e
five feet in height or so, but with no window, rose on the grassy slope
immediately in front of the vast continuous rampart. A slim pillar of
smoke ascends from the roof, in the calm, faint and blue within the
shadow of the precipice, but it caught the sunlight in its ascent, and
blushed, ere it melted into the ether, a ruddy brown. A streamlet came
pouring from above in a long white thread, that maintained its
continuity unbroken for at least two-thirds of the way; and then,
untwisting into a shower of detached drops, that pattered loud and
vehemently in a rocky recess, it again gathered itself up into a lively
little stream, and, sweeping past the shieling, expanded in front into a
circular pond, at which a few milch cows were leisurely slaking their
thirst. The whole grassy talus, with a strip mayhap a hundred yards
wide, of deep green sea, lay within the shadow of the tall rampart; but
the red light fell, for many a mile beyond, on the glassy surface; and
the distant Cuchullin Hills, so dark at other times, had all their
prominent slopes and jutting precipices tipped with bronze; while here
and there a mist streak, converted into bright flame, stretched along
their peaks or rested on their sides. Save the lonely shieling, not a
human dwelling was in sight. An island girl of eighteen, more than
merely good-looking, though much embrowned by the sun, had come to the
door to see who the unwonted visitors might be, and recognized in John
Stewart an old acquaintance. John informed her in her own language that
I was Mr. Swanson's sworn friend, and not a _Moderate_, but one of their
own people, and that I had fasted all day, and had come for a drink of
milk. The name of her minister proved a strongly recommendatory one: I
have not yet seen the true Celtic interjection of welcome,--the kindly
"O o o,"--attempted on paper; but I had a very agreeable specimen of it
on this occasion, _viva voce_. And as she set herself to prepare for us
a rich bowl of mingled milk and cream, John and I entered the shieling.
There was a turf fire at the one end, at which there sat two little
girls, engaged in keeping up the blaze under a large pot, but sadly
diverted from their work by our entrance; while the other end was
occupied by a bed of dry straw, spread on the floor from wall to wall,
and fenced off at the foot by a line of stones. The middle space was
occupied by the utensils and produce of the dairy,--flat wooden vessels
of milk, a bu