The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

Cauokt in a Ford. 213
unyoked the horse, led him up tea place of safety, dragged
up the machine, and prepared to pass the night on the
lonely islet.
My first act on getting to the rock was to place two
stones, one on the top of the other, in the spot where we
landed, that when daylight came I might ascertain where
we had been wandering for the greater part of the time we
passed in the ford. From this mark I afterwards learned
what our movements, which I have already partly
described, had been. Instead of returning south to
Benbecula, as we intended, we had proceeded in a westerly
direction towards the Atlantic, and it was into this" ocean,"
as the driver exclaimed, we had plunged. From information
I have since received from men who know the ford well,
regarding the extent of sand uncovered by water at
different stages of the tide, I conclude that we must have
been about a mile and a-half west of the rock on which
we ultimately found safety, when we encountered the sea
running in ; and as the rock was at least half-a-mile again
to the west of the guiding stones, we had wandered away
about two miles altogether over the sandy waste from the
true direction.
On getting to the rock I wrapped myself up carefully
in a heavy rug I had with me, and lay down in the shelter
of a large stone. I knew that we were perfectly safe from
the encroachment of the rising tide, and I tried to sleep,
but in vain. The roaring of the waters, the screaming of
the birds, and the sighing of the night wind " murdered
sleep." I lay there for a long time listening to these sounds
as they mingled together and varied from time to time in
pitch and intensity. Worn out by the exciting events of
the night, I felt at last dull and sleepy, and I was congratulat-
ing myself on having successfully wooed the drowsy goddess
when a deep snore near me made me turn round to see the
driver, lying a few yards from my lair, sleeping soundly.
The faithful fellow had covered the horse with the only
rug with which the conveyance was provided, and he now