RAMBLES OP A GEOLOGIST. 275 



the opportunity of the fair interval to stagger to his dwell- 

 ing. He was eminently, exuberantly happy, there could 

 not be two opinions on that head, full of all manner of 

 bright sunshiny thoughts and imaginations, rendered just a 

 little tremulous and uncertain by the summer-heat exhalations 

 of the imbibed moisture, like distant objects in a hot noon- 

 day landscape in July seen through volumes of rising va- 

 pour and a sheep's head and trotters, which he carried under 

 his arm, was, I saw, to serve as a peace-offering to his wife 

 at home. True, he had been taking a dram, but he was 

 mindful of the family for all that. He confronted me with 

 the air of an old acquaintance ; gave the military salute j and 

 then, laying hold of a corner of my plaid with his thumb and 

 fore-finger, "I know you," he said, "I know yourkindwell ; 

 ye' re a Highland-Donald. Od, I've seen ye in the thick (ft. 

 Ye' re reugh fellows when ye're bluid 's up !" He had taken 

 me for a grenadier of the 42d ; and I lacked the moral courage 

 to undeceive him. I met nothing further on my way worthy 

 of record, save and except a sheep's trotter, dropped by the 

 old pensioner in one of his zig-zaggings to the extreme left ; 

 but having no particular use for the trotter at the time and 

 in the circumstances, I left it to benefit the next passer-by. 

 I finished my journey of eighteen miles in capital style, and 

 was within five minutes' walk of Fochabers when the horn 

 of the mail-guard was sounding up the street. And, enter- 

 ing the village, I found the vehicle standing opposite the inn 

 door, minus the horses. 



The insides and outsides were sitting down to dinner to- 

 gether as I entered the inn ; and I felt, after my long walk, 

 that it would be rather an agreeable matter to join with them. 

 But in the hope of meeting my old friend Mr Joss, I requested 

 to be shown, not into the passengers' room, but into that of 

 the coachman and guard ; and with them I dined. It so 

 chanced, however, that Mr Joss was not out that day ; and 



