the first of october, 1774, arrived at last; and, for the first time in my life, i felt myself at liberty. i worked a few weeks with my old master, and then set off to spend the winter at cherryburn. there i had plenty of work to do, chiefly from thomas angus, printer, newcastle. i continued there, employed by him and others, till the summer of 1776. this was a time of great enjoyment, for the charms of the country were highly relished by me, and after so long an almost absence from it, gave even that relish a zest which i have not words to describe. i continued to execute wood cuts and other jobs, but often rambled about among my old neighbours, and became more and more attached to them, as well as to the country.
in the storms of winter, i joined the nimrods as of old. in spring and summer, my favourite sport of angling was pretty closely followed up. about christmas, as i had done before when a boy, i went with my father to a distance to collect the money due to him for coals. in these rounds, i had the opportunity of witnessing the kindness and hospitality of the people. the countenances of all, both high and low, beamed with cheerfulness; and this was heightened everywhere by the music of old tunes, from the well-known, exhilarating, wild notes of the northumberland pipes, amidst the buzz occasioned by “foulpleughs” (morrice or sword dancers) from various parts of the country. this altogether left an impression on my mind which the cares of the world have never effaced from it. the gentry, the farmers, and even the working people, of that day had their christmas home-brewed ale, made only from malt and hops. this was before the pernicious use of chemical compounds was known, or agricultural improvements had quickened the eyes of landlords, banished many small farmers, soured their countenances, and altered for the worse the characters of the larger ones that remained.
having all my life, at home, at school, and during my apprenticeship, lived under perpetual restraints, when i thus felt myself at liberty, i became, as i suppose, like a bird which had escaped from its cage. even angling, of which i was so fond, and of which i thought i never could tire, became rather dull when i found i could take as much of it as i pleased. while i was pursuing this sport on a hot day in june, i gave it up; and, laying down my rod awhile, i then tied it up and walked home. having resolved to see more of the country, i requested my mother to put me up some shirts, &c., and i told her i was going to see my uncle (her brother) in cumberland. she soon complied with my request, amidst expressions of fear for my safety; showing the natural feelings of a good mother. after sewing three guineas in my breeches waistband, i set off that afternoon, and walked to haydon bridge. there i visited an old acquaintance, thomas spence, then a teacher in haydon bridge school, with whom i was a welcome guest, and stopped two days. leave of absence from school having been given to him, i rambled with him over the neighbourhood, and visited everything worth notice. when i departed, he accompanied me on the road nearly to haltwhistle. after this, i met with little to attract notice except naworth castle; and, when i left it, and was proceeding across the country, i lost my way by following paths which led only to holes that had been made by digging peats and turf, and did not reach my uncle’s house at ainstable till late in the evening. i remained at ainstable about a week, during which time i rambled about the neighbourhood, visited my friends at kirkoswald and elsewhere, and spent what time i could spare in fishing for trout in the croglin.
after i had seen armanthwaite and penrith, i began to think of moving further abroad; and my cousin having occasion to go to carlisle, i went with him there, where we parted. i wandered about the old city; and, in the afternoon, looked into the shop of a watchmaker, to whom i was known as having been employed, by my master, to engrave many clock faces for him, during my apprenticeship. while i was in his shop, in came a man—a kind of scamp—of the name of graham, who asked me what road i was going? “to scotland,” i replied. “so am i,” said he; “and, if you can keep foot with me, i will be glad of your company.” we had no sooner set off, than i found he was a vapouring fop who was very vain of his great prowess as a pedestrian. i could soon see that he wanted to walk me off my foot; but, having been long practised in that way, he found himself mistaken, and long before we reached longtown, he had called in at several public houses for refreshment, and invited me to do the same. i, however, was not thirsty, and not being used to drink, i sat on the seats at the doors until he came out. he kept on in this way till we reached langholm, when he surveyed me with an attentive eye, but said nothing.
