FISHING EXCURSION. 151 



CHAPTER XL 



Fishing Excursion. Mountain Loch. Salt Loch. The Otter. High- 

 land Wedding. Benefits of Clanship. Omne solum patria. 

 Highland Dances. Rorie "the Post." Curious Custom. Night 

 Scenes and Meditations. 



A FEW days subsequent to the events recorded in the 

 last chapter, we went on a fishing expedition, to a loch 

 situated at a considerable height among the hills, 

 where the trout were said to be both remarkably fine in 

 size and choice in flavour. As it was late in the season 

 very good sport was not to be expected, but as a small 

 boat had been conveyed to the loch at no slight trouble, 

 we thought it best to seize the opportunity for a little 

 pleasing variety in our amusements. The oft-men- 

 tioned trap, with a pair of Highland ponies, served us 

 in good stead over the first six miles of our journey. 

 There we put up our cattle at the melancholy skeleton of 

 what had once been a small wayside inn, rejoicing in 

 the name of " The Argyle Arms," and which as a jolly 

 public had held out its sign, glorying in all the 

 glitter of heraldry, ere the increased demand for deer- 

 forests and grouse-preserves or extensive sheep-walks 

 had depopulated this along with many another district 

 once teeming with inhabitants, and transplanted happy 

 hearts and loyal spirits to pine in distant and ungenial 

 climes. Though many was the gallon of usquebagh 

 which had been drunk by its social hearth ; though its 

 walls had often echoed to the drone of the piper, and 

 its floors to the stamp of the Highland fling, no hostess 

 now welcomed us at the door, and as we stood in the 

 deserted rooms, no glass in the windows sheltered us 



