nourishes, are incomparably better 

 than oat cake and mutton, and that one of your fine, 

 straight-limbed, sinewy Highlanders here are worth a 

 thousand of such lazy fellows as Tityrus, and all that class 

 of piping milksops : aye, and Sir Walter Scott would have 

 made them more poetical too, or, at least, more interesting. 

 Hallo ! by Jove I'm in for it." 



" Heaven bless you ! you should never put your foot in 

 such a place as that, particularly when you are detracting 

 from the Mantuan bard. Never mind, we will get you out 

 presently. Here, Sandy, take you the right arm, whilst I 

 lay hold of the other ; now then once twice thrice 

 and out you come, rather blacker to be sure, but quite as 

 well as ever. Sandy, give Peter the dogs, and just scrape 

 off the black dirt from Mr. Lightfoot with your deer knife, 

 unless he wishes to enact the Moor of Venice." 



(Peter Fraser, touching his hat.) " There's no such moor 

 here awa', yer honour." 



" These things will happen, but custom will make you 

 better acquainted with such traps : let the ground look ever 

 6 



