Page:A Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties of Scotland.djvu/234

216 brig of Dulsie, I penetrated the wood behind the inn, and beyond that wood found little that interested me, till I came within sight of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, and the wide expanse of sea to the east. The sun was shining with great lustre upon the lofty rocks on the north side of the entrance into the Firth, and I never saw rocks look finer or more grand than they did. The town of Cromarty was hid from me by the point of land south of it; this town lies at the northeast end of the peninsula, formed by the Murray and Cromarty Firths, which run almost parallel to each other from south-west to north-east. Just within the Cromarty Firth is a ferry from the town of Cromarty, to a corner of Rosshire, and a road from the ferry to Tain.

At about seven miles from Fort George I came to Castle Calder, and by a new made road passed close to its old walls. It is more like a very ancient house than a castle; but it has small round towers at its corners on the uppermost story, which descend no lower, with narrow slips in the walls to admit light and air, and I suppose sufficiently wide to peep at an enemy without. In all very ancient buildings belonging to the chiefs there are very few windows, and those extremely small,