412 A Walk from 



months of continuous travel, I facet! southward, 

 leaving behind me the Orkneys unvisited, though I 

 had a strong desire to see these celebrated islands the 

 theatre of so much interesting history. Twenty years 

 ago I translated all the "Sagas" relating to the voyages 

 and exploits of the Northmen in these northern seas 

 and islands, their explorations of the coast of North 

 America centuries before Columbus was born, their 

 doings in Iceland and on all the islands great and 

 small now forming the British realms. This gave 

 additional zest to my enjoyment in standing on the 

 shore of the Pentland Firth and looking over upon 

 the scene of old Haoo's and Sigurd's doing, daring 

 and dying. 



Footed it back to Wick and there terminated my 

 walk, having measured, step by step, full seven 

 hundred miles since I left London, counting in the 

 divergences from a straight line which I had made. 

 In the evening I addressed a large and intelligent 

 audience which had been convened at short notice, 

 and I never stood up before one with such peculiar 

 satisfaction as in this North-star town of Scotland. 

 I had travelled nearly the whole distance incoy., 

 without hearing my own name on a pair of human 

 lips for weeks. To lay aside this embargo and to 

 speak to such a large congregation, face to face, was 



