156 



THE GUILLEMOT. 



He who is to descend now puts his legs through a 

 pair of hempen braces, which meet round his middle, 

 and there form a waistband. At each end of this 

 waistband is a loophole, through which they reeve 

 the smaller rope. Sometimes an iron hook and eye 

 are used in lieu of this loop. A man now holds the 

 rope firmly in his hand, and gradually lowers his 

 comrade down the precipice. While he is descending 

 he has hold of the other rope, which was fastened 

 to the iron bar ; and, with this assistance, he passes 

 from ledge to ledge, and from rock to rock, picking 

 up the eggs of the guillemot, and putting them into 

 two bags, which he had slung across his shoulder 

 ere he commenced his arduous undertaking. When 

 he has filled these bags with eggs, he jerks the rope, 

 and the motion informs his friend at the top that it 

 is now time to draw him up. On coming up again to 

 the place from whence he first set out, all the eggs 

 are taken from the bags, and put into a large basket, 

 prior to their being packed in hampers and carried 

 off in a cart by wholesale dealers, who purchase 

 them from the climbers for sixpence the score. At 

 Bridlington and the neighbouring places the eggs 

 are retailed at a halfpenny a piece. 



The rocks are searched for eggs every third day, 

 provided the weather be fair. It requires consi- 

 derable address on the part of the descending 

 climber to save himself from being hit by fragments 

 of the rock, which are broken off by the rope 

 coming in contact with them. He avoids the danger 

 by moving sidewise when the stone is falling, and 

 by taking care, as he goes down, to clear away with 

 his foot any portion of the rock that seems ready 



