AT THE UNIVEKSITY 55 



hospitality, provided us with a good supper. It was then nearly 

 one o'clock in the morning. "We had been out from 6 o'clock 

 of the previous morning and had been afoot climbing and walking 

 all the time, with no other food than a few sandwiches. Next day 

 we intended walking up Glencoe, but our feet were badly bruised 

 with the previous day's climbing and we were glad to wait for 

 the steamer and sail back to Oban. 



It was on this trip that I first became aware of Ramsay's 

 aptitude for languages. In all our conversations he had never, 

 so far as I can remember, shown the slightest interest in philo- 

 logical studies, although he spoke German fluently and had gone 

 through some at least of the University classes in Greek and 

 Latin. But as soon as we got amongst people actually speaking 

 another language his interest was aroused. We both knew a 

 few Gaelic words, as most inhabitants of the West of Scotland 

 do. I was content to let it rest at that, but Ramsay was bent 

 on learning Gaelic and extracted words from every Gaelic-speaking 

 person we came across. What struck me as peculiar was that 

 he took little or no interest in the traditions or manners of the 

 Highlanders, only in their language. 



In our Highland tour we had proved that we were pretty 

 equally matched as regards our powers of physical endurance 

 and that we possessed the compatibility of temperament that 

 is essential for the success of such expeditions. We resolved 

 accordingly on a walking tour on a more extended scale in 

 Norway in the long vacation of 1879. We sailed from Leith to 

 Christiansand and were fortunate enough to have as one of our 

 fellow-passengers Dr. Amund Helland, now one of Norway's fore- 

 most geologists and at that time, I believe, a privatdocent attached 

 to Christiania University. When he found that Ramsay was a 

 nephew of Sir Andrew Ramsay and that we were both interested 

 in geology and mineralogy he became very friendly with us 

 and sketched out a plan of tour which we found of the greatest 

 assistance. As he was in no hurry to return to Christiania, he 



