ROWERDENNAN INN.
Ben Lomond is one of the highest peaks in Scotland. There are one or two
that are higher, but they are more remote, and consequently less known.
Ben Lomond is the one most visited, and is, accordingly, the one that is
most renowned.
It lies on the east side of Loch Lomond, about half way between the head
of the lake and the outlet. Our party were now at the outlet of the
lake, and were going the next morning towards the head of it. The outlet
of the lake is towards the south. In this southern part, as I believe I
have already said, the lake is about ten miles wide, and its banks are
formed of hills and valleys of fertile land, every where well
cultivated, and presenting charming scenes of verdure and fruitfulness.
The lake, too, in this portion of it, is studded with a great number of
very picturesque and pretty islands.
As you go north, however, the lake, or loch, as the Scotch call it,
contracts in breadth, and the land rises higher and higher, until at
length you see before you a narrow sheet of water, shut in on either
hand with dark and gloomy mountains, the sides of which are covered
every where with ferns and heather, and seem entirely uninhabited. They
descend, moreover, so steep to the water that there seems to be not even
room for a path between the foot of the mountains and the shore.
The highest peak of these sombre-looking hills is Ben Lomond; which
rises, as I have before said, on the eastern side of the loch, about
midway between the head of the loch and the outlet. At the foot of the
mountain there is a point of land projecting into the water, where there
is an inn. Tourists stop at this inn when they wish to ascend the
mountain. Other persons come to the inn for the purpose of fishing on
the loch, or of making excursions by the footpaths which penetrate, here
and there, among the neighboring highlands. There is a ferry here, too,
across the loch. There is no village, nor, indeed, are there any
buildings whatever to be seen; so that the place is as secluded and
solitary as can well be imagined. It is known by the name of Rowerdennan
Inn. It was at this point that Mr. George proposed to stop, in case the
day should prove rainy.
When the boys rose the next morning, the first thing was to look out of
the window, to see what the promise was in respect to the weather. It
was not raining, but the sky was overcast and heavy.
"Good," said Waldron. "It does not rain yet, but it will before we get
to Rowerdennan Inn."
Waldron was glad to see that there was a prospect of unfavorable
weather, for he wished to stop at the inn. He had read in the guide book
that they had boats and fishing apparatus there, and he thought that if
they stopped perhaps another plan might be formed for going out on the
loch a-fishing.
The steamer was to leave at nine o'clock. The boys could see her lying
at the pier, about half a mile distant from them. The air was misty, and
there were some small trees in the way, but the boys could see the
chimney distinctly. They dressed themselves as soon as they could, and
went to Mr. George's room. They knocked gently at the door. Mr. George
said, "Come in." They went in and found Mr. George seated at a table,
writing in his journal. It was about seven o'clock.
Mr. George laid aside his writing, and after bidding the boys good
morning, and talking with them a few minutes about the plans of the
day, took a testament which he had upon a table before him, and read a
few verses from one of the Gospels, explaining the verses as he read
them. Then they all knelt down together, and Mr. George made a short and
simple prayer, asking God to take care of them all during the day, to
guard them from every danger, to make them kind and considerate towards
each other, and towards all around them, and to keep them from every
species of sin.
This was the way in which Mr. George always commenced the duties of the
day, when travelling with Rollo, whether there were any other persons in
company or not; and a most excellent way it was, too. Besides the
intrinsic propriety of coming in the morning to commit ourselves to the
guardian care and protection of Almighty God, especially when we are
exposed to the vicissitudes, temptations, and dangers that are always
hovering about the path of the traveller in foreign lands, the influence
of such a service of devotion, brief and simple as it was, always proved
extremely salutary on Rollo's mind, as well as on the minds of those who
were associated with him in it. It made them more gentle, and more
docile and tractable; and it tended very greatly to soften those
asperities which we often see manifesting themselves in the intercourse
of boys with each other.
When the devotional service was finished, Mr. George sent the boys down
stairs, to make arrangements for breakfast. In about half an hour Rollo
came up to say that breakfast was ready in the coffee room, and Mr.
George went down.
After breakfast Mr. George took the valise, and the boys took the other
parcels of baggage, and they all went over the bridge to the railway
station. They waited here a short time, until at length the train came.
They would have walked on to the pier, where the boat in which they were
going to embark was lying, but it was beginning to rain a little, and
Mr. George thought it would be better to wait and go in the cars. The
distance was not more than a quarter of a mile, and the boys were quite
curious to know what the price of the tickets would be, for such a short
ride. They found that they were threepence apiece.
