NORTH RONA. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 209 



long, dark, narrow and tortuous passage like the gallery 

 of a mine, commencing by an aperture not three feet 

 high and very difficult to find. With little trouble it might 

 be effectually concealed; nor, were the fire suppressed, 

 could the existence of a house be suspected, the whole 

 having the appearance of a collection of turf stacks 

 and dunghils. Although our conference had lasted 

 some time, none of the party discovered that it was 

 held on the top of the house. It seemed to have been 

 constructed for concealment from white bears or men 

 more savage still, with a precaution, now at least useless. 

 The interior strongly resembles that of a Kamschatkan 

 hut ; receiving no other light than that from the smoke 

 hole, being covered with ashes, festooned with strings 

 of dried fish, filled with smoke, and having scarcely an 

 article of furniture. Such is life in North Rona; and 

 though the women and children were half naked, the 

 mother old, and the wife deaf, they appeared to be 

 contented, well fed, and little concerned about what 

 the rest of the world was doing. It was still an object 

 of curiosity to ascertain if beings so insulated had no 

 desires to return to society and mingle once more with 

 their fellow creatures. But though man is gregarious, 

 the want of extended society is in a great measure the 

 want of cultivated minds. Here the family was society 

 enough, and to provide for the demands of the impending 

 day, sufficient occupation. The inferior members of it 

 seemed to know of no other world than North Rona, 

 and the chief appeared to wish for little that North 

 Rona could not supply. The only desire that could 

 be discovered after much inquiry, was that of getting 

 his two younger children christened, and for this purpose 

 he had resolved to visit Lewis when his period of 

 residence was expired. I need not say to those who 

 know the Highlanders, that their sense of religion is 

 not limited to externals. Amid his solitude this poor 

 man had not forgotten his duties, though excluded from 



VOL. I. p 



