memories and portraits-第16章

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from　her　moorings；　and　the　Aberdeen　men；　pick　in　hand；　had　seized　

upon　the　only　boats；　and　he　must　stoop　and　lap　sea…water　before　his　

tongue　could　utter　audible　words；　and　once　more　with　him　when　the　

Bell　Rock　beacon　took　a　〃thrawe；〃　and　his　workmen　fled　into　the　

tower；　then　nearly　finished；　and　he　sat　unmoved　reading　in　his　

Bible　…　or　affecting　to　read　…　till　one　after　another　slunk　back　

with　confusion　of　countenance　to　their　engineer。　　Yes；　parts　of　me　

have　seen　life；　and　met　adventures；　and　sometimes　met　them　well。　　

And　away　in　the　still　cloudier　past；　the　threads　that　make　me　up　

can　be　traced　by　fancy　into　the　bosoms　of　thousands　and　millions　of　

ascendants：　Picts　who　rallied　round　Macbeth　and　the　old　（and　highly　

preferable）　system　of　descent　by　females；　fleers　from　before　the　

legions　of　Agricola；　marchers　in　Pannonian　morasses；　star…gazers　on　

Chaldaean　plateaus；　and；　furthest　of　all；　what　face　is　this　that　

fancy　can　see　peering　through　the　disparted　branches？　　What　sleeper　

in　green　tree…tops；　what　muncher　of　nuts；　concludes　my　pedigree？　　

Probably　arboreal　in　his　habits。　。　。　。



And　I　know　not　which　is　the　more　strange；　that　I　should　carry　about　

with　me　some　fibres　of　my　minister…grandfather；　or　that　in　him；　as　

he　sat　in　his　cool　study；　grave；　reverend；　contented　gentleman；　

there　was　an　aboriginal　frisking　of　the　blood　that　was　not　his；　

tree…top　memories；　like　undeveloped　negatives；　lay　dormant　in　his　

mind；　tree…top　instincts　awoke　and　were　trod　down；　and　Probably　

Arboreal　（scarce　to　be　distinguished　from　a　monkey）　gambolled　and　

chattered　in　the　brain　of　the　old　divine。









CHAPTER　VIII。　MEMOIRS　OF　AN　ISLET





THOSE　who　try　to　be　artists　use；　time　after　time；　the　matter　of　

their　recollections；　setting　and　resetting　little　coloured　memories　

of　men　and　scenes；　rigging　up　（it　may　be）　some　especial　friend　in　

the　attire　of　a　buccaneer；　and　decreeing　armies　to　manoeuvre；　or　

murder　to　be　done；　on　the　playground　of　their　youth。　　But　the　

memories　are　a　fairy　gift　which　cannot　be　worn　out　in　using。　　After　

a　dozen　services　in　various　tales；　the　little　sunbright　pictures　of　

the　past　still　shine　in　the　mind's　eye　with　not　a　lineament　

defaced；　not　a　tint　impaired。　　GLUCK　UND　UNGLUCK　WIRD　GESANG；　if　

Goethe　pleases；　yet　only　by　endless　avatars；　the　original　re…

embodying　after　each。　　So　that　a　writer；　in　time；　begins　to　wonder　

at　the　perdurable　life　of　these　impressions；　begins；　perhaps；　to　

fancy　that　he　wrongs　them　when　he　weaves　them　in　with　fiction；　and　

looking　back　on　them　with　ever…growing　kindness；　puts　them　at　last；　

substantive　jewels；　in　a　setting　of　their　own。



One　or　two　of　these　pleasant　spectres　I　think　I　have　laid。　　I　used　

one　but　the　other　day：　a　little　eyot　of　dense；　freshwater　sand；　

where　I　once　waded　deep　in　butterburrs；　delighting　to　hear　the　song　

of　the　river　on　both　sides；　and　to　tell　myself　that　I　was　indeed　

and　at　last　upon　an　island。　　Two　of　my　puppets　lay　there　a　summer's　

day；　hearkening　to　the　shearers　at　work　in　riverside　fields　and　to　

the　drums　of　the　gray　old　garrison　upon　the　neighbouring　hill。　　And　

this　was；　I　think；　done　rightly：　the　place　was　rightly　peopled　…　

and　now　belongs　not　to　me　but　to　my　puppets　…　for　a　time　at　least。　　

In　time；　perhaps；　the　puppets　will　grow　faint；　the　original　memory　

swim　up　instant　as　ever；　and　I　shall　once　more　lie　in　bed；　and　see　

the　little　sandy　isle　in　Allan　Water　as　it　is　in　nature；　and　the　

child　（that　once　was　me）　wading　there　in　butterburrs；　and　wonder　at　

the　instancy　and　virgin　freshness　of　that　memory；　and　be　pricked　

again；　in　season　and　out　of　season；　by　the　desire　to　weave　it　into　

art。



There　is　another　isle　in　my　collection；　the　memory　of　which　

besieges　me。　　I　put　a　whole　family　there；　in　one　of　my　tales；　and　

later　on；　threw　upon　its　shores；　and　condemned　to　several　days　of　

rain　and　shellfish　on　its　tumbled　boulders；　the　hero　of　another。　　