The train came very soon, bringing with it several little parties of
tourists, that were going into the Highlands. They all seemed greatly
chagrined and disappointed at finding that it was beginning to rain.
When the train stopped opposite the pier, the passengers hurried across
the pier, and over the plank, on board the boat. The rain was falling
fast, and every thing was dripping wet. The gentlemen went loaded with
portmanteaus, carpet bags, valises, and other parcels of baggage, while
the women hurried after them, holding their umbrellas in one hand, and
endeavoring, as well as they could, to lift up their dresses with the
other. The boat was very small, and there was no shelter whatever from
the rain on the deck. Most of the company, therefore, hurried down into
the cabin.
"Are you going down into the cabin, too, uncle George?" said Rollo.
"Not I," said Mr. George. "Rain or no rain, I am going to see the shores
of Loch Lomond."
There was a heap of baggage near the centre of the boat, covered with a
tarpauling. Mr. George put his valise and the knapsacks under the
covering, with the other travellers' effects, and then began to look
about for seats. There was a range of wooden benches all along the sides
of the deck, but they were very wet, and looked extremely uncomfortable.
The water, however, did not stand upon them, for they were made of open
work, on purpose to let the water through.
"If we only had some camp stools," said Mr. George, "we could get
sheltered seats under the lee of the baggage; but as it is, we must
make the best of these."
[Illustration: VIEWING THE SCENERY OF LOCH LOMOND.]
So he folded his shawl long enough to make a cushion for three persons,
and laid it down on one of the benches. He sat down himself upon the
centre of it, and the boys took their places on each side. Mr. George
then spread his umbrella, and the boys, by sitting very close to him,
could both come under it. By the time they were thus established the
boat had left the pier, and was gliding smoothly away over the waters of
the lake, with green and beautifully wooded islands all around. In the
distance up the lake, wherever the opening of the clouds afforded a
view, it was seen that the horizon was bounded, and the waters of the
lake were shut in, with dark and gloomy-looking mountains, the summits
of which were entirely concealed from view.
After a short time the rain increased, and all the scenery, except such
islands and portions of the shore as came very near the track of the
steamer, was soon entirely hidden. The wind blew harder, too, and drove
the rain in under the umbrella, so that our travellers were beginning to
get quite wet.
"Suppose I go below," said Waldron, "and see what sort of a place the
other passengers have found down there."
"Yes, sir," said Rollo; "it is so wet here, and besides, I am beginning
to be cold."
"We will all go," said Mr. George.
So they all went below. They descended one at a time, by a small spiral
staircase, near the stern, which led them into the cabin of the boat.
The cabin presented to view quite an extraordinary spectacle.
It was a small room, being not much more than fifteen feet wide. Along
the sides of it were seats made of carved oak, and very comfortably
cushioned. Above was a row of small windows, through which you could
look out by kneeling on the seats. At the end of the cabin were a
fireplace and a grate. There was a coal fire burning in the fireplace,
and several of the passengers were hovering around it to warm and dry
themselves. Others were looking out of the windows, vainly endeavoring
to obtain some glimpses of the scenery. A great many of them were
uttering exclamations of disappointment and vexation, at finding all the
pleasure of their excursion spoiled thus by the cold and the rain.
Some of the travellers, however, more philosophical than the rest,
seemed to take their ill luck quite patiently. There was one group that
opened their knapsacks at one of the side tables, and were taking
breakfast together there in a very merry manner.
Mr. George and the two boys went to the fire, and stood there to warm
themselves, listening, in the mean time, to the exclamations and remarks
of the various groups of passengers, which they found quite amusing. In
the mean time the steamer went on, bringing continually new points of
land and new islands into view. She stopped, too, now and then, at
landings along the margin of the lake; and on these occasions Rollo and
Waldron always went up on deck, to witness the operation of bringing the
steamer to, and to see who went on shore.
They had a list of these landings on the tickets which they had bought
of the captain of the boat, as soon as they came on board. When they
found that the next landing was Rowerdennan, all the party went up on
deck. The rain, they now found, had ceased. Indeed, the sky looked quite
bright, and several of the passengers were standing on the wet deck,
watching for glimpses of the mountains, which appeared here and there
through the openings in the clouds. They saw repeatedly the dark and
gloomy sides of Ben Lomond; but a canopy of dense and heavy clouds
rested upon and concealed the summit.
The boys obtained a glimpse of a stone house, nearly enveloped in trees,
at a little distance from the shore, as they approached the land. This
they supposed was the inn, as there was no other house in sight.
