40 



THE LABOURS OF REPOSE. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Guillemot's Eggs. Curious Fact. Sea-Fishing. Cuddies and Lithe. 

 A Hard Pull. Haddock. Legend. River Fro thay. Hard 

 Fight. Wounded Fish. 



AFTER the expedition recorded in the last chapter, 

 our limbs, and above all our feet, unaccustomed as 

 they had been to such exertion, needed repose ; and 

 for two or three days we curbed our roaming pro- 

 pensities, and amused ourselves within the immediate 

 neighbourhood of the Laird's house. 



An arm of the sea running some miles inland was 

 within half a mile of us, affording at times very good 

 salt-water fishing, as well as being frequented by many 

 varieties of wild-fowl, which build their nests and rear 

 their young in the neighbouring cliffs. It is, however, 

 only in the winter that they resort thither in any great 

 numbers, for the sake of shelter from the storms that 

 rage in that season almost incessantly without the bay, 

 in consequence of the conflicting nature of the currents 

 off these northern coasts. 



At such times almost every variety of sea-bird may 

 be found, and occasionally large shoals of whales may 

 be seen ploughing the stiller water of the loch, and 

 playing their fountains in every direction. Porpoises 

 and seals too are numerous ; but the coast is so 

 dangerous, from the height of the cliffs and the 



