82 A HUNDRED YEARS 



and, again, tlie current is always so strong during a 

 calm that there is great difficulty in keeping a vessel 

 off these dreaded skerries. 



" The noise of the pulling up of the anchor soon 

 wakened me in the morning, and I quickly found out 

 I was at sea. Poor Osgood, too, was not happy. As 

 we neared the ocean our vessel pitched and tossed even 

 more than our pilot liked. He told me afterwards he 

 was really alarmed for our safety; but the Jessie was a 

 gallant barque, and she bore us bravely, notwithstanding 

 that the rough weather and the great swell in that place 

 tried her goodness. I kept as quiet as I could in the 

 hopes of Osgood's sleeping between the fits of coughing. 

 Everyone was ill except the sailors, even Simon and Ali 

 and Duncan, who had all scorned the idea of being sea- 

 sick. We had a wearisome day of it. Occasionally 

 I sent for one of my favourite sailors and asked how 

 matters were going on. One of William Grant's 

 replies, translated into English, was : ' She is carrying 

 full sails at present, my lady, so there is no fear of her.' 

 There were as heavy seas where we were as in any part 

 of the Atlantic between here and America, and the 

 passage was rendered worse by these strong currents. 



" At seven or eight in the evening we began to draw 

 near to the far-famed St. Kilda. When I heard that 

 we were not above a mile from shore, I begged to get out 

 in the boat, as the wind had sunk, but I was told that 

 four men were in her, rowing away with all their might, 

 trying to keep the vessel from driving on the rocks by 

 the force of the current. The rest of our crew were 

 toiling at two enormous sweeps belonging to the Jessie. 



