Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1876-03-22

Die number. DeSOlate Handa mas lew Wis
TORS except the fowlers. Once i ship was
wrecked on the coast, and the yards tilted
over SO close to the face of the cliff rs to
enable some of the helpless sealnen to
Chamber upon lodges and into rccesseS.
How long they remained there we are not
told; but fortunately some fowlers, or II
may be some fishermen. attracted to the
spot by seeing the wreck of the vessel. cs-
pied the poor fellows and rescued them
while little life still remained.
More wild, more perious, more eXclt- !
inc even than that of IIanda, is the sea-
lowling at st. kilda. Indeed. an ordinary
lan,lsman can with difficulty conceive how
the work can be carried on. St. kilda IS
:, lonely island, eighty miles out westward
beyond Lewis and Harris, two Of the Heb
rides. Strangers seldom approach the
small iSland-il is only three miles long
by two in breadth except by IN occasion
al steamer or government cutter; but fish
crmcn from Harris venture thither in open
boats There is only one landing place,
and this is very difficult Of access; all the
rest of the coast is 4 rugged cliff from
eight hundred to 4 thousand or more feet
in height. \ few inhabitants pick up a
living on the island, partly by >ultlvating
small patches of poor land, and partly by
fowling during the summer months. y
fowling party generally consists of four
persons Each party has ut least one rope
about two hundred feet long, three y,and
Of strong raw cowhide prepared for the
purpose; it is covered with dressed sheep
skin, to save It Fl ON chatting against the
edges of the rock \ well made rope of
this kind is highly valued, and Is even be-
quca,hcd by the owner to his successor. or
given us Il dowry with his daughter. A
fowler desccnd> the face of The cliff sus-
pended by the rope, which Is held from
above by two or three men. Armed with
Il staff or pole, to one end of which is fas
tened piece of hair-linc, he proceeds 10
search for birds The h,ir-line is formed
into a sort of running moose, which he
throws over the head Of any bird sulf-
cicntly near; and by pulling it toward
him the moose tightcns upon the birds
neck and secures its capture. Sometimes,
linked to ether in couples, each with
rope fastened round his body. the fowler>
chamber along the face Of the cliff When
one is moving the other plants himself on
a ledge or shelf, obtains Il firm toothold,
and holds himself in readiness for cXigen-
cic>; if his companion slips or stumbles.
untlinching >tcadiness AMI y strong rope
can alone avert disaster. When the first
man has arrived at Il safe landing-ledgc,
he maintains firm hold while the second
follows Some authorities state that Il sin
Gle man on the top of the cliff holds and
manages the rope hv which the fowler is
suspended; bat others asstrt-and we
think with more proltblitv-that two or
more are generally cmploycd.
The COASTS of MOI way, which are in
some places more rugged and grandcr in
scale. than any of those in Scotland or the
lIcbriGe>. exhibit the characteristics of
cliff fovlinr with rrmarkablr complete
ness Mr.. Llovd, who knew Norway bet
ter than almost any other Enrli,hman,
"ivts a nral HE account Of the system
! Their. nur,u,tl. in his scandinavian Adj
yrntur,s ON some of the ma~nitirrut
cliffs tun nlo,Ir. of r,ltin.r AT ! Ilc birds
and ,l,..i,. ,,.,. .,,. ,I,,r.i from ,h,.. So,
beneath if the, h,j.ht 10 b.. climbed j, not