g, had gone off, and
returned, bringing a very young child. My fellow traveller then ordered
the children to be drawn up in a row; and he dealt about his copper, and
made them and their parents all happy. The poor M'Craas, whatever may be
their present state, were of considerable estimation in the year 1715,
when there was a line in a song,

'And aw the brave M'Craas are coming[441].'

There was great diversity in the faces of the circle around us: some
were as black and wild in their appearance as any American savages
whatever. One woman was as comely almost as the figure of Sappho, as we
see it painted. We asked the old woman, the mistress of the house where
we had the milk, (which by the bye, Dr. Johnson told me, for I did not
observe it myself, was built not of turf, but of stone,) what we should
pay. She said, what we pleased. One of our guides asked her in Erse, if
a shilling was enough. She said, 'yes.' But some of the men bade her ask
more[442]. This vexed me; because it shewed a desire to impose upon
strangers, as they knew that even a shilling was high payment. The
woman, however, honestly persisted in her first price; so I gave her
half a crown. Thus we had one good scene of life uncommon to us. The
people were very much pleased, gave us many blessings, and said they had
not had such a day since the old Laird of Macleod's time.

Dr. Johnson was much refreshed by this repast. He was pleased when I
told him he would make a good Chief. He said, 'Were I a chief, I would
dress my servants better than myself, and knock a fellow down if he
looked saucy to a Macdonald in rags: but I would not treat men as
brutes. I would let them know why all of my clan were to have attention
paid to them. I would tell my upper servants why, and make them tell the
others.' We rode on well[443], till we came to the high mountain
called the Rattakin, by which time both Dr. Johnson and the horses were
a good deal fatigued. It is a terrible steep to climb, notwithstanding
the road is formed slanting along it; however, we made it out. On the
top of it we met Captain M'Leod of Balmenoch (a Dutch officer who had
come from Sky) riding with his sword slung across him. He asked, 'Is
this Mr. Boswell?' which was a proof that we were expected. Going down
the hill on the other side was no easy task. As Dr. Johnson was a great
weight, the two guides agreed that he should ride the horses
alternately. Hay's were the two best, and the Doctor