Page:A Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties of Scotland.djvu/266

248 again crossed the river by a bridge, and entered Strath Errick, which joins Strath Nairn; both together forming a sort of opening from the town of Nairn, on the Murray Firth, to the mountains near Fort Augustus. The road runs through Strath Errick, amongst mountains so jumbled together, that to avoid their summits, and bogs, there is scarcely a yard of level or straight road for twelve miles: now and then is seen a hut at a great distance, just to shew a trace of humanity; and one tolerable house on a small lake's side; otherwise it is an extended spot of desolation.

A gentleman of some eccentricity whom I met with said, he believed God Almighty had made Stra' Errick on the Saturday night, and had not time to finish it.

About four miles before I came to Fort Augustus, I wound round a lake of a comical shape, something like the present fashionable military cocked hat, with two islands in it: this lake is called Loch Andurive: from one corner of it issues a stream that soon swells into a very rapid torrent, running deep and close below, under the shelf on which the road descends by a zig-zag of about a mile down to the river Doe, with which the lake torrent unites. As soon as I crossed the