22 TOUR IN SUTHERLAND. CH. II. 



picturesque dwelling-places, or rather, I suppose, 

 they choose such spots as being better suited for 

 placing their curious-shaped nest in than any other. 



While I was examining a kind of simple but 

 most serviceable stone-mill, used for grinding the 

 stone of which these excellent roads are made, the 

 carriage came up, and we proceeded. Coming to 

 a road leading off the main one, and going straight 

 up a hill northwards, Dunbar assured us that this 

 was our route ; so with rather an envious look at 

 the straight level road before us which we were 

 leaving, we turned our faces to the hill. After 

 going about two miles, not quite perpendicularly 

 (the way gradually getting worse), we suddenly 

 came to an abrupt termination of the track. 

 Through the driving mist, which had now become 

 quite thick, we saw a most desolate-looking house 

 some few hundred yards off, and there found that 

 we had turned off the road too soon, and had to 

 retrace our steps. 



The next turning off was the right one, and we 

 laboured again up the hill, northwards, but with 

 a better road. The higher we ascended the denser 

 was the mist ; and though we occasionally heard 

 the grouse-cock crow pretty near us, we could see 

 nothing, absolutely nothing, except the road under 

 our feet. 



