but his object was to keep me out of the way of those who were busy working the vessel, and at the same time to divert my fear, by employing me, and making me think that I was of use.  Thus did I stand firm to my post, while the wind and rain beat upon me, always expecting a call to pull my rope.  The man with one eye steered; old M’Donald, and Col and his servant, lay upon the fore-castle, looking sharp out for the harbour.  It was necessary to carry much cloth, as they termed it, that is to say, much sail, in order to keep the vessel off the shore of Col.  This made violent plunging in a rough sea.  At last they spied the harbour of Lochiern, and Col cried, ‘Thank GOD, we are safe!’ We ran up till we were opposite to it, and soon afterwards we got into it, and cast anchor.

Dr. Johnson had all this time been quiet and unconcerned.  He had lain down on one of the beds, and having got free from sickness, was satisfied.  The truth is, he knew nothing of the danger we were in[769] but, fearless and unconcerned, might have said, in the words which he has chosen for the motto to his Rambler,

     ‘Quo me cunque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes.[770]’

Once, during the doubtful consultations, he asked whither we were going; and upon being told that it was not certain whether to Mull or Col, he cried, ‘Col for my money!’ I now went down, with Col and Mr. Simpson, to visit him.  He was lying in philosophick tranquillity with a greyhound of Col’s at his back, keeping him warm.  Col is quite the Juvenis qui gaudet canibus[771].  He had, when we left Talisker, two greyhounds, two terriers, a pointer, and a large Newfoundland water-dog.  He lost one of his terriers by the road, but had still five dogs with him.  I was very ill, and very desirous to get to shore.  When I was told that we could not land that night, as the storm had now increased, I looked so miserably, as Col afterwards informed me, that what Shakspeare has made the Frenchman say of the English soldiers, when scantily dieted, ’Piteous they will look, like drowned mice!’[772] might, I believe, have been well applied to me.  There was in the harbour, before us, a Campbelltown vessel, the Betty, Kenneth Morrison master, taking in kelp, and bound for Ireland.  We sent our boat to beg beds for two gentlemen, and that the master would send his boat, which was larger than ours.  He accordingly did so, and Col and I were accommodated in his vessel till the morning.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4.

About eight o’clock we went in the boat to Mr. Simpson’s vessel, and took in Dr. Johnson.  He was quite well, though he had tasted nothing but a dish of tea since Saturday night.  On our expressing some surprise at this, he said, that, ’when he lodged in the Temple, and had no regular system of life, he had fasted for two days at a time, during which he had gone about visiting, though not at the hours of dinner or supper; that he had drunk tea, but eaten no bread; that this was no intentional fasting, but happened just in the course of a literary life.’[773]