TO ORKNEY AND SHETLAND. 31 



in the interior were enveloped in fog. The sun was 

 just rising above the lowest hills in the east, which 

 gave a richness to the picture surpassing descrip- 

 tion. After stopping a short time to enjoy this 

 wild scene of nature, we pulled along the land 

 under the high black cliffs towards what is called 

 the South Voe, which leads to within a quarter of 

 a mile of Aceter. The Gulls are equally as numerr 

 ous along this coast as in the inlets, and saluted 

 us as we passed, which I occasionally returned, but 

 with hostile intention. On entering the South Voe 

 I saw two pairs of Eider Ducks ; I endeavoured to 

 get a shot at them, but they were too shy. It is a 

 great chance to get within a hundred yards of them 

 in a boat propelled with oars, while in a sailings 

 boat you may get pretty near. This inlet is nearly 

 two miles long, and at an early hour in the morn- 

 ing I expected to have fallen in with more ducks, 

 but was disappointed. We soon arrived at the head 

 of the voe, and from here we had a distance of a 

 quarter of a mile to walk overland to Aceter, my 

 intended place of residence for some time. The 

 boatmen being loaded with the luggage, we pro- 

 ceeded on at a slow march for the village, which on 

 our arrival, at this early hour, was speedily in an 

 uproar ; the alarm was first given by the dogs, and 

 the pigs (animals which enjoy high privileges in 



