sembled, its reeking peat-fire, its broken windows, its little bed in a box, and its lumbering seachests, and reflected, that it must serve me for parlour, bed-chamber, and all,-I concluded it would be advisable to cross, even at seven in the evening, rather than pass the whole day and night in so very humble a dwelling. Besides, though I should be late at sea, yet the wind generally moderated towards night-fall; and if I stayed till the morning I might not be able to stir at all. I wanted, too, to write to my mother; who, I knew, would be anxious to hear that I had returned to terra firma; and so putting all these circumstances together, and joining to them the assurance of the pilots, that Brock was as good a sailor as any in those islands, and knew the Firth better than any man, I resolved in fine to go to sea.

I wished very much to start earlier, but Brock said it would only keep us back; for if we did not "cheat the tide" we should be driven far from our course. The current ran here at the rate of 9 knots an hour, and there was not a ship in the navy that could stem it, if the wind were to tear the masts out of her. This was a species of reasoning that was not to be gainsaid; it was re

solved, therefore, that we should wait till seven o'clock.

The Stromness pilots were much pleased with my offer to pay for all their whisky, and only accepted it after many remonstrances:

"Just a dram," they said, "was very richt, but they couldna think o' troubling a gentleman for more."

So on departing to reimbark for their home, they all wished me a good voyage over the Firth, and each insisted upon shaking me by the hand. The first nearly wrung it off, when I luckily bethought me that, to relieve myself from such pressure, the only way would be to give the other three as good as they brought; and therefore I gripped their paws with all my might, by which fortunate expedient I gratified them and saved myself.

When they were gone, I strolled along the cliffs, that overhang the Firth, and casting many inquisitive glances over its troubled waters, I could not help wishing, that I was safely harboured on the other side. The sky cleared considerably, and beneath its curling clouds, and stretching far away into the Western main, I saw the blue serried forms of the great Highland

mountains, among whose glens I soon hoped to ramble.

Dame Brock grilled a couple of chickens for my dinner, every morsel of which I devoured, except one or two of the hardest and most refractory bones; and two more chickens in embrya did I destroy in the shape of eggs for my tea at six o'clock. I could get neither bread nor potatoes.

When I had finished the last meal, the old woman went down to the shore for her husband, who had been watching the tide; and bringing him ben, i. e. into the best of the two rooms which constitute an Orkney cottage, she helped him with the greatest assiduity and affection to the remains of my tea, and some oat-cake. It was a fine picture to see that old weather-beaten man, with his silver hairs and honest countenance, making his little frugal meal under the care of his aged partner, whose every action and look seemed to address him in the language of that exquisite ballad :

John Anderson, my jo, John,

When we were first acquent,

Your locks were like the raven,

Your bonnie brow was brent;
But now your brow is bald, John,
Your locks are like the snow;

M

But blessings on your frosty pow,
John Anderson, my jo!

When he had finished, he went down to the shore again, and soon returned, saying, he thought it would do now. I followed him to the little boat, which was riding in a secure nook, and standing near it, were the three men, who, with the veteran Brock, formed an able and gallant crew. I did not much like the size of the boat, which was not a bit larger than that of the pilot's; indeed, it was but 144 feet long, though it carried two masts. They said it was not the proper boat, but the other was away, I suppose at the herring fishery. To mend the matter, too, we soon found, that she leaked extremely, from having lain ashore for the last fortnight, during which time no one had crossed the Firth from the Ferry. However, the wind had abated, and the evening seemed fine; so we proceeded without any anticipation of difficulty or danger. Indeed Brock thought, we might even get to Thurso.

The men used their oars at first in order to pull along shore to windward, before they attempted to cross with their sails; but every now and then they were obliged to lay them aside, for the purpose of baling. An attempt was made to stop

the leak with some tow and a knife, but it was

unavailing.

At first we were in smooth water; we then turned a point of land, and were all at once rocking in a short jabbling sea. Here we passed a small boat at anchor for fishing, which formed a curious spectacle, as it heaved up and down on the waves; sometimes it seemed soaring to the clouds, with half its keel out of water; and sometimes it was totally concealed from our view, though close to us.

On a huge stone almost detached from the low cliff sat an angler, whose occupation, and position athwart the sky, over the rolling waters, reminded me of the giant, who

"Sat on a rock and bobb'd for whales."

We still kept with our oars close in to shore, steering due west against the wind; and were now carried by the tide over long swelling seas, that came rolling their huge dark masses past us, and dashing in magnificent breakers against the cliffs on our right. The day was fast closing, and the failing shadowy twilight threw an air of inexpressible solemnity and grandeur over the scene. To float for a moment upon the ridge of one of