. For the first half mile after we had
left this scene there was no thing remarkable; and afterwards we could
only see the hills, the sky, the moon, and moonlight water. When we came
within, it might be, half a mile of Ballachulish, the place where we were
to lodge, the loch narrowed very much, the hills still continuing high.
I speak inaccurately, for it split into two divisions, the one along
which we went being called Loch Leven.

The road grew very bad, and we had an anxious journey till we saw a light
before us, which with great joy we assured ourselves was from the inn;
but what was our distress when, on going a few steps further, we came to
a bridge half broken down, with bushes laid across to prevent travellers
from going over. After some perplexity we determined that I should walk
on to the house before us--for we could see that the bridge was safe for
foot-passengers--and ask for assistance. By great good luck, at this
very moment four or five men came along the road towards us and offered
to help William in driving the car through the water, which was not very
deep at that time, though, only a few days before, the damage had been
done to the bridge by a flood.

I walked on to the inn, ordered tea, and was conducted into a lodging
room. I desired to have a fire, and was answered with the old scruple
about 'giving fire,'--with, at the same time, an excuse 'that it was so
late,'--the girl, however, would ask the landlady, who was lying-in; the
fire was brought immediately, and from that time the girl was very civil.
I was not, however, quite at ease, for William stayed long, and I was
going to leave my fire to seek after him, when I heard him at the door
with the horse and car. The horse had taken fright with the roughness of
the river-bed and the rattling of the wheels--the second fright in
consequence of the ferry--and the men had been obliged to unyoke him and
drag the car through, a troublesome affair for William; but he talked
less of the trouble and alarm than of the pleasure he had felt in having
met with such true good-will and ready kindness in the Highlanders. They
drank their glass of whisky at the door, wishing William twenty good
wishes, and asking him twice as many questions,--if he was married, if he
had an estate, where he lived, etc. etc. This inn is the ferry-house on
the main road up into the Highlands by Fort-William, and here Coleridge,
though unknown to us, had slept three nights be