84 A HUNDRED YEARS 



the other end to the people on shore, and waiting till one 

 of the enormous waves went backwards, when he flung 

 himself out and was drawn up on the flat rock, the usual 

 landing-place. Another story was also told me, but 

 after I got home. A man from our parish met William 

 Grant at Poolewe. * Weel,' said he, ' so I hear you have 

 been to St. Kilda. Could you manage to land V ' Land,* 

 said William. ' Oh yes, we landed safe enough, and 

 passed three days and three nights there.* ' You were 

 in luck,* replied his friend; * the last time I sailed there, 

 when in the service of Macdonald of Lochinver, who 

 had the islands, I was twenty days beating about and 

 round St. Kilda in the Rover's Bride and never could land 

 after all.* 



" The only gentleman I ever conversed with about 

 St. Kilda was the Rev. James Noble, Free Church 

 Minister of Poolewe. He went there with one or two 

 other ministers in Lord Breadalbane*s yacht about 

 three or four years ago. They intended to remain three 

 days, but a frightful hurricane arose one night after 

 they had gone to the vessel, and they were in great 

 danger for twenty-four hours. It was impossible to put 

 out a small boat, and they were every instant expecting 

 the anchor would give way. Although the anchorage- 

 ground at the end of the bay is fairly good, it is extremely 

 shelving, the sea becoming deep so suddenly, and thus 

 an anchor is liable to shift. The captain had a great 

 many fathoms of spare chain which he threw out to 

 help to steady the vessel. She could not sail out; the 

 wind was right ahead of her. The next night it changed, 

 and then they started, only daring to put up the jib, 



