210 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



entering the door, I pointed out to Kennedy my 

 name and that of my yacht, which — more Britan- 

 norum — I had engraved on the lintel in letters 

 three inches long on my visit the previous year. 

 Hung up by a rope-yarn to one of the ceiling- 

 beams we found a letter from Mr. Wood, saying 

 that he had been obliged by the gale of the 19th 

 and 20th to leave that harbor,- and take refuge in 

 another a few miles to the north. As the night 

 was fine, Kennedy and myself decided on walking 

 there, and so we sent our boat's crew on board the 

 sloop and set off alone, thinking the distance was 

 only two or three miles, and that we might fall in 

 with some geese on the way. To the north and 

 east was an immense flat, at least five or six miles 

 in breadth, extending from the shore to the hills ; 

 it was dead level, and beautifully green, with mosses 

 slightly intersprinkled with grass, and looked as if 

 it ought to be a very good place for deer, but we 

 could see none. This part of the island is very lit- 

 tle frequented by deer in the summer months, al- 

 though they are said to come down here in immense 

 numbers during winter. The plain was strewed 

 with quantities of their cast horns and tufts of win- 

 ter hair. "We saw vast flocks of Brent or Bernacle 

 geese (Anas Bernicla) pasturing on the plain, but 

 as these birds in the winter get the benefit of en- 

 larging their minds by a European education, 

 they took quite as good care of themselves as they 

 do when they are "down South." The walking 