The steamer drew up to the pier. The pier was very small. It was built
of timbers, and extended a little way out over the water, from a
solitary place on the shore. Every passenger that left the boat had to
pay twopence for the privilege of landing upon it. The porter of the inn
stood there, with a leather bag hung over his neck, to collect this
toll. On this occasion, however, he got only sixpence, as Mr. George and
the two boys were the only passengers that landed.
The place was very wild and solitary. There was no house, or building of
any kind, in sight. There was a narrow road, however, that led along the
shore of the lake, from the pier towards the point of land which the
steamer had passed in coming to the pier, and the porter told Mr. George
that that was the road that led to the inn.
"If you will walk on," said the porter, "I will bring your luggage."
There were some boards and small timbers on the deck of the vessel,
which were to be landed here, and the porter remained in order to
receive them, while Mr. George and the boys went on. They soon came to
the inn. They entered it from behind, through a very pleasant yard,
surrounded with trees and gardens, and out-buildings of various kinds.
Mr. George went in, followed by the boys, and was shown into the coffee
room. From the windows of this room there was a very pretty view of the
lake, through an opening among the trees of the garden.
"And now what are we going to do?" said Waldron, after they had all
looked at the view as much as they wished.
"I am going to have a fire," said Mr. George, "and then sit down here
and make myself comfortable until it clears away. You and Rollo can join
me, or you can form any other plan that you like better."
"We'll go a-fishing," said Waldron.
"Or else go up on Ben Lomond," said Rollo. "How high is Ben Lomond,
uncle George?"
"It is between three and four thousand feet," said Mr. George. "We will
all go up to-morrow if it clears away."
But Waldron did not wish to go up the mountain. He preferred to go
a-fishing on the lake. He did not express his preference very strongly
at this time, but in the course of the afternoon he persuaded Rollo that
it would be a great deal better for them to go out a-fishing on the
lake, and perhaps go across the lake to the opposite shore, rather than
to go up the mountain; and he induced Rollo to join him in a request
that Mr. George would let them go out on the lake, while he went up the
mountain, if he wished to ascend it.
"We can have a boat and a boatman," said Waldron. "The boatman will row
us, and take care of us, and that will be perfectly safe. And Rollo
would like that plan best, too."
In forming this scheme Waldron and Rollo made a mistake; and it was a
mistake that boys are very apt to fall into when they are invited to go
on excursions with their parents, or uncles, or older brothers. It is
naturally to be supposed that the tastes and inclinations of boys, in
such cases, should often be different from those of the grown persons
they are with, and should lead them to wish frequently to deviate, more
or less, from the plans formed. But it is a great source of
inconvenience to those whom they are with to have them often propose
such deviations. In this case, for example, Mr. George had come a long
distance, and incurred very heavy expenses, for the purpose of seeing
the Scottish Highlands. Unless he could now really see them, of course
all his time and money would be lost. The pleasure of going a-fishing
is, doubtless, often very great, but this was not the time nor the place
for enjoying it. In acceding to the arrangement to come with Mr. George
to the Highlands, the boys ought to have considered themselves joined
with him in a tour for instruction and improvement, and as committed to
the plans which he might form, from time to time, for accomplishing the
objects of the tour. By proposing, as they did, to deviate on every
occasion from these plans, and wishing to turn aside from the proper
duty of tourists, in search of such boyish pleasures as might be enjoyed
just as well at home, they failed signally in fulfilling the obligations
which they incurred in undertaking the tour under Mr. George's charge.
Let all the boys and girls, therefore, who read this book, remember that
whenever, either by invitation or otherwise, they are joined to any
party of which a grown person has charge, or when they accompany a grown
person on any excursion whatever, they go to share _his_ pleasures, not
to substitute their own for his, and thus to interfere with and thwart
the plans which he had formed. Boys often violate this rule from want of
thought, and without intending to do any thing wrong. This was the case
in this instance, in respect to Waldron and Rollo.
"They are good boys," said Mr. George to himself, in thinking of the
subject. "They do not mean to do any thing wrong; but they do not
understand the case. I will take an opportunity soon to explain it to
them."
It is no time, however, to explain to a boy why it is not best that he
should do a particular thing, when he wishes to do it and you forbid
him. His mind is then too much occupied with his disappointment, and
perhaps with vexation, to listen to the reasons. Forbid him, if it is
necessary to do so, but reserve the explanation till some future time.
