We had no sooner come to the door of Mr. Henderland 's dwelling , than to my great surprise -LRB- for I was now used to the politeness of Highlanders -RRB- he burst rudely past me , dashed into the room , caught up a jar and a small horn-spoon , and began ladling snuff into his nose in most excessive quantities . Then he had a hearty fit of sneezing , and looked round upon me with a rather silly smile . `` It 's a vow I took , '' says he . `` I took a vow upon me that I wouldnae carry it . Doubtless it 's a great privation ; but when I think upon the martyrs , not only to the Scottish Covenant but to other points of Christianity , I think shame to mind it . '' As soon as we had eaten -LRB- and porridge and whey was the best of the good man 's diet -RRB- he took a grave face and said he had a duty to perform by Mr. Campbell , and that was to inquire into my state of mind towards God . I was inclined to smile at him since the business of the snuff ; but he had not spoken long before he brought the tears into my eyes . There are two things that men should never weary of , goodness and humility ; we get none too much of them in this rough world among cold , proud people ; but Mr. Henderland had their very speech upon his tongue . And though I was a good deal puffed up with my adventures and with having come off , as the saying is , with flying colours ; yet he soon had me on my knees beside a simple , poor old man , and both proud and glad to be there . Before we went to bed he offered me sixpence to help me on my way , out of a scanty store he kept in the turf wall of his house ; at which excess of goodness I knew not what to do . But at last he was so earnest with me that I thought it the more mannerly part to let him have his way , and so left him poorer than myself . CHAPTER XVII THE DEATH OF THE RED FOX The next day Mr. Henderland found for me a man who had a boat of his own and was to cross the Linnhe Loch that afternoon into Appin , fishing . Him he prevailed on to take me , for he was one of his flock ; and in this way I saved a long day 's travel and the price of the two public ferries I must otherwise have passed . It was near noon before we set out ; a dark day with clouds , and the sun shining upon little patches . The sea was here very deep and still , and had scarce a wave upon it ; so that I must put the water to my lips before I could believe it to be truly salt . The mountains on either side were high , rough and barren , very black and gloomy in the shadow of the clouds , but all silver-laced with little watercourses where the sun shone upon them . It seemed a hard country , this of Appin , for people to care as much about as Alan did . There was but one thing to mention . A little after we had started , the sun shone upon a little moving clump of scarlet close in along the water-side to the north . It was much of the same red as soldiers ' coats ; every now and then , too , there came little sparks and lightnings , as though the sun had struck upon bright steel .
I asked my boatman what it should be , and he answered he supposed it was some of the red soldiers coming from Fort William into XXXXX , against the poor tenantry of the country .
Alan Appin Campbell Highlanders Loch lightnings privation snuff watercourses whey