70 LANDSCAPE AND IMAGINATION 



agination through generations of strife and rapine, clan 

 warfare and private revenge, bravery and treachery, 

 superstition and ignorance, far away to that early time 

 when, in the seventh century, Maelrubha, the red 

 priest from Ireland, preached to the savage Picts, and 

 first brought this region within the ken of civilised 

 men. More than twelve hundred years have since 

 passed away, but the memory of that early missionary 

 still lives here among the solitudes which he chose 

 as the scene of his labours. The lake yet bears his 

 name, and his favourite island of retirement, embowered 

 in holly, mountain ash, and honeysuckle, contains his 

 holy well, which, even to this day, is visited for the 

 cure of diseases, while offerings are there made to the 

 saint. 



It is just this little touch of * the still, sad music of 

 humanity ' which is needed to crown the interest and 

 dignity of our Highland landscape. * What more, then, 

 can we need or desire ? ' our literary critic may once 

 more demand ; * you may go on to elaborate the details 

 of the scene, for every part of the picture abounds in 

 the most exquisite detail, beyond the power of pen 

 or almost of pencil adequately to pourtray. But what 

 can science do here, except to mar what already is 

 perfect, or to confuse by contributing what is entirely 

 irrelevant ? ' 



Again I feel the force of the objection, and all 

 the more because to combat it as I should wish to 

 do, would involve me in geological details which 

 would here be wholly out of place. Let me say, 

 briefly and decidedly, that after many years of ex- 

 perience in every variety of landscape in this country, 



