ers who had joined us, asserted had been overwhelmed with sand blown
over them. But, on going close to one of them, Dr. Johnson shewed the
absurdity of the notion, by remarking, that 'it was evidently only a
house abandoned, the stones of which had been taken away for other
purposes; for the large stones, which form the lower part of the walls,
were still standing higher than the sand. If _they_ were not blown over,
it was clear nothing higher than they could be blown over.' This was
quite convincing to me; but it made not the least impression on Col and
the others, who were not to be argued out of a Highland tradition.

We did not sit down to dinner till between six and seven. We lived
plentifully here, and had a true welcome. In such a season good firing
was of no small importance. The peats were excellent, and burned
cheerfully. Those at Dunvegan, which were damp, Dr. Johnson called 'a
sullen fuel.' Here a Scottish phrase was singularly applied to him. One
of the company having remarked that he had gone out on a stormy evening,
and brought in a supply of peats from the stack, old Mr. M'Sweyn said,
'that was _main honest_[818]!'

Blenheim being occasionally mentioned, he told me he had never seen
it[819]: he had not gone formerly; and he would not go now, just as a
common spectator, for his money: he would not put it in the power of
some man about the Duke of Marlborough to say, 'Johnson was here; I knew
him, but I took no notice of him[820].' He said, he should be very glad
to see it, if properly invited, which in all probability would never be
the case, as it was not worth his while to seek for it. I observed, that
he might be easily introduced there by a common friend of ours, nearly
related to the duke[821]. He answered, with an uncommon attention to
delicacy of feeling, 'I doubt whether our friend be on such a footing
with the duke as to carry any body there; and I would not give him the
uneasiness of seeing that I knew he was not, or even of being himself
reminded of it.'

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10.

There was this day the most terrible storm of wind and rain that I ever
remember[822]. It made such an awful impression on us all, as to
produce, for some time, a kind of dismal quietness in the house. The day
was passed without much conversation: only, upon my observing that there
must be something bad in a man's mind, who does not like to give leases
to his tenants, but wishes to keep them in a perpetual wretche