THE BOUSES IN ST. KILDA. 11 



but have since learnt that it is a lingering relic of 

 Roman Catholicism which is still in force on the 

 Continent. In evidence of the religious fervour of 

 the St. Kildans which can, I suppose, to some 

 extent be reckoned up by census methods I 

 noticed that over seventy-five per cent, of the 

 entire population were in church. 



If Mr. Sands faithfully recorded what he saw 

 at this place in the 'seventies, when the people 

 went to church u with sorrowful looks, and eyes 

 bent upon the ground like a troop of the damned 

 being driven by Satan to the bottomless pit," and 

 no one spoke to another above a whisper, or could 

 look to the right or left without considering he 

 had sinned, a very great improvement has taken 

 place in the direction of reason and cheerfulness. 

 Directly we got out of church, they all doffed 

 their bonnets and shook hands with us, and such 

 as were able to asked us how we were and chatted 

 with us all the way up the path to our cottage. 



All the houses in St. Kilda, excepting one of 

 which more hereafter, are substantial one-storey stone 

 structures with zinc roofs securely fastened down 

 by iron bands. They contain two rooms, each of 

 which is lighted by a small four-pane window. 

 Although they have fair- sized chimneys, some of 

 which are even surmounted by earthenware pots, 

 they are generally full of smoke for some reason 

 or other, which is, I think, to be sought in the 

 peculiar conformation of the hills around them. 

 They are far ahead in point of comfort and con- 

 veniences of nearly all the crofters' dwellings I 

 have been into in Harris, Uist, and other Hebridean 

 Isles. 



As the stranger walks along the path in front 

 of the houses, he is struck by three things the 



