A VENTURESOME VOYAGE 167 



up the stream, and by rowing against it let her 

 fall by degrees stern foremost, by which means I 

 had a clear view before me, and could therefore 

 steer to a nicety. She went down most agree- 

 ably, though in nearly a vertical position, but 

 pitched upon a rock below the fall ; but before any 

 harm happened, 1 swung her off by inclining my 

 body to and fro. My fisherman followed success- 

 fully ; and having passed the wide-spreading Linn, 

 the channel of the Tay became more contracted, 

 and we resumed our former pace, shooting down 

 the rapids like an arrow, and by occasional swift 

 snatches of the oars avoiding the breakers around 

 us. So we passed amongst the hanging woods 

 and impending rocks of this romantic river, till we 

 arrived at Stanley, where groups of people were 

 assembled on the hill-top, who shouted to us with 

 all their might, and made signs and gestures, the 

 meaning of which I could not comprehend, but 

 they seemed to be warning us of some impending 

 danger: I could not catch the import of their 

 words, as the sound was but faintly heard amidst 

 the din of the waves. So I did not perplex my- 

 self with attending to them, but thought it wisest 

 to trust to my own discretion, which fortunately 

 carried the boats safely to their place of destina- 

 tion. I learned afterwards, that seeing our boats 

 were mere insignificant cockle-shells borne down 

 by the flood with great impetuosity, they were 

 fearful that we should be carried down the mill- 

 dam, and come in contact with the machinery. 

 But a better fate awaited us than such a Quixotic 

 one ; and after a little rough work, in which we 



