th pity for an unfortunate and
superstitious regard for antiquity, and thoughtless inclination for war;
in short, with a crowd of sensations with which sober rationality has
nothing to do.

We passed through Glensheal, with prodigious mountains on each side. We
saw where the battle was fought in the year 1719.[437] Dr. Johnson
owned he was now in a scene of as wild nature as he could see; but he
corrected me sometimes in my inaccurate observations. 'There, (said I,)
is a mountain like a cone.' JOHNSON. 'No, Sir. It would be called so in
a book; and when a man comes to look at it, he sees it is not so. It is
indeed pointed at the top; but one side of it is larger than the
other[438].' Another mountain I called immense. JOHNSON. 'No; it is no
more than a considerable protuberance.'

We came to a rich green valley, comparatively speaking, and stopped a
while to let our horses rest and eat grass[439]. We soon afterwards came
to Auchnasheal, a kind of rural village, a number of cottages being
built together, as we saw all along in the Highlands. We passed many
miles this day without seeing a house, but only little summer-huts,
called _shielings_. Evan Campbell, servant to Mr. Murchison, factor to
the Laird of Macleod in Glenelg, ran along with us to-day. He was a
very obliging fellow. At Auchnasheal, we sat down on a green turf seat
at the end of a house; they brought us out two wooden dishes of milk,
which we tasted. One of them was frothed like a syllabub. I saw a woman
preparing it with such a stick as is used for chocolate, and in the same
manner. We had a considerable circle about us, men, women, and children,
all M'Craas, Lord Seaforth's people. Not one of them could speak
English. I observed to Dr. Johnson, it was much the same as being with a
tribe of Indians. JOHNSON. 'Yes, Sir; but not so terrifying[440].' I
gave all who chose it, snuff and tobacco. Governour Trapaud had made us
buy a quantity at Fort Augustus, and put them up in small parcels. I
also gave each person a bit of wheat bread, which they had never tasted
before. I then gave a penny apiece to each child. I told Dr. Johnson of
this; upon which he called to Joseph and our guides, for change for a
shilling, and declared that he would distribute among the children. Upon
this being announced in Erse, there was a great stir; not only did some
children come running down from neighbouring huts, but I observed one
black-haired man, who had been with us all alon