Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

322 MORTll P.ONA.
North Rona, even in the bosom of mother earth and the
society of the Mac Cagies. It was not too soon ; and it
had become a more difficult task than before, to bring our
boat up to the cliffs. We began to think that we must
leave our sheep behind ; for how it was to be carried
down the face of the rocks, none of us could discover.
But Kenneth had been used to this department of his
trade; and tying- the hind legs of the animal together, he
contrived to descend with it suspended round his neck ;
with the pleasing alternative of being strangled or
drowned, had his foot slipped, I made a narrow escape,
myself, of visiting the bottom of "themonstrous world," by
the sheering off of the boat as I was jumping in. I might
now have been sleeping as sound as Saturn himself.
We stood away for Barra, which lies about ten miles
to the westward. It is a double rock, rising to the height
of perhaps 300 feet above the water, and is not habita-
ble : so much for common fame. There are two cairns on
it, erected by the men who are sent in the season to col-
lect the feathers, as it is one of the great resorts of the
gannet. To the northward, it is grassy and sloping, but
the southern face is precipitous. It is also known by the
name of Sulisker, the sail rock. The sea ran so high on
it that we found it impossible, even to attempt landing,
and therefore bore up for Lewis ;
proud of the success of
an expedition of which we had so long despaired. As to
the North Rona cheeses, they were worth a voyage to
North Rona. But I hope somebody will explain how it
happened that, having been taken in the state of curd out
of the salt water, and placed straightway in new casks
just out of the cooper's hands, with all the seams well
pitched, they were half devoured by mites when they ar-
rived at their destination. The spontaneous-generationmen
will find no difficulty ; and assuredly this is as much
like it as any case that could well be imagined.