Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 4 (of 10)Lockhart, J. G. (John Gibson)
General
Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 4 (of 10)
Lockhart, J. G. (John Gibson)
Authors, Scottish -- 19th century -- Biography; Scott, Walter, 1771-1832
"_19th August, 1814, Loch Eribol, near Cape Wrath._--Went off before
eight A. M. to breakfast with our friend Mr. Anderson. His house,
invisible from the vessel at her moorings, and indeed from any part
of the entrance into Loch Eribol, is a very comfortable one, lying
obscured behind a craggy eminence. A little creek, winding up behind
the crag, and in front of the house, forms a small harbor, and gives
a romantic air of concealment and snugness. There we found a ship
upon the stocks, built from the keel by a Highland carpenter, who
had magnanimously declined receiving assistance from any of the
ship-carpenters who happened to be here occasionally, lest it should
be said he could not have finished his task without their aid. An
ample Highland breakfast of excellent new-taken herring, equal to
those of Lochfine, fresh haddocks, fresh eggs, and fresh butter, not
forgetting the bottle of whiskey, and bannocks of barley, and
oat-cakes, with the Lowland luxuries of tea and coffee. After
breakfast, took the long-boat, and, under Mr. Anderson's pilotage,
row to see a remarkable natural curiosity, called Uamh Smowe, or the
Largest Cave. Stevenson, Marchie, and Duff go by land. Take the
fowling-piece, and shoot some sea-fowl and a large hawk of an
uncommon appearance. Fire four shots, and kill three times. After
rowing about three miles to the westward of the entrance from the
sea to Loch Eribol, we enter a creek, between two ledges of very
high rocks, and landing, find ourselves in front of the wonder we
came to see. The exterior apartment of the cavern opens under a
tremendous rock, facing the creek, and occupies the full space of
the ravine where we landed. From the top of the rock to the base of
the cavern, as we afterwards discovered by plumb, is eighty feet, of
which the height of the arch is fifty-three feet; the rest, being
twenty-seven feet, is occupied by the precipitous rock under which
it opens; the width is fully in proportion to this great height,
being 110 feet. The depth of this exterior cavern is 200 feet, and
it is apparently supported by an intermediate column of natural
rock. Being open to daylight and the sea-air, the cavern is
perfectly clean and dry, and the sides are incrusted with
stalactites. This immense cavern is so well proportioned, that I was
not aware of its extraordinary height and extent, till I saw our two
friends, who had somewhat preceded us, having made the journey by
land, appearing like pigmies among its recesses. Afterwards, on
entering the cave, I climbed up a sloping rock at its extremity, and
was much struck with the prospect, looking outward from this
magnificent arched cavern upon our boat and its crew, the view being
otherwise bounded by the ledge of rocks which formed each side of
the creek. We now propose to investigate the farther wonders of the
cave of Smowe. In the right or west side of the cave opens an
interior cavern of a different aspect. The height of this second
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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