iption of the ships, _e.g._ _The
Yellow Carvel_, _The Lion_, and _The Great Michael_, the envy of Europe,
for which the forests of Fife were depleted, which carried "thirty-five
guns and three hundred smaller artillery, culverins, batter-falcons,
myands, double-dogs, hagbuts, and three hundred sailors, a hundred and
twenty gunners, and one thousand soldiers besides officers"--and of the
sea fights with the Portuguese and English. Our coasts were defended
then! James IV. could _put 120,000 mounted troops in the field in nine
days_, and every able-bodied man learned the use of arms; this was
before The Union with our so often successfully invaded neighbour--now,
we have left to defend ourselves, one regiment of cavalry!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_P.S._--As this goes to print the Scots Greys follow our kings to
England; and we are left with _one mounted soldier_ in our capital, in
bronze, in Princes Street: and to add to our glorious portion in this
Union, it has lately been tactfully decreed that in future English
nobility will take precedence of Scottish nobility IN SCOTLAND! It will
be curious to observe what the populace will say to this when they come
to hear of it. I wonder if our nobility will take it lying down--and if
I may be forgiven, this extra wide digression?

CHAPTER XXI

I have had a delightful fishing day; at an early hour found myself again
at the shore, nominally to paint, but in truth because it was hot and
stuffy in town, and the thought of the surf and clear air made the beach
irresistible. A rickshaw man used his legs to take me to the sands edge;
and they were empty as yesterday of all but the few fishermen and their
families. The colour effect, however, was not so brilliant, but was
pleasant enough--the sky soft grey and the water grey too, but
colourful--the heat enough to cook one!

[Illustration]

I watched the young idea learning surf rafting--a study fascinating
enough for a whole day--a tiny imp with a great pointed log, and the
white breakers for playthings. He sat on its stern, his knees and toes
on the sand, and held its stem seawards till the inrush of shallow
white-laced water was deep enough to float it and take his little
anatomy a voyage of a few yards on the sloping outrush, then he jumped
off and waited till the surf brought his black ship back. With what
quickness he noted the exact moment to run in and catch its stem, and