356 The Naturalist of C^^,mbrae. 



He had then, like many other boys, learned to smoke, 

 and had become very fond of that indulgence. At that 

 period, for lighting a pipe it was necessary to carry 

 about a tinder-box with flint and steel. The process 

 was far from being instantaneous, and as the farm- 

 labourers, in reaping and various other employments, 

 were often working abreast on parallel lines or ridges, 

 the loitering of any individual was made unpleasantly 

 conspicuous. In addition to this, tobacco was only 

 to be obtained from shops very inconveniently remote 

 from the farmstead where Robertson was living, and 

 yet his finances did not allow him to purchase more 

 than a small quantity at a time. Reflecting on all 

 these disadvantages connected with a pleasure not 

 absolutely essential to happiness, and with a habit 

 which, as it had been contracted, so could certainly 

 be broken off again, the lad one day decided to take 

 a resolute measure of self-deliverance. He flung the 

 tinder-box with the flint and steel over a hedge into 

 a pit, from which he was never likely to be able to 

 regain them. From then till now he has never had 

 the wish to possess, at least as facilities for smoking, 

 either those now almost pre-historic implements or 

 any modern substitute for them. He did not at the 

 time know Latin, otherwise, while breaking the yoke 

 of his bondage, he might appropriately have ex- 

 claimed, sic semper tyrannis ! 



It is not often that a single life covers so great a 

 variety of employment. For Robertson has been 

 herd-boy and volunteer horse-breaker, weaver, quarry- 

 man's assistant, farm-labourer, tutor, medical student, 

 dyer, tradesman, merchant, and finally man of science, 



