I　should　have　been　apt　to　question　this　fact；　had　I　not　frequently　seen　them　wet　from　morning　to　night；　and；　even　at　the　beginning　of　the　rain；　not　so　much　as　stir　a　few　yards　to　shelter；　but　continue　in　it　without　necessity；　till　they　were；　as　we　say；　wet　through　and　through。　　And　that　is　soon　effected　by　the　looseness　and　spunginess　of　the　plaiding；　but　the　bonnet　is　frequently　taken　off；　and　wrung　like　a　dishclout；　and　then　put　on　again。　　They　have　been　accustomed　from　their　infancy　to　be　often　wet；　and　to　take　the　water　like　spaniels；　and　this　is　become　a　second　nature；　and　can　scarcely　be　called　a　hardship　to　them；　insomuch　that　I　used　to　say；　they　seemed　to　be　of　the　duck　kind；　and　to　love　water　as　well。　Though　I　never　saw　this　preparation　for　sleep　in　windy　weather；　yet；　setting　out　early　in　a　morning　from　one　of　the　huts；　I　have　seen　the　marks　of　their　lodging；　where　the　ground　has　been　free　from　rime　or　snow；　which　remained　all　round　the　spot　where　they　had　lain'　（Letters　from　Scotland；　Lond。　1754；　8vo；　ii。　p。　108）。〃
  809。　　His　henchman。　　Scott　quotes　again　the　Letters　from　Scotland　（ii。　159）：　〃This　officer　is　a　sort　of　secretary；　and　is　to　be　ready；　upon　all　occasions；　to　venture　his　life　in　defence　of　his　master；　and　at　drinking…bouts　he　stands　behind　his　seat；　at　his　haunch；　from　whence　his　title　is　derived；　and　watches　the　conversation；　to　see　if　any　one　offends　his　patron。　　An　English　officer　being　in　company　with　a　certain　chieftain；　and　several　other　Highland　gentlemen；　near　Killichumen；　had　an　argument　with　the　great　man；　and　both　being　well　warmed　with　usky　＇whisky＇；　at　last　the　dispute　grew　very　hot。　　A　youth　who　was　henchman；　not　understanding　one　word　of　English；　imagined　his　chief　was　insulted；　and　thereupon　drew　his　pistol　from　his　side；　and　snapped　it　at　the　officer's　head；　but　the　pistol　missed　fire；　otherwise　it　is　more　than　probable　he　might　have　suffered　death　from　the　hand　of　that　little　vermin。　　But　it　is　very　disagreeable　to　an　Englishman　over　a　bottle　with　the　Highlanders；　to　see　every　one　of　them　have　his　gilly；　that　is；　his　servant；　standing　behind　him　all　the　while；　let　what　will　be　the　subject　of　conversation。〃
  829。　　On　the　morn。　　Modifying　should　circle；　not　the　nearer　verb　had　sworn。
  831。　　The　Fiery　Cross。　　See　on　iii。　18　below。
  846。　　Point。　　Point　out；　appoint。　　Cf。　Shakespeare；　Sonn。　14。　6：
  〃Nor　can　I　fortune　to　brief　minutes　tell；　　　　　　Pointing　to　each　his　thunder；　rain；　and　wind。〃
  The　word　in　this　and　similar　passages　is　generally　printed　〃'point〃　by　modern　editors；　but　it　is　not　a　contraction　of　appoint。
  860。　　Then　plunged；　etc。　　The　MS。　has　〃He　spoke；　and　plunged　into　the　tide。〃
  862。　　Steered　him。　　See　on　i。　142　above。
  865；　866。　　Darkening　。。。　gave。　　In　the　1st　ed。　these　lines　are　joined　to　what　precedes；　as　they　evidently　should　be；　in　all　the　more　recent　eds。　they　are　joined　to　what　follows。
  Canto　Third。
  3。　　Store。　　See　on　i。　548　above。
  5。　　That　be。　　in　old　English；　besides　the　present　tense　am；　etc。；　there　was　also　this　form　be；　from　the　Anglo…Saxon　beon。　　The　2d　person　singular　was　beest。　　The　1st　and　3d　person　plural　be　is　often　found　in　Shakespeare　and　the　Bible。
