And
The Passage From Sky Is Wider Than A Fox Would Venture To Swim,
Unless He Were Chased By Dogs Into The Sea, And Perhaps Than His
Strength Would Enable Him To Cross.
How beasts of prey came into
any islands is not easy to guess.
In cold countries they take
advantage of hard winters, and travel over the ice: but this is a
very scanty solution; for they are found where they have no
discoverable means of coming.
The corn of this island is but little. I saw the harvest of a
small field. The women reaped the Corn, and the men bound up the
sheaves. The strokes of the sickle were timed by the modulation of
the harvest song, in which all their voices were united. They
accompany in the Highlands every action, which can be done in equal
time, with an appropriated strain, which has, they say, not much
meaning; but its effects are regularity and cheerfulness. The
ancient proceleusmatick song, by which the rowers of gallies were
animated, may be supposed to have been of this kind. There is now
an oar-song used by the Hebridians.
The ground of Raasay seems fitter for cattle than for corn, and of
black cattle I suppose the number is very great. The Laird himself
keeps a herd of four hundred, one hundred of which are annually
sold. Of an extensive domain, which he holds in his own hands, he
considers the sale of cattle as repaying him the rent, and supports
the plenty of a very liberal table with the remaining product.
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