The　ink　is　not　yet　faded；　the　sound　of　the　sentences　is　still　in　my　

mind's　ear；　and　I　am　under　a　spell　to　write　of　that　island　again。





I





The　little　isle　of　Earraid　lies　close　in　to　the　south…west　corner　

of　the　Ross　of　Mull：　the　sound　of　Iona　on　one　side；　across　which　

you　may　see　the　isle　and　church　of　Columba；　the　open　sea　to　the　

other；　where　you　shall　be　able　to　mark；　on　a　clear；　surfy　day；　the　

breakers　running　white　on　many　sunken　rocks。　　I　first　saw　it；　or　

first　remembered　seeing　it；　framed　in　the　round　bull's…eye　of　a　

cabin　port；　the　sea　lying　smooth　along　its　shores　like　the　waters　

of　a　lake；　the　colourless　clear　light　of　the　early　morning　making　

plain　its　heathery　and　rocky　hummocks。　　There　stood　upon　it；　in　

these　days；　a　single　rude　house　of　uncemented　stones；　approached　by　

a　pier　of　wreckwood。　　It　must　have　been　very　early；　for　it　was　then　

summer；　and　in　summer；　in　that　latitude；　day　scarcely　withdraws；　

but　even　at　that　hour　the　house　was　making　a　sweet　smoke　of　peats　

which　came　to　me　over　the　bay；　and　the　bare…legged　daughters　of　the　

cotter　were　wading　by　the　pier。　　The　same　day　we　visited　the　shores　

of　the　isle　in　the　ship's　boats；　rowed　deep　into　Fiddler's　Hole；　

sounding　as　we　went；　and　having　taken　stock　of　all　possible　

accommodation；　pitched　on　the　northern　inlet　as　the　scene　of　

operations。　　For　it　was　no　accident　that　had　brought　the　lighthouse　

steamer　to　anchor　in　the　Bay　of　Earraid。　　Fifteen　miles　away　to　

seaward；　a　certain　black　rock　stood　environed　by　the　Atlantic　

rollers；　the　outpost　of　the　Torran　reefs。　　Here　was　a　tower　to　be　

built；　and　a　star　lighted；　for　the　conduct　of　seamen。　　But　as　the　

rock　was　small；　and　hard　of　access；　and　far　from　land；　the　work　

would　be　one　of　years；　and　my　father　was　now　looking　for　a　shore　

station；　where　the　stones　might　be　quarried　and　dressed；　the　men　

live；　and　the　tender；　with　some　degree　of　safety；　lie　at　anchor。



I　saw　Earraid　next　from　the　stern　thwart　of　an　Iona　lugger；　Sam　

Bough　and　I　sitting　there　cheek　by　jowl；　with　our　feet　upon　our　

baggage；　in　a　beautiful；　clear；　northern　summer　eve。　　And　behold！　

there　was　now　a　pier　of　stone；　there　were　rows　of　sheds；　railways；　

travelling…cranes；　a　street　of　cottages；　an　iron　house　for　the　

resident　engineer；　wooden　bothies　for　the　men；　a　stage　where　the　

courses　of　the　tower　were　put　together　experimentally；　and　behind　

the　settlement　a　great　gash　in　the　hillside　where　granite　was　

quarried。　　In　the　bay；　the　steamer　lay　at　her　moorings。　　All　day　

long　there　hung　about　the　place　the　music　of　chinking　tools；　and　

even　in　the　dead　of　night；　the　watchman　carried　his　lantern　to　and　

fro　in　the　dark　settlement　and　could　light　the　pipe　of　any　midnight　

muser。　　It　was；　above　all；　strange　to　see　Earraid　on　the　Sunday；　

when　the　sound　of　the　tools　ceased　and　there　fell　a　crystal　quiet。　　

All　about　the　green　compound　men　would　be　sauntering　in　their　

Sunday's　best；　walking　with　those　lax　joints　of　the　reposing　

toiler；　thoughtfully　smoking；　talking　small；　as　if　in　honour　of　the　

stillness；　or　hearkening　to　the　wailing　of　the　gulls。　　And　it　was　

strange　to　see　our　Sabbath　services；　held；　as　they　were；　in　one　of　

the　bothies；　with　Mr。　Brebner　reading　at　a　table；　and　the　

congregation　perched　about　in　the　double　tier　of　sleeping　bunks；　

and　to　hear　the　singing　of　the　psalms；　〃the　chapters；〃　the　

inevitable　Spurgeon's　sermon；　and　the　old；　eloquent　lighthouse　

prayer。



In　fine　weather；　when　by　the　spy…glass　on　the　hill　the　sea　was　

observed　to　run　low　upon　the　reef；　there　would　be　a　sound　of　

preparation　in　the　very　early　morning；　and　before　the　sun　had　risen　

from　behind　Ben　More；　the　tender　would　steam　out　of　the　bay。　　Over　

fifteen　sea…miles　of　the　great　blue　Atlantic　rollers　she　ploughed　

her　way；　trailing　at　her　tail　a　brace　of　wallowing　stone…lighters。　　

The　open　ocean　widened　upon　either　board；　and　the　hills　of　the　

mainland　began　to　go　down　on　the　horizon；　before　sh