42 WITH NATURE JXD A CAMERA. 



the few niouthfiils of luscious grass for three or 

 four days. That any sane being should risk so 

 mueli for so little seemed to me incredible. 



Captain McCallum told me an amusing anecdote 

 about a poor old woman Avho accompanied her kins- 

 men on a journey from 8t. Kilda to Harris in the 

 days when tliey used to visit the latter place in 

 their large l)oat. On the occasion in (juestion night 

 fell before a landing was effected, and when they 

 did succeed in getting ashore it was on an un- 

 known })art of the coast. In searching for some 

 kind of habitation the old woman accidentally got 

 separated from her companions, and fell in with 

 an object of supernatural Ijrilliancy at which she 

 marvelled greatly — a lighthouse. It being a sultry 

 night the keeper had left the door open, that he 

 might benefit by the improved ventilation. The 

 old woman mounted the tower stairs in great awe, 

 and when she came into the presence of the attend- 

 ant and the dazzling brilliancy of his lanterns' rays 

 she fell on her knees and began to address him as 

 the Almighty. The man was, on his part, so startled 

 that he concluded the aged 8t. Kildan was some 

 hag from the nether regions, to which he bade her 

 get back in language more forcible than ])olite. 



A somewhat similar thing is said to have hap- 

 pened near London in the early days of ballooning, 

 when an aeronaut alighted in a ])loughed field at 

 Coulsdon, in Surrey. A lal)ourer who hapi)ened to 

 be working close by at the tinu> was so overcome 

 with fear at the unusual sight that when asked the 

 name of the plac(> by the man wlio liad drop})ed 

 from the clouds, lu^ fell on his knees and re[)lie(l : 

 " CouMon, if you please, God Almighty!" 



The Hi. Kildans enjoy a })lentiful supply of 

 good watei-: how good I will leave poor old Martin 



