SPORT AT POLTALLOCH 227 



that the window opened into the kitchen. There was 

 a story of old Gye (of the Opera House, Covent 

 Garden), a keen votary of Highland sport, who found 

 himself shown into a very small room, on a table of 

 which the usual enormous Bible (characteristic of 

 Scotch inns) was displayed. He rang the bell, and 

 asked whether it would be convenient to provide 

 him either with a larger room or a smaller Bible. 

 Then, one recalls the old chestnut about Donald 

 the luggage -man, whose patience, albeit monu- 

 mental, was on one occasion so entirely exhausted 

 by two tiresome old ladies that he told them to go 

 to hell. The shocked and outraged pair went in 

 hot haste to the Captain and demanded the instant 

 dismissal of the culprit. " Dismiss Donald ! " replied 

 the Captain ; " what would Hutchinson do without 

 him? You might as well ask me to dismiss Mr. 

 Gladstone, or the Pope of Rome. But he certainly 

 ought not to have spoken to you as he did, and I will 

 make him apologise." Donald was duly summoned 

 and admonished, and returned on his unwelcome errand 

 to make the promised apology. " Are you the leddies 

 whom I told to go to hell ? " " Yes," said the eldest, 

 now somewhat mollified, and prepared to accept the 

 amende honorable. "Well," replied Donald, "the 

 Captain says you needna go." 



On board, the scene is much the same as usual ; 

 there are the well-informed trippers explaining to 

 tourists the familiar features of the landscape 

 Rothesay Bay, the two paint-daubed rocks known as 

 the Maids of Bute, the rugged peaks of Arran, and 

 Ardlamont Point, which has acquired a sinister 

 renown from the tragedy which occurred in the 



