126 MAY 



stream ; and on an eminence commanding the land- 

 ing-place moulder the ruins of Port Castle, one of 

 the innumerable strongholds with which these cruel 

 scourges of the ninth and tenth centuries studded 

 our shores, for the better subduing of the native 

 Picts. 



But memories of a still earlier age hang round 

 this spot. On either hand the bay is closed in by 

 lofty cliffs. In the more northerly of these is a 

 celebrated cave, which, ever since the fourth century 

 of our era, has^orne the name of Ninian, who first 

 preached the gospel of the 'White Christ' to the 

 wild Picts of Galloway. All through the subse- 

 quent interval of paganism, and, stranger still, in 

 spite of the harsh repudiation of sacred legends and 

 rites by the Scottish Reformers, the Saint's name 

 has clung to this rift in the rocks, whither, in pious 

 imitation of his famous patron, St. Martin of Tours, 

 he was wont to retire for seasons of fasting and 

 prayer. A few years ago some diligent local anti- 

 quaries, having cleared the cavern of hundreds of 

 tons of debris, brought to light many carved crosses, 

 inscriptions, and other objects corroborating the 

 legend. 



There is a wide view seaward. The wavy outline 



