54 W'fTIl XATUnM AXD J C.IMHRA. 



gathering or fowling intent, the (nvner — for the fire- 

 making tools were private property — used to levy an 

 impost, called a " fire pemiy tax,"' of three eggs 

 or one fowl from each man for striking a light. 

 Our author, however, destro^'ed the value of this 

 secret, and astonished the natives bv showing tliein 

 how to get a light by striking tlie blades of tlieir 

 pocket knives against a piece of " chrystal growing 

 under the rocks.'' 



Tliey also had to pay a similar tax to the man wlio 

 took his cooking-pot to these isles for general use. 



Amongst other curious traditions rife among the 

 natives is one to tlie effect that two men, lunued 

 Dugan and Ferchar, whilst |)ulling heather for fuel 

 on Oisaval, plotted a diabolical sclieme to murder 

 the whole of the inhabitants at one fell stroke. 

 They rushed down the steep hillside and ga\'e the 

 alarm of an approaching fleet of warsliips, and as 

 soon as all the peoi)le had assembled in the church 

 for safety the two dastards set fire to a quantit^■ of 

 dry heatlier wliich they had placed against tlie 

 closed door and smothered every soul exce})t one 

 old woman, who escaped l)y stealth to the rocks, 

 where she managed to eke out an existence^ in it 11 

 the steward's aveno-ino- boat came the followinii' 

 spring, when she crept forth, to the surprise of the 

 murderers, and divulged tlieir Ijlack crime. Ferchar 

 was ])laced on a rock-stack near I^orrera to live 

 on such bii'ds as he could catch, or starve, but he 

 chose to end his miserable career by flinging himself 

 into the sea immediately after the boat that left 

 him rowed away. His fellow-culprit, Dugan, was 

 placed on Soa, where his bleacluMl hones, and a 

 dirk stuck in the ground besidx; them, were after- 

 wards found in the cave repr(;scnte(l in our ])i('ture, 

 which is known to this day as Dugan's Cave. 