  10。　　Yet　live　there　still；　etc。　　See　on　ii。　692　above。
  15。　　What　time。　　Cf。　ii。　307　above。
  17。　　The　gathering　sound。　　The　sound；　or　signal；　for　the　gathering。　The　phrase　illustrates　the　difference　between　the　participle　and　the　verbal　noun　（or　whatever　it　may　be　called）　in　…ing。　　Cf。　〃a　laboring　man〃　and　〃a　laboring　day〃　（Julius　Caesar；　i。　1。　4）；　and　see　our　ed。　of　J。　C。　p。　126。
  18。　　The　Fiery　Cross。　　Scott　says　here：　〃When　a　chieftain　designed　to　summon　his　clan；　upon　any　sudden　or　important　emergency；　he　slew　a　goat；　and　making　a　cross　of　any　light　wood；　seared　its　extremities　in　the　fire；　and　extinguished　them　in　the　blood　of　the　animal。　This　was　called　the　Fiery　Cross；　also　Crean　Tarigh；　or　the　Cross　of　Shame；　because　disobedience　to　what　the　symbol　implied；　inferred　infamy。　　It　was　delivered　to　a　swift　and　trusty　messenger；　who　ran　full　speed　with　it　to　the　next　hamlet；　where　he　presented　it　to　the　principal　person；　with　a　single　word；　implying　the　place　of　rendezvous。　　He　who　received　the　symbol　was　bound　to　send　it　forward；　with　equal　despatch；　to　the　next　village；　and　thus　it　passed　with　incredible　celerity　through　all　the　district　which　owed　allegiance　to　the　chief；　and　also　among　his　allies　and　neighbours；　if　the　danger　was　common　to　them。　　At　sight　of　the　Fiery　Cross；　every　man；　from　sixteen　years　old　to　sixty；　capable　of　bearing　arms；　was　obliged　instantly　to　repair；　in　his　best　arms　and　accoutrements；　to　the　place　of　rendezvous。　　He　who　failed　to　appear　suffered　the　extremities　of　fire　and　sword；　which　were　emblematically　denounced　to　the　disobedient　by　the　bloody　and　burnt　marks　upon　this　warlike　signal。　　During　the　civil　war　of　1745…6；　the　Fiery　Cross　often　made　its　circuit；　and　upon　one　occasion　it　passed　through　the　whole　district　of　Breadalbane；　a　tract　of　thirty…two　miles；　in　three　hours。　　The　late　Alexander　Stewart；　Esq。；　of　Invernahyle；　described　to　me　his　having　sent　round　the　Fiery　Cross　through　the　district　of　Appine；　during　the　same　commotion。　　The　coast　was　threatened　by　a　descent　from　two　English　trigates；　and　the　flower　of　the　young　men　were　with　the　army　of　Prince　Charles　Edward；　then　in　England；　yet　the　summons　was　so　effectual　that　even　old　age　and　childhood　obeyed　it；　and　a　force　was　collected　in　a　few　hours；　so　numerous　and　so　enthusiastic；　that　all　attempt　at　the　intended　diversion　upon　the　country　of　the　absent　warriors　was　in　prudence　abandoned；　as　desperate。〃
  19。　　The　Summer　dawn's　reflected　hue；　etc。　　Mr。　Ruskin　says　（Modern　Painters；　iii。　278）：　〃And　thus　Nature　becomes　dear　to　Scott　in　a　threefold　way：　dear　to　him；　first；　as　containing　those　remains　or　memories　of　the　past；　which　he　cannot　find　in　cities；　and　giving　hope　of　Praetorian　mound　or　knight's　grave　in　every　green　slope　and　shade　of　its　desolate　places；　dear；　secondly；　in　its　moorland　liberty；　which　has　for　him　just　as　high　a　charm　as　the　fenced　garden　had　for　the　mediaeval；　。。。　and　dear　to　him；　finally；　in　that　perfect　beauty；　denied　alike　in　cities　and　in　men；　for　which　every　modern　heart　had　begun　at　last　to　thirst；　and　Scott's；　in　its　freshness　and　power；　of　all　men's　most　earnestly。
