xviii INTRODUCTION. 



ever, are admired by the many, chiefly or entirely on account 

 of Scott's description of them, and I am far from being sorry 

 for this. To me, the peep of Loch Katherine obtained from the 

 landing-place, after running and frisking along, and rolling my- 

 self among the heather, was absolutely dehghtful. With that 

 most curious innate desire which there is in us of becoming 

 older, for the purpose of enjoying the morrow, I went to rest, 

 anxious to see the morn, and discover what existed beyond 

 the crags that had bounded my view. 



Thus, Reader, we spent half a day and a whole night at 

 the inn on Loch Achray, and rose betimes expecting an early 

 breakfast and an early departure ; but no, the breakfast was 

 late and hurried, the whole house, one might have thought, had 

 just caught fire, every one called for the waiter, for his lug- 

 gage, his bill, and the boat ; and when the bustle was over, 

 you might have seen a long procession issue from the hostelry. 

 Giving way to the anxious, we lagged a little behind, and thus 

 had a nice boat to ourselves, while the rest were uncomfort- 

 ably crammed into another. 



Loch Katherine, in my humble opinion, is a beautiful sheet 

 of water. We were told that some parts of it are of extreme 

 depth ; but what rendered it so pleasingly welcome to me, was 

 the prospect ever-changing, enlarging, and becoming more and 

 more grand, as the ridges of hills came successively into view. 

 Methinks, Reader, I am at this very instant gazing upon the 

 heathery knolls and bracken-covered slopes of those rude moun- 

 tains, for to me wild, melancholy, and sublime scenery is ever 

 the most pleasing, and as we passed the jutting headlands of 

 the lake, I could not help giving it a few drops more than it 

 already contained. I wished, indeed, that the wind had proved 



