eat tact and discretion, and great knowledge of the habits
and characteristics of boyhood, to enable him to do this; but Mr. George
possessed these qualities in a high degree.

But to return to the story.

Mr. George had decided on coming into Scotland from Liverpool by water,
because that was the cheapest way of getting into the heart of the
country. And here, in order that you may understand the course of
Rollo's travels, I must pause to explain the leading geographical
features of the country. If you read this explanation carefully, and
follow it on the map, you will understand the subsequent narrative much
better than you otherwise would do.

You will see, then, by looking at any map, that Scotland is separated
from England by two rivers which flow from the interior of the country
into the sea--one towards the east, and the other towards the west. The
one on the east side is the Tweed. The Tweed forms the frontier between
England and Scotland for a considerable distance, and is, therefore,
often spoken of as the boundary between the two countries. Indeed, the
phrase "beyond the Tweed" is often used in England to denote Scotland.
In former times, when England and Scotland were independent kingdoms,
incessant wars were carried on across this border, and incursions were
made by the chieftains from each realm into the territories of the
other, and castles were built on many commanding points to defend the
ground. The ruins of many of these old castles still remain.

On the western side of the island the boundary between England and
Scotland is formed by a very wide river, or rather river's mouth, called
Solway Frith. Between this Solway Frith and the Tweed, the boundary
which separates the two countries runs along the summit of a range of
hills. This range of hills thus forms a sort of neck of high land, which
prevents the Tweed and the Solway Frith from cutting Scotland off from
England altogether, and making a separate island of it.

About seventy or eighty miles to the northward of the boundary the land
is almost cut in two again by two other rivers, with broad mouths, which
rise pretty near together in the interior of the country, and flow--one
to the east and the other to the west--into the two seas.

These rivers are the Forth and the Clyde. The Forth flows to the east,
and has a very wide estuary,[B] as you will see by the map. The Clyde,
on the other hand, flows to the west. Its estuary is long and crooked.