226 HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS 



improvised sleighs. " I do not know," said one of his 

 little great-grandchildren when told of his death 

 in 1906, "what dear grandpapa will do without 

 children, he was so fond of them." " Oh," replied 

 the other, " he will find lots of little children to play 

 with in heaven." 



I am wandering from my subject ; those days are 

 past, and it is my autumn holiday -home which now 

 welcomes myself, my wife, and our grown-up sons to 

 a Christmas gathering almost as numerous and con- 

 genial. We join the Grenadier on an early morning 

 in December to meet on board a numerous band of 

 nephews, nieces, and grand-nephews bound for the 

 same destination, and to find the deck heaped with 

 luggage labelled " Ardrishaig" dress-baskets, port- 

 manteaus, gun-cases, perambulators, and mail-carts ; 

 just as in the days of yore. 



Here, for I am nothing if not digressive, my mind 

 goes back to the early days when I first undertook the 

 voyage which is now so familiar. Then there was no 

 Caledonian pier at Gourock, no luxurious sleeping- 

 berths on the night train to Glasgow, no palatial 

 hotel. We used to think ourselves lucky if we could 

 get two sticks on which to put a cushion and stretch 

 our legs to the opposite seat ; thrice blest if we could 

 make up a large enough party to secure a family 

 saloon where we could repose at full length. Those 

 who travelled down the day before found their quarters 

 at the old-fashioned " Tontine " at Greenock, and the 

 quarters at that crowded time were not always all that 

 could be desired. I remember one occasion when, 

 finding myself rather hot, I raised the sash to find 