  〃And　in　this　love　of　beauty；　observe　that　the　love　of　colour　is　a　leading　element；　his　healthy　mind　being　incapable　of　losing；　under　any　modern　false　teaching；　its　joy　in　brilliancy　of　hue。　。。。　In　general；　if　he　does　not　mean　to　say　much　about　things；　the　one　character　which　he　will　give　is　colour；　using　it　with　the　most　perfect　mastery　and　faithfulness。〃
  After　giving　many　illustrations　of　Scott's　use　of　colour　in　his　poetry；　Ruskin　quotes　the　present　passage；　which　he　says　is　〃still　more　interesting；　because　it　has　no　form　in　it　at　all　except　in　one　word　（chalice）；　but　wholly　composes　its　imagery　either　of　colour；　or　of　that　delicate　half…believed　life　which　we　have　seen　to　be　so　important　an　element　in　modern　landscape。〃
  〃Two　more　considerations；〃　he　adds；　〃are；　however；　suggested　by　the　above　passage。　　The　first；　that　the　love　of　natural　history；　excited　by　the　continual　attention　now　given　to　all　wild　landscape；　heightens　reciprocally　the　interest　of　that　landscape；　and　becomes　an　important　element　in　Scott's　description；　leading　him　to　finish；　down　to　the　minutest　speckling　of　breast；　and　slightest　shade　of　attributed　emotion；　the　portraiture　of　birds　and　animals；　in　strange　opposition　to　Homer's　slightly　named　'sea…crows；　who　have　care　of　the　works　of　the　sea；'　and　Dante's　singing…birds；　of　undefined　species。　　Compare　carefully　the　2d　and　3d　stanzas　of　Rokeby。
  〃The　second　point　I　have　to　note　is　Scott's　habit　of　drawing　a　slight　moral　from　every　scene；　。。。　and　that　this　slight　moral　is　almost　always　melancholy。　　Here　he　has　stopped　short　without　entirely　expressing　it：
  〃The　mountain…shadows　。。　　　　　　。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。　lie　　　　　　Like　future　joys　to　Fancy's　eye。'
  His　completed　thought　would　be；　that　these　future　joys；　like　the　mountain…shadows；　were　never　to　be　attained。　　It　occurs　fully　uttered　in　many　other　places。　　He　seems　to　have　been　constantly　rebuking　his　own　worldly　pride　and　vanity；　but　never　purposefully：
  'The　foam…globes　on　her　eddies　ride；　　　　　　Thick　as　the　schemes　of　human　pride　　　　　　That　down　life's　current　drive　amain；　　　　　　As　frail；　as　frothy；　and　as　vain。'〃
  Ruskin　adds；　among　other　illustrations；　the　reference　to　〃foxglove　and　nightshade〃　in　i。　218；　219　above。
  28。　　Like　future　joys；　etc。　　This　passage；　quoted　by　Ruskin　above；　also　illustrates　what　is　comparatively　rare　in　figurative　language　taking　the　immaterial　to　exemplify　the　material。　　The　latter　is　constantly　used　to　symbolize　or　elucidate　the　former；　but　one　would　have　to　search　long　in　our　modern　poetry　to　find　a　dozen　instances　where；　as　here；　the　relation　is　reversed。　　Cf。　639　below。　　We　have　another　example　in　the　second　passage　quoted　by　Ruskin。　　Cf。　also　Tennyson's
  〃thousand　wreaths　of　dangling　water…smoke；　　　　　　That　like　a　broken　purpose　waste　in　air；〃
  and　Shelly's
  〃Our　boat　is　asleep　on　Serchio's　stream；　　　　　　Its　sails