86 WITH NATURE AND A (JAMEBA. 



pleasure these lonely folks derive from sucking' sweets^ 

 that he takes a large supply with him every year. 



In addition to enjoying a unique character for 

 sobriety, St. Kilda can also boast the distinction of 

 being the only inhabited part of the British Isles 

 which has not been officially surveyed by Her 

 Majesty's Ordnance Department. 



Wo Avere told that some of the older people of 

 the community knew the Bible by heart from cover 

 to cover ; but, being ignorant of the Gaelic tongue, 

 we were unable to ])ut this remarkable assertion to 

 the test. 



At the end of the seventeenth century the 

 St. Kildans played jews'-harps, and danced to the 

 music of the bagpipes, "which pleased them ex- 

 ceedingly " ; but now they have neither music nor 

 dancing, nor amusements of any sort. I innocently 

 asked the minister one day what kind of games 

 the children played. The old man smiled good- 

 naturedly at my ignorance, and answered : " None 

 whatever ; their parents would consider it frivolity 

 to have them taught anything except climbing 

 rocks, catching sheep, and such other things as will 

 become necessary to them in after-life." The aus- 

 terity of the doctrine inculcated by the Free Kirk 

 of Scotland has been 1)lamed for this gloomy strict- 

 ness ; and, whilst acquitting the minister of anv 

 bigoted abuse of reason, I am willing to believe 

 a deal in the way of religious intolerance on the 

 part of the terriljly earnest body he represents ; for 

 I once had the ill-fortime to listen to a theological 

 dispute betwixt a nmnber of Free and Established 

 Kirkers, which looked much like ending in employ- 

 ment for a surgeon, if not an undertaker. 



AVhatever the cause, I can certainly testify to 

 the fact that the St. Kildans do not now appreciate 



