26 WITH NATURE AND A CAMERA. 



the surface again the bird tucked her egg away 

 under her wing and swam off. When I showed 

 my scepticism in regard to the accuracy of the 

 reports of this wonderful performance he said, " Ah 

 weel, sir, if ye dinna believe it, I will no believe 

 your story that Cuckoos put their eggs into other 

 birds' nests with their nebs." This had reference 

 to a conversation he had heard between his master 

 and myself, during which Mackenzie told me that 

 he once shot a Cuckoo with its egg in its bill. 



The factor and the people were soon hard at 

 work buying and selling oil, feathers, and cloth, on 

 the one hand, and pails, spades, and similarly 

 useful articles, on the other, down at the storehouse 

 by the sea. 



We stood by for a few minutes to watch the 

 market, shown in the picture on the preceding page. 

 The chattering and excitement were incredible. 



In the afternoon of the same day all the women 

 and children assembled in our cottage to munch 

 sweets and go through the packages of many- 

 coloured kerchiefs, shawls, and petticoats the factor 

 had brought with him for their inspection and pur- 

 chase. And for six mortal hours did Mackenzie, 

 poor man ! withstand with the utmost equanimity 

 a continuous fusilade of questions and badinage. 

 But this was not all. At eleven o'clock at night 

 a soft tap-tapping was heard upon the door, and 

 in they all trooped to re-open their bargaining. I 

 wonder what the average Bond Street shopkeeper 

 would say to being invaded at this hour by a crowd 

 of lady customers who had been unable to make 

 up their minds in the afternoon. 



A St. Kilda woman always regards everybody 

 with suspicion, and does not hurry over a purchase, 

 thinking that she is being cheated. 



