CHAPTEK V 

 THE HERDS OF PROTEUS 



I WELL remember when I was counsel before a 

 Committee on a railway bill in the House of Com- 

 mons a scheme for improving the communication 

 with the West Highlands the amusement with 

 which I listened to one piece of evidence given 

 on behalf of the promoters. Of course the traffic 

 was to be enormous ; " feuing " on a large scale 

 was to cover the barren hills with desirable resi- 

 dences ; tons of herrings for the poor and lobsters 

 for the rich were to increase the food-supply of 

 the metropolis ; millions of roofing slates from 

 Easedale and Carnbaan were to cover mansions 

 and cottages from Land's End to John o' Groat's ; 

 and lastly and this was what particularly tickled 

 my fancy it was probable that there would be a 

 large importation of seals from the western lochs 

 and the Hebrides ! The witness believed, or let 

 us charitably hope so at any rate he wished the 

 Committee to believe that nothing but the want 

 of railway communication prevented the City mag- 

 nates from supporting native industry by buying 

 the acres of sealskin which covered their own 



