FATAL EVENT. 439 



which the waves were dashing far, far below. Collecting, 

 therefore, all his strength, with outstretched arms, he sprang 

 from the rock, and lived to tell the tale for the rope was 

 caught ! 



The next occurred at St. Kilda, where, amongst other 

 modes of catching the sea-fowl, that of setting gins or nooses 

 is adopted. They are fixed in various places frequented by 

 the birds. In one of these, set upon a ledge, a hundred and 

 twenty feet above the sea, a bird-catcher entangled his 

 foot, and not being at the moment aware of it, was, on 

 moving onwards, tripped up, and precipitated over the rock, 

 where he hung suspended. He, too, as in the preceding 

 case, had no companion; and, to add to his misfortune, 

 darkness was at hand, leaving little prospect of his being 

 discovered before morning. In vain he exerted himself to 

 bend upwards, so as to reach the noose or grapple the rock. 

 After a few fruitless efforts, his strength was exhausted, and 

 in this dreadful situation, expecting, moreover, that the noose 

 might give way every instant, did he pass a long night. 

 At early dawn, by good fortune, his shouts were heard by a 

 neighbour, who rescued him from his perilous suspension.* 



The last we shall relate terminated in a more awful 

 manner. A father and two sons were out together, and, 

 having firmly attached their rope at the summit of a pre- 

 cipice, descended, on their usual occupation. Having collected 

 as many birds and eggs as they could carry, they were all 

 three ascending by the rope, the eldest of the sons first, 

 his brother a fathom or two below him ; and the father 

 following last. They had made considerable progress, when 

 the elder son, looking upwards, perceived the strands of the 

 rope grinding against a sharp edge of rock, and gradually 

 giving way. He immediately reported the alarming fact. 

 "Will it hold together till we can gain the summit?" 

 asked the father. " It will not hold another minute," was 

 the reply ; " our triple weight is loosening it rapidly !" 

 " Will it hold one ?" said the father. "It is as much as it 



* BUCHANAN'S Hebrides. 



