SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25.

It was resolved that we should set out, in order to return to Slate, to be in readiness to take boat whenever there should be a fair wind.  Dr. Johnson remained in his chamber writing a letter, and it was long before we could get him into motion.  He did not come to breakfast, but had it sent to him.  When he had finished his letter, it was twelve o’clock, and we should have set out at ten.  When I went up to him, he said to me, ’Do you remember a song which begins,

     “Every island is a prison[706]
      Strongly guarded by the sea;
      Kings and princes, for that reason,
      Prisoners are, as well as we?"’

I suppose he had been thinking of our confined situation[707].  He would fain have gone in a boat from hence, instead of riding back to Slate.  A scheme for it was proposed.  He said, ’We’ll not be driven tamely from it:’-but it proved impracticable.

We took leave of M’Leod and Talisker, from whom we parted with regret.  Talisker, having been bred to physick, had a tincture of scholarship in his conversation, which pleased Dr. Johnson, and he had some very good books; and being a colonel in the Dutch service, he and his lady, in consequence of having lived abroad, had introduced the ease and politeness of the continent into this rude region.

Young Col was now our leader.  Mr. M’Queen was to accompany us half a day more.  We stopped at a little hut, where we saw an old woman grinding with the quern, the ancient Highland instrument, which it is said was used by the Romans, but which, being very slow in its operation, is almost entirely gone into disuse.

The walls of the cottages in Sky, instead of being one compacted mass of stones, are often formed by two exterior surfaces of stone, filled up with earth in the middle, which makes them very warm.  The roof is generally bad.  They are thatched, sometimes with straw, sometimes with heath, sometimes with fern.  The thatch is secured by ropes of straw, or of heath; and, to fix the ropes, there is a stone tied to the end of each.  These stones hang round the bottom of the roof, and make it look like a lady’s hair in papers; but I should think that, when there is wind, they would come down, and knock people on the head.

We dined at the inn at Sconser, where I had the pleasure to find a letter from my wife.  Here we parted from our learned companion, Mr. Donald M’Queen.  Dr. Johnson took leave of him very affectionately, saying, ‘Dear Sir, do not forget me!’ We settled, that he should write an account of the Isle of Sky, which Dr. Johnson promised to revise.  He said, Mr. M’Queen should tell all that he could; distinguishing what he himself knew, what was traditional, and what conjectural.