10 117 77/ XATUllM ANJl A GAMKRA. 



slopes considerably from the door at wlucli tlie 

 people enter to the end at which the pulpit or 

 rostrum stands. The floor, except just beneath the 

 feet of the worshippers, where there is a loose 

 scaffold board, consists entirely of Mother Earth. 

 The aisle is roughly laid with cement, put down by 

 the minister s own hands. We were told a good 

 story about a sup])ly of cement sent to St. Kilda 

 for tliis purpose by some generous donor. The 

 citizens of Village Bay are never in a hurry, and 

 after the "bags of dust" arrived at the island, they 

 put them down outside the churcli to wait. Wheu 

 an inquiring friend turned up tlie following summer 

 and asked how they had got on wdth the floor- 

 laying, they told him that the "bags of dust" had 

 by a miracle all turned into lumps of rock before 

 they had had time to use them. 



Tlie service was conducted in Gaelic, and con- 

 sisted of reading the Scriptures, singing the Psalms, 

 prayer, and a very long sermon, all of wdiich I 

 flatter myself I sat under for the space of an hour 

 and a half without lowering an eyelid, although I 

 understood not a single word uttered. The collection 

 was taken in two boxes, aflixed to long handles. 

 With these the platemen easily gathered tlie harvest 

 of coppers as they Avalked up the aisle, without 

 pusliing in front of the congregation or bothering 

 anybody for assistance in getting the boxes \\\^ and 

 down the pews. Tliey were primitive, l)ut exceed- 

 ingly sensible kind of l)oxcs. 



As soon as tlie minister had left, the women 

 all filed silently out of church before a num stirred 

 from his place. I was greatly pleased with this 

 custom, thinking it to be a courteous deference 

 shown to the fair sex of St. Kilda, whose industry 

 and modesty render them entirely WM)rthy of it. 



