Page:A Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties of Scotland.djvu/31

horses too which are used to ford deep rivers; for there are two to be forded. For most part of that journey the sands are as hard, and somewhat resemble, stucco, upon which the horses hoofs scarcely make an impression; but near the rivers that you are to ford, there are spots which apparently shake; and it is known, if a cart, or carriage of any sort, were to stop upon those places, it would sink, and there would be great difficulty in getting it out of the sand, were it not absolutely lost; therefore it is not only necessary to have a guide on horseback, but drivers too, who have been used to cross the sands. It is certainly a matter of curiosity to cross them; but unless you could have a choice of time and weather to go over them, (neither of which you can have), it is hardly worth the trouble and danger of undertaking it; besides you are, for the most part of the way, at such a distance from land, that all the beauties of the shore are only very faintly seen.—Another thing is to be considered, should any unforeseen accident happen to your carriage or horses, while on the sands, the sea might return and overwhelm you, before you could remedy the accident and escape. A thick fog too might come on in the space of three or four hours,