A STORM ON THE WTGTONSHIRE COAST. 191 
The first thing one noticed on nearing the cliffs was the quantity 
of drifting white foam which the angry wind carried inland from 
a little creek, where the surf was churned up in so strange a 
way that the wind was able to take hold of it and carry it inland 
in great balls resembling nothing more than huge flakes of soft 
snow, which, owing to their lightness, were swept almost half a 
mile on to the sheep farm that here borders the sea. A little 
further on, a tiny creek or inlet was pointed out to us as the only 
comparatively safe place for a boat to take refuge in, one often 
used by smugglers in days long gone by ; and made of iron must 
the nerves of any man have been, bold enough to attempt the 
passage of it if the sea was running high outside, the space 
between the rocks only being about ten yards, and the slightest 
mistake, of course, entailing certain destruction. The smuggler, 
safely landed, however, a ready means for getting inland himself 
with his goods was at hand, because a deep gulley runs from this 
little bay up through the farm ; and by this route, hidden from 
everyone, he could safely transfer his ill-gotten gains to a place 
of security, from which they could easily be remov’ed. 
And now we come to the Blow-hole — a small hole, perhaps 
six inches in diameter, which acts as a kind of funnel to the cave 
underneath. In certain conditions of the tide, when the water 
rushes into the cave and tumbles and foams over the rocks, the 
air is forced with great violence out through this hole, causing a 
roaring sound something resembling a steam syren, sending a 
column of fine spray high into the air. To-day the tide was too 
full in, and the hole not at its best, when our party ventured out 
on the rocks to see it. But the scene all down the coast to right 
and left was one not easily to be forgotten ; a vast belt of white 
foam stretching as far as one could see on either side — on the 
one, tow'ards Luce Bay, on the other towards Wigtown Bay — 
the waves lashing themselves into a fury as they hurled them- 
selves against the black sharp rocks which have withstood, and 
will withstand, so many awful winter storms. One could not 
but think of the terrors of such a coast to the poor man in charge 
of some ill-fitted schooner trying to beat her way and get round 
the point of the Mull and thus get shelter ; no light on the coast, 
no life-boat near ; even the sea-gulls seemed to have deserted this 
shore to-day, and no bird but a solitary black cormorant, which 
soon disappeared in the gloom as we watched him, could be seen 
anywhere. A warning wave, which dashed unexpectedly over 
us, soaking the entire party and making us feel helpless in the 
face of the prodigious power all round us, soon drove us back to 
climb on to safe ground again ; but not before we had viewed in 
all their majesty the torrents of menacing waters, falling back, 
baffled by the wall of rock and showing their dismay by hissing 
on all sides, and thundering into the cave under our feet, a sight 
not soon to be erased from the memory of those who witnessed it. 
Then we turned homewards, drenched it may be, but imbued* 
more than ever with the majesty of the sea. We looked in 
