The smell of the joint roasting had become very offensive through the house.

The lady called out to Sandy to have the doors closed, and added, "That must be some horrid Scotch mutton you have got." To Sandy's delight, this was a leg of _English_ mutton his mistress had expressly chosen; and, as she significantly told me, "Sandy never let that down upon me." On Deeside there existed, in my recollection, besides the Saunders Paul I have alluded to, a number of extraordinary acute and humorous Scottish characters amongst the lower classes.

The native gentry enjoyed their humour, and hence arose a familiarity of intercourse which called forth many amusing scenes and quaint rejoinders.

A celebrated character of this description bore the soubriquet of "Boaty," of whom I have already spoken.

He had acted as Charon of the Dee at Banchory, and passed the boat over the river before there was a bridge.