40 SMEATON'S LIGHTHOUSE ON THE EDDYSTONE. PART VI. 



" the post of honour," as he called it, and attended the 

 getting in of the remainder of the chain, link by link, 

 until the operation was completed. 



Whilst working at the rock on one occasion, an acci- 

 dent occurred to him which might have been attended 

 with serious consequences, but in which he displayed his 

 usual cheerful courage. The men were about to lay 

 the centre stone of the seventh course on the evening of 

 the llth of August, when Mr. Smeaton was enjoying 

 the limited promenade afforded by the level platform of 

 stone which had with so much difficulty been raised ; but, 

 making a false step into one of the cavities made for the 

 joggles, and being unable to recover his balance, he fell 

 from the brink of the work down among the rocks on the 

 west side. The tide being low at the time, he speedily 

 got upon his feet and at first supposed himself little hurt, 

 but shortly after he found that one of his thumbs had 

 been put out of joint. He reflected that he was fourteen 

 miles from land, far from a surgeon, and that uncertain 

 winds and waves lay between. He therefore determined 

 to reduce the dislocation at once ; and laying fast hold 

 of the thumb with his other hand, and giving it a violent 

 pull, it snapped into its place again, after which he 

 proceeded to fix the centre stone of the building. 



The work now went steadily forward. Occasional 

 damage was done by the heavy seas washing away 

 the stones, tools, and materials ; but these losses were 

 quickly repaired, and by the end of the season the ninth 

 course of stones had been laid complete. The follow- 

 ing winter was very tempestuous. The floating light- 

 vessel, stationed about two miles from the rock, was 

 driven from its moorings by the force of the sea-, but 

 eventually got safe into harbour. It was the 12th of 

 May before another landing could be effected by Smeaton 

 and his workmen, when he was no less delighted than 

 surprised to find the entire work as he had left it six 

 months before. Not a block had been moved. The 