at langholm, my landlord, who was a cumberland man and knew my relatives there, was very kind to me; and, among many other matters concerning them, told me that my cousin who had accompanied me to carlisle had won nine belts in his wrestling matches in that county. from langholm, i set off to hawick and selkirk, and from the latter place, next morning, by dalkeith, to edinburgh. i had been, in this short tramp, particularly charmed with the border scenery; the roads, in places, twined about the bottoms of the hills, which were beautifully green, like velvet, spotted over with white sheep, which grazed on their sides, watched by the peaceful shepherd and his dog. i could not help depicturing in my mind the change which had taken place, and comparing it with the times of old that had passed away, and in inwardly rejoicing at the happy reverse. it is horrid to contemplate the ferocious battles of that day, between men descended from the same stock, and bearing the same names on both sides of the border, only divided from each other by a river, a rivulet, a burn, or a stripe of ground;—that they should have been, at the nod of their chieftains, called out to the wild foray by the slogan horn, or the shrill notes of the bugle; that they should have been led to meet and slaughter each other, to manure the ground with their blood, amidst the clash of arms and the thrilling music of the pipes, which helped to excite them on to close their eyes in death. these transactions, which are handed down to their descendants of the present generation in traditionary tales, and kept in remembrance by the songs and tunes of old times, serve now only as food for reflection or amusement.
on entering edinburgh, having been recommended to the george inn, bristoport, i halted there; but, being quite unacquainted with the customs of living in such places, i knew not what to do, or how to conduct myself. i, however, called for a pint of beer,—and i think it was the first i ever called for in my life,—when, lo! a good-looking girl, bare-footed and bare-legged, entered with a pewter pot, almost the size of a half leg of a boot. this i thought i could not empty in a week. as i found i could not remain in this place, i sought for another, and luckily fell in with an old newcastle acquaintance; and to her i stated my case, went with her, and felt quite at home in her house. after i had seen as much of “auld reekie” as i could, and been lost in admiration at the grandeur of its situation, and of its old buildings, i next day called upon hector gavin, an engraver, in parliament close. this kind man—a stranger to me—after a bit of chat about the arts, &c., threw by his tools, and was quite at my service. the warmth of his kindness i never can forget. he took me all over edinburgh, and gave me a history and explanation of everything he thought worthy of notice. having parted from him with his best and warmest wishes, i rose early on the next morning and walked to glasgow. after leaving my bundle at an inn, to which i had been recommended, i took a ramble through the city. there i fell in, by chance, with an old acquaintance, and who i supposed was dead long ago. he was not like me; he could drink plenty; so that i was at no loss what to do at this inn, as i had been in edinburgh. he called upon me next morning with a well-informed man, when they showed me everything they thought worthy of notice in glasgow, which, though a large city, containing many handsome buildings, i was not so charmed with as i had been with edinburgh.
from glasgow, i set off to dumbarton; and, on my way, took as good a survey of the country, and whatever was new to me, as i could. my landlord at dumbarton had seen a deal of the world, either as a soldier or a gentleman’s servant, and was very communicative; and i think i spent the next day with him, in walking about and viewing everything that he could think of that might please or entertain me. after leaving him, i wished much to see the printing at the cotton works, and the print fields, as they were called, on the river leven, near dumbarton. to these, however, i could not get admission; so i kept passing onward, up the leven, till smollett’s monument, near the side of it, arrested my attention. there i stopped, for i had read smollett’s works, and almost adored him as an author. on the pedestal of the monument, was a long latin inscription, which i was endeavouring to translate, but was puzzled to make out; having never looked into a latin book since i had left school; and, for the first time, i felt mortified at not having done so. while i was thus employed, up came a “lish,” clever young man, a highlander, smartly dressed in the garb of his country. he jumped down beside me, and we together made out the translation. when this was done, on learning from me that my sole object was to see scotland, he pressed me to accompany him to some place or other, the name of which i do not now remember. we, however, walked a long way together on the western side of loch lomond, and i know i did not visit inverary, the seat of argyle, but stopped with my companion at a grazier’s, or farmer’s, house, not a long way from it.
