Page:A Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties of Scotland.djvu/170

152 little scrambling, embarked. They rowed me to the Den of the Ghost, and under the solid rock which rises two hundred feet perpendicular above the level of the lake; also round the beautiful wooded island, and to the foot of the lake. While I was sketching a few of the enchanting beauties of that part of the Loch, I perceived Allen in a wicker sheelin (a kind of shepherd's hut), very busy. I was glad to see it, as a proof that he was not ready for our departure, and therefore would bear the length of time I was on the lake more patiently than he otherwise might have done. I afterwards learnt the real cause of the bustle in the sheelin: it was Allen cleaning his horses after the following accident. As soon as I had gratified myself with the first sight of Loch Catheine, I took my servant with me, and walked on, as I have mentioned, to the high point, there to wait for the boat. As soon as I had departed, Allen loosened the horses from the carriage, and, I suppose, began to gaze at the wonders of the Trosacks (the scenery around Loch Catheine being so called), before he gave them their feed of corn:—what with the admiration of the harmless devils, and the astonishing scenery around him, Allen forgot his poor