There
was a steep declivity on his left, to which he was so near, that there
was not room for him to dismount in the usual way. He tried to alight on
the other side, as if he had been a _young buck_ indeed, but in the
attempt he fell at his length upon the ground; from which, however, he
got up immediately without being hurt. During this dreary ride, we were
sometimes relieved by a view of branches of the sea, that universal
medium of connection amongst mankind. A guide, who had been sent with us
from Kingsburgh, explored the way (much in the same manner as, I
suppose, is pursued in the wilds of America,) by observing certain marks
known only to the inhabitants. We arrived at Dunvegan late in the
afternoon. The great size of the castle, which is partly old and partly
new, and is built upon a rock close to the sea, while the land around it
presents nothing but wild, moorish, hilly, and craggy appearances, gave
a rude magnificence to the scene. Having dismounted, we ascended a
flight of steps, which was made by the late Macleod, for the
accommodation of persons coming to him by land, there formerly being,
for security, no other access to the castle but from the sea; so that
visitors who came by the land were under the necessity of getting into a
boat, and sailed round to the only place where it could be approached.
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