Mr. George got over the difficulty in this case in a very pleasant
manner to all concerned. The rain ceased entirely about noon, but the
paths on the mountain he knew would be too wet to make it agreeable to
ascend that day; so he told the boys that if they would find the boat
and the man, and make all the arrangements, he would go out with them on
the lake; and that, if they would agree to write a chapter for his
journal, and write it as well as they had written their accounts of
their excursion to Greenock, he would stop an hour on the way, to let
them fish.
"And then," said he, "we'll all ascend the mountain together to-morrow."
This proposal was readily agreed to on the part of the boys, and the
compact was accordingly made. They engaged the boat and the man, and
after dinner they all three embarked. The rain had ceased, but the sky
was covered with clouds, and heavy masses of mist were driving along the
sides and over the summits of the mountains. The weather, however,
remained tolerably favorable until the boat had nearly reached the
opposite shore of the lake; but then a dense mass of clouds came down
from the mountains on the eastern side, and the whole shore was soon
concealed from view by the driving scuds and the falling rain. The
boatman pulled hard to reach the shore before the shower should come on.
The gust overtook them, however, when they were about a quarter of a
mile from the landing. Fortunately the wind, though very violent, was
fair, and it drove them on towards the shore. Mr. George and the boys
sat down in the bottom of the boat, at the stern, and spreading a large
umbrella behind them, they sheltered themselves as well as they could
from the wind and the rain. The poor boatman got very wet.
They found shelter when they reached the land, and soon the shower
passed away. Then, after rambling about a short time among the huts and
cottages of the village where they landed, they set out again on their
return. They stopped to fish at a short distance from the shore on the
eastern side, and were quite successful. The boys caught several trout,
which they resolved to have fried for their breakfast the next morning.
While they were fishing Mr. George sat in the stern of the boat,
studying his guide books, and learning all he could about the
remarkable events in the life of Rob Roy, the great Highland chieftain,
who formerly lived on the shores of Loch Lomond, and performed many
daring exploits there, which have given him a great name in Scottish
history.
It was a little after nine o'clock when they returned to the inn.
The next morning the plan of ascending the mountain was carried into
effect. Mr. George hired two horses, intending to take turns with the
boys in riding them. By having two horses for three riders, each one
could, of course, ride two thirds of the way. This is better than for
each one to ride all the way, as that is very tiresome. Both in
ascending and descending mountains it relieves and rests the traveller
to walk a part of the way.
The top of the mountain was distinctly in sight from the inn, and almost
the whole course of the path which led up to it, for there were no woods
to intercept the view. The distance was five or six miles. The path was
a constant and gradual ascent nearly all the way, and lay through a
region entirely open in every direction. There was a perfect sea of
hills on every side, all covered with moss, ferns, and heather, with
scarcely a tree of any kind to be seen, except those that fringed the
shores of the lake down in the valley. The view from the summit was very
extended, but the wind blew there so bleak and cold that the whole party
were very glad to leave it and come down, after a very brief survey of
the prospect.
In coming down the mountain the party stopped at a spring, to rest
themselves and to drink; and here, as they were sitting together on the
flat stones that lay about the spring, Mr. George explained to the two
boys what I have already explained in this chapter to the reader, in
respect to the duty of boys, when travelling under the charge of a grown
person, to fall in with their leader's plans, instead of forming
independent plans of their own.
"When you are at home," said he, "and playing among yourselves, and with
other persons of your own age, then you can form your own plans, and
arrange parties and excursions for just such purposes and objects as you
think will amuse you most. But we are now travelling for improvement,
not for play. We are making a tour in Scotland for the purpose of
learning all we can about Scotland, with a view to obtain more full and
correct ideas respecting it than we could obtain by books alone. So we
must attend to our duty, and be content with such enjoyments and such
pleasures as come in our way, and not turn aside from our duty to seek
them."
The boys both saw that this was reasonable and right, and they promised
that thenceforth they would act on that principle.
"We won't ask to go a-fishing again all the time we are in Scotland,"
said Waldron.
"That's right," said Mr. George. "And now as soon as we get to the hotel
it will be time for the boat to come along; and all the rest of our
adventures to-day you and Rollo must write an account of, to put into my
journal. You will not write the account till you get to Stirling; but
you had better take notice of what we do, and what we see, so as to be
ready to write it when we arrive."
"May we take notes?" asked Rollo.
"Certainly," said Mr. George. "That will be an excellent plan. Have a
small piece of paper and a pencil at hand, and when you see any thing
remarkable, make a memorandum of it. That will help you very much when
you come to write."
This plan was carried into effect. The boys wrote their account, and
after it was duly corrected it was carefully transcribed into Mr.
George's journal. It was as follows. Rollo wrote one half of it, and
Waldron the other.