324 WITH NATURE AND A CAMERA. 



After we had taken a number of photographs 

 on the very brink of an awful cliff, whilst poor old 

 Girvan sat on the steep hillside above, and swore 

 by all the saints in the calendar he would never 

 get us off the Craig alive, we descended to the 

 landing place again, much to the good-natured old 

 man's delight. 



When we got down to the safety of a fairly 

 wide goats' track he became quite jolly, and turn- 

 ing to my brother with a great air of mock 

 sincerity, he said: " Mr. Keeaarton, I have a verry 

 perteekilar request to make." 



" What's that?" my brother inquired. 



" If you take my photograph, for goodness sake 

 dinna promise to send me one; then it may come. 

 I have had scores of amateur photographers on 

 the Craigs, including many meenisters, and most of 

 them have taken my likeness and promised to 

 send me a copy, but never a one has reached me." 



We had not much time to catch the train for home, 

 and I urged the Girvan Girvan to put on all steam. 

 This the obliging man did until his little craft 

 shook and trembled from stem to stern like a 

 thing stricken with palsy under the vibration of 

 her machinery, some of which became so over- 

 heated with friction that it was necessary to keep 

 it cool by allowing bucketfuls of sea water to 

 trickle over it from a hole punched in the bottom 

 of a large zinc pail. 



For purposes of communication with one another 

 these two brothers keep a number of homing 

 pigeons. Some time ago the one living on the 

 Craig had a child taken seriously ill, and sent a 

 message for a doctor, whom his brother promptly 

 took across in the little steam launch which con- 

 veyed us over. The doctor found the child very 



