The Poetical Works of Thomas CampbellCampbell, Thomas
General
The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell
Campbell, Thomas
English poetry -- Scottish authors
[102] To hang their vassals, or starve them to death in a dungeon, was a
privilege of the Highland chiefs who had hereditary jurisdictions.
[103] Scotch for late and early.
[104] The Duke of Argyle.
[105] When the hospitable Highlanders load a parting guest with
provisions, they tell him he will need them, as he has to go over a great
deal of _hungry grass_.
NOTES.
NOTES TO THE PLEASURES OF HOPE.
PART I.
NOTE TO PAGE 7.
_And such thy strength-inspiring aid that bore_
_The hardy Byron to his native shore._
The following picture of his own distress, given by Byron in his simple
and interesting narrative, justifies the description in page 7.
After relating the barbarity of the Indian cacique to his child, he
proceeds thus:—“A day or two after we put to sea again, and crossed the
great bay I mentioned we had been at the bottom of when we first hauled
away to the westward. The land here was very low and sandy, and something
like the mouth of a river which discharged itself into the sea, and which
had been taken no notice of by us before, as it was so shallow that the
Indians were obliged to take everything out of their canoes, and carry
them over land. We rowed up the river four or five leagues, and then
took into a branch of it that ran first to the eastward, and then to
the northward: here it became much narrower, and the stream excessively
rapid, so that we gained but little way, though we wrought very hard. At
night we landed upon its banks, and had a most uncomfortable lodging,
it being a perfect swamp, and we had nothing to cover us, though it
rained excessively. The Indians were little better off than we, as there
was no wood here to make their wigwams; so that all they could do was
to prop up the bark, which they carry in the bottom of their canoes,
and shelter themselves as well as they could to the leeward of it.
Knowing the difficulties they had to encounter here, they had provided
themselves with some seal; but we had not a morsel to eat, after the
heavy fatigues of the day, excepting a sort of root we saw the Indians
make use of, which was very disagreeable to the taste. We laboured all
next day against the stream, and fared as we had done the day before.
The next day brought us to the carrying place. Here was plenty of wood,
but nothing to be got for sustenance. We passed this night, as we had
frequently done, under a tree; but what we suffered at this time is not
easy to be expressed. I had been three days at the oar without any kind
of nourishment except the wretched root above mentioned. I had no shirt,
for it had rotted off by bits. All my clothes consisted of a short grieko
(something like a bear-skin), a piece of red cloth which had once been a
waistcoat, and a ragged pair of trowsers, without shoes or stockings.”
NOTE TO PAGE 14.
_Wild Obi flies._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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