

London to John O* Groat's. 381 



seventeen miles I reached Freeburn Inn about the 

 middle of the afternoon, and as it began to rain and to 

 threaten bad weather for walking, I concluded to stop 

 there for the night, and found good quarters. 



The rain continued in showers, and I feared I should 

 be unable to reach Inverness to spend the sabbath. 

 There was a cattle fair at the inn, and a considerable 

 number of farmers and dealers came together notwith- 

 standing the weather. Indeed, there were nearly as 

 many men and boys as animals on the ground. A score 

 or more had come in each leading or driving a single 

 cow or calf. The cattle generally were evidently of 

 the Graelic origin and antecedents little, chubby, 

 scraggy creatures, of all colors, but mostly black, with 

 wide-branching horns longer than their fore-legs. 

 Their hair is long and as coarse as a polar seal's, 

 and they look as if they knew no more of housing 

 against snow, rain and wintry winds, or of a littered 

 bed, than the buffaloes beyond the upper waters of the 

 Missouri. One would be inclined to think they had 

 lived from calf hood on nothing but heather or gorse, 

 and that the prickly fodder had penetrated through 

 their hides and covered them with a growth midway 

 between hair and bristles. They will not average 

 over 350 Ibs. when dressed ; still they seem to hold 

 their own among other breeds which have attracted 



