A RAID ON SUTHERLAND. 463 



she goes," says the steersman. " Spanking through it," adds 

 his shipmate, passing the whisky-bottle. When day broke 

 (feeling sure they must have made their port), they could only 

 explain it by assuring each other that " the loch had turned 

 topsy-turvy in the nicht." 



On casting anchor in Stornoway harbour, our tipsy captain 

 volunteered to direct us to a comfortable lodging, " set up by 

 a freend o' his own, express for the quality ; " but we were 

 too well acquainted with himself to seek an introduction to 

 his friends. After demanding an exorbitant fare, promising 

 fairly to reach Stornoway in time for the Clansman steamer, 

 as he more than suspected, she had gone the day before. The 

 Irish cabman who answered, when a friend of mine left the 

 amount of hire to his conscience, " I'd rather lave it to your 

 honour's ; for to tell ye the truth, mine's not worth a farthin'," 

 had a conscience, though a worn and battered one. This 

 fellow evidently had none, so I saved myself the trouble of 

 a useless appeal. We asked a fisherman in Stornoway which 

 was the best inn. " Well, sir, the hottle's the best inn." The 

 " hottle " was easily found, where the first object that pre- 

 sented itself was a stag's head and antlers, such as could not 

 easily be matched in the overcrowded forests of modern days. 

 The landlord's grandfather had been forester to Lochiel, and 

 this noble heirloom was preserved as a memento of his 

 rifle. 



The whole fishing village to borrow a phrase from one of 

 themselves seemed " indulging in dirt." The herring-fishers 

 bad enough ; the women - curers worse, if possible. They 

 brought to my mind the predicament of an Edinburgh clergy- 

 man (always particularly neat and trim in his own attire), 

 when an applicant for marriage presented himself in the most 

 disgusting figure that ever darkened his study door. " When 

 is it to take place ? " " Directly, sir." " You mean after you 

 have cleaned yourself ? " (Looking down at himself with 

 evident satisfaction,) " Och, I'm weel enough." " You couldn't 



