does on a small island rising out of the clear waters--the crumbling
walls overgrown with ivy and wall-flowers. The last fifteen miles were
covered in record time for us, for it was growing exceedingly chilly as
the night began to fall and the Scotch July day was as fresh and sharp
as an American October.

Oban is one of the most charming of the north of Scotland resort towns,
and is becoming one of the most popular. It is situated on a little
land-locked bay, generally white in summer time with the sails of
pleasure vessels. Directly fronting the town, just across the harbor,
are several ranges of hills fading away into the blue mists of the
distance and forming, together with the varying moods of sky and water,
a delightful picture. Overhanging the town from the east is the scanty
ruin of Dunollie Castle, little more than a shapeless pile of stone
covered over with masses of ivy. Viewed from the harbor, the town
presents a striking picture, and the most remarkable feature is the
great colosseum on the hill. This is known as McCaig's Tower and was
built by an eccentric citizen some years ago merely to give employment
to his fellow townsmen. One cannot get an adequate idea of the real
magnitude of the structure without climbing the steep hill and viewing
it from the inside. It is a circular tower, pierced by two rows of
windows, and is not less than three hundred feet in diameter, the wall
ranging in height from thirty to seventy-five feet from the ground. It
lends a most striking and unusual appearance to the town, but among
the natives it goes by the name of "McCaig's Folly."

[Illustration: KILCHURN CASTLE, LOCH AWE.]

From Oban as a center, numberless excursions may be made to old castles,
lakes of surpassing beauty and places of ancient and curious history.
None of the latter are more famous than the island of Iona, lying about
thirty-five miles distant and accessible by steamer two or three days of
each week in summer time. We never regretted that we abandoned the car a
day for the trip to this quaint spot and its small sister island,
Staffa, famed for Fingall's cave and the curious natural columns formed
by volcanic action. The round trip covers a distance of about
seventy-five miles and occupies eight or ten hours. Iona is a very small
island, with a population of no more than fifty, but it was a place of
importance in the early religious history of Scotland; and its odd
little cathedral, which is now in rui