having made up my mind not to visit any town, or put up at any inn, i commenced my “wild-goose chase,” and bent my way, in many a zig-zag direction, through the interior of part of the highlands, by the sides of its lakes and its mountains. the beauty and serenity of the former, and the grandeur or terrific aspect of the latter, i gazed upon with wonder, and with both was charmed to ecstacy. in moving forward, i was often accompanied or directed to some farmer’s or grazier’s house, by the herds or drovers, whom i fell in with; and, in some of these houses, i took up my abode, and often, by the pressing solicitations of my host or hostess, was prevailed upon to remain with them a day or two. these kind—these hospitable people—i have never forgotten. often the mistress of the house in these remote places, never having seen any person from england, examined my dress from head to foot, and in english—which, it was easy to discover, had been imperfectly taught her—made many enquiries respecting the country from whence i came; while the herds, with their bare knees, sat listening around, very seldom knowing what we were talking about. these herds, or some of the family, generally set or directed me to the house of some other distant grazier; and i met with the same kind and warm reception throughout my wanderings i had experienced at first. it sometimes happened that, by my having stopped too long on my way, in admiration of the varied prospects i met with, that i was benighted, and was obliged to take shelter under some rocky projection, or to lay myself down amongst the heather, till daylight. in my traversings and wanderings, i called in at all the houses on my way, whether situated in the beautiful little valleys, in the glens, or on the sides of heathery hills. in these places it was common to see three houses, one added to another. the first contained a young married couple with their healthy-looking children; the next, or middle one, was occupied by the father and mother, and perhaps the brothers and sisters, of this couple; and, further on, at the end, was the habitation of the old people. these places had always garths and gardens adjoining, with peat stacks and other fuel at hand for the winter; and the whole was enlivened with numbers of ducks, chickens, &c. on my getting some refreshment of whey or milk in such places as these, i always found it difficult to get payment made for anything, as it seemed to give offence; and, when i could get any money slipped into the hands of the children, i was sure to be pursued, and obliged to accept of a pocket full of bannocks and scones.
on one occasion, i was detained all day and all night at a house of this kind, in listening to the tunes of a young man of the family who played well upon the scottish pipes. i, in turn, whistled several tyneside tunes to him; so that we could hardly get separated. before my departure next day, i contrived by stealth to put some money into the hands of the children. i had not got far from the house till i was pursued by a beautiful young woman, who accosted me in “badish” english, which she must have got off by heart just before she left the house, the purport of which was to urge my acceptance of the usual present. this i wished to refuse; but, with a face and neck blushed with scarlet, she pressed it upon me with such sweetness—while i thought at the same time that she invited me to return—that (i could not help it) i seized her, and smacked her lips. she then sprang away from me, with her bare legs, like a deer, and left me fixed to the spot, not knowing what to do. i was particularly struck with her whole handsome appearance. it was a compound of loveliness, health, and agility. her hair, i think, had been flaxen or light, but was tanned to a pale brown by being exposed to the sun. this was tied behind with a riband, and dangled down her back; and, as she bounded along, it flowed in the air. i had not seen her while i was in the house, and felt grieved because i could not hope ever to see her more.
