nd us. She did not much encourage us to
go, because the roads were bad, and it was a long way, 'and there was no
putting-up for the like of us.' We determined, however, to venture, and
throw ourselves upon the hospitality of some cottager or gentleman. We
desired the landlady to roast us a couple of fowls to carry with us.
There are always plenty of fowls at the doors of a Scotch inn, and eggs
are as regularly brought to table at breakfast as bread and butter.

* * * * *

_Friday_, _August_ 26_th_.--We did not set off till between ten and
eleven o'clock, much too late for a long day's journey. Our boatman
lived at the pretty white house which we saw from the windows: we called
at his door by the way, and, even when we were near the house, the
outside looked comfortable; but within I never saw anything so miserable
from dirt, and dirt alone: it reminded one of the house of a decayed
weaver in the suburbs of a large town, with a sickly wife and a large
family; but William says it was far worse, that it was quite
Hottentotish.

After long waiting, and many clumsy preparations, we got ourselves seated
in the boat; but we had not floated five yards before we perceived that
if any of the party--and there was a little Highland woman who was going
over the water with us, the boatman, his helper, and ourselves--should
stir but a few inches, leaning to one side or the other, the boat would
be full in an instant, and we at the bottom; besides, it was very leaky,
and the woman was employed to lade out the water continually. It
appeared that this crazy vessel was not the man's own, and that _his_ was
lying in a bay at a little distance. He said he would take us to it as
fast as possible, but I was so much frightened I would gladly have given
up the whole day's journey; indeed not one of us would have attempted to
cross the lake in that boat for a thousand pounds. We reached the larger
boat in safety after coasting a considerable way near the shore, but just
as we were landing, William dropped the bundle which contained our food
into the water. The fowls were no worse, but some sugar, ground coffee,
and pepper-cake seemed to be entirely spoiled. We gathered together as
much of the coffee and sugar as we could and tied it up, and again
trusted ourselves to the lake. The sun shone, and the air was
calm--luckily it had been so while we were in the crazy boat--we had
rocks and woods on each sid