about midday
I knew roughly the _ Tobermory 's _ course -- through the Sound of Islay to Colonsay ; then up the east side of Mull to Oban ; then through the Sound of Mull to the islands with names like cocktails , Rum and Eigg and Coll ; then to Skye ; and then for the Outer Hebrides . I thought the last would be the place , and it seemed madness to leave the boat , for the Lord knew how I should get across the Minch . This consideration upset all my plans again , and I fell into a troubled sleep without coming to any conclusion . Morning found us nosing between Jura and Islay , and about midday we touched at a little port , where we unloaded some cargo and took on a couple of shepherds who were going to Colonsay . The mellow afternoon and the good smell of salt and heather got rid of the dregs of my queasiness , and I spent a profitable hour on the pier-head with a guide-book called _ Baddely 's Scotland _ , and one of Bartholomew 's maps . I was beginning to think that Amos might be able to tell me something , for a talk with the captain had suggested that the _ Tobermory _ would not dally long in the neighbourhood of Rum and Eigg . The big droving season was scarcely on yet , and sheep for the Oban market would be lifted on the return journey .