after having wandered about in this way for some time longer, during which i uniformly met with the same kind treatment among these unpolluted, unspoiled, honourable, and kind people, i began to think of the long way i had to get over on my return towards home; for, although my money was not greatly diminished among the highlanders, yet i knew not how much i might want in or near towns, in the more civilised districts; so i turned back in a south-easterly direction through the country, where i met, in my various wanderings, the same warm and friendly reception. from that time to this, i have ever felt pleased at the name of highlander. were not these people proof against the temptation of a bribe of thirty thousand pounds, held out to them to betray the unfortunate prince charles stuart. is it not to be regretted that agricultural improvements have taught the landlords, or chieftains, to turn numerous farms into one, and to banish thousands of these hardy descendants of the ancient britons,—these brave race of men to whose forefathers they owed so much,—to seek an asylum in foreign climes? in exchange for men, they have filled the country with sheep! property, in every country, should be held sacred, but it should also have its bounds; and, in my opinion, it should be, in a certain degree, held in trust, jointly, for the benefit of its owners, and the good of society. to exercise a right of property beyond this is despotism, the offspring of misplaced aristocratic pride.
i have not noticed that i was sometimes, in passing along, detained at fairs and “trysts.” these, with their merry-makings, were something like the “hoppings” and “feasts” on tyneside; and the girls had the same ruddy look as the farmer’s servants who are put to do field work in northumberland and durham. with the scotch music and dancing, i was very much pleased. they were certainly good dancers, and seemed quite wild, or exhilarated to excess.
i left the highlands with regret. the last day’s journey was a very long one, and a very hungry one; after which i entered stirling in the night. i told the landlord of the public house there that i was almost famished, not having stopped at any house on my very long journey to that place; and i begged of him to hasten to get me something to eat. he told me he had nothing left but eggs, as his company had eaten up everything that had been in the house. i did not get my eggs till midnight; for a quarrel, or an affray, happened in the house at the time i ought to have had them. they were brought in to me at last, and were boiled as hard as eggs could be. with them, in my eagerness to eat, i was nearly choked.
i remained about two or three days at stirling, chiefly on account of my face having been so blistered by the heat of the sun that i thought it best to halt till the effects of it could be removed. my landlord was very kind. he had seen the world; and, when he found that i was an engraver, he expressed his surprise that i had not carried my tools with me; for, if i had done so, he said he had no manner of doubt, with my knowledge of heraldry, &c., that i could have found plenty of employment among the gentry and the lairds, in engraving their arms, crests, and other devices, besides being handed from chieftain to chieftain, and seeing the whole country in a very different way from that which i had, through wildernesses, so wildly pursued. on my way to edinburgh, by falkirk, i visited carron works, and passed under the canal, where, for the first time, i saw vessels afloat that had passed over my head. i was also shown the ground where the battle of bannockburn was fought.
as soon as i could, i made my way, by linlithgow, to edinburgh. i engaged a passage by sea, in a ship belonging to whitby, which had to touch at shields. i attended upon this vessel every tide, late and early, for several days, notwithstanding which i missed my time, and was left behind. in this emergency, i got on board a leith sloop, bound for newcastle, then moving from the pier. we had no sooner got down the frith of forth, to the open sea, than we met a heavy swell, and presently encountered a violent gale which soon tore our sails to shivers, drove us far out of sight of land, and put our crew in a great bustle and dilemma. in this small vessel, the crew and passengers amounted to twenty-six. for these latter there was no accommodation. the boat upon deck was full of the sick, covered by an old sail, and the rest were obliged to sit or lie down in any corner where they could find room. the first night was a sickly, suffocating one; and for three more nights and three days, there was little or no amendment of our situation. on board this sloop there were only two beds that were not stowed with goods; and, from my wanting rest so long before i left edinburgh, i crept into one of them as soon as i could, but found it so low that i could not lie on my side, or easily turn over. so i could get no sleep; and, to mend the matter, i had not been long in this wretched bed till an infant was put in beside me, its mother being dismally sick in the boat upon deck; and the child fell exclusively into my charge. i nursed it as well as i could during the whole voyage; and, i think, had i not done so, it must have died. after resting a day or two at south shields, i set off to newcastle, where i arrived (in the assize week, i think), on the 12th of august, 1776. after my long absence, i found i had a few shillings left. on this occasion, my friends in newcastle quizzed me not a little for having, as they termed it, begged my way through scotland.
