4O2 A Walk from 



down with ropes of heather, giving the roof a singular 

 ribby look, rounded on the ridge. In many cases a 

 stone is attached to each end of the rope, so as to make 

 it hug the thatch closely. I noticed that in a con- 

 siderable number of the old cottages the stone wall 

 only reached up a foot or two from the ground, the 

 rest being made up of blocks of peat. Some of the 

 oldest had no premonitory symptoms of a chimney, 

 except a hole in the roof for the smoke. These in no 

 way differed from the stone-and-turf cottages in 

 Ireland. 



Again occasional showers brought me into acquain- 

 tance with the people living near the road. In every 

 case I found them kind and hospitable, giving me a 

 pleasant welcome and the best seat by their peat-fire. 

 I sat by one an hour while the rain fell cold and fast 

 outside. The good woman and her daughter were 

 busy baking barley-cakes. They were the first I had 

 seen, and I ate them with a peculiar zest of appetite. 

 Told them many stories about America in return for a 

 great deal of information about the customs and condi- 

 tion of the working-people. They generally built their 

 own cottages, costing from 40 to 50, not counting in 

 their own labor. I met on the road scores of fishermen 

 returning to their homes at the conclusion of the 

 herring season ; and was struck with their appearance 



