146 NATURE AND WOODCRAFT. 



At last he came— a young Highlander ; and, 

 as I want what is here set down to be veracious, 

 I must state that he was indecently clad. He 

 wore a kilt ; his legs were dirty, as was every- 

 thing about him. He had a huge pair of sandy 

 whiskers, and I should think that he never 

 either washed himself or combed his hair. I 

 suppose that when nature decreed, his garments 

 sloughed off, as does the outer cuticle of a snake. 

 But be this as it may, he acted as soothing 

 balm to the perturbed spirit of my husband. 

 I put it on record that upon the arrival of the 

 excrescence referred to, the amiable being to 

 whom I am wedded came near driving the 

 servants dead with fright, by coming to the 

 kitchen and rushing out with a kettle contain- 

 ing boiling water. It was the first and only 

 act of menial labour of a lifetime. They thought 

 he was mad. I heard screams from the scullery, 

 and followed to the dining-room. He was 

 brewing whisky — " for Ronald." Ronald took 

 snuff, Ronald smoked huge black coils of some- 

 thing which they told me were slow- worms. 

 Tt was a curious custom they had in the High- 

 lands ; they all did it. 



My husband had taken a Grouse Moor and 



