, 1890-12-25
Bruces, TO cross the sound to the !
utterly dreary island of Mousu.

utterly ureary Island OF Mousn.
THE TOWER DESCRIBED.
The broch or tower stands at tho
southwest corner of the island, and
Is remarkable from an antiquarian
standpoint In being the largest and
finest example of the olden Pictish
towers of defense now remaining In
Europe. They are very numerous
In Northern Scotland and the Orll-
neys and Scotland. Anderson gives
sixty for Sutherlandshire, seventy
nine in Caithness, seventy In the
Orkneys and seventy-fve In Shet-
land. The Mousa tower has the ap-
pearance of a gray, ragged and
gigantic dice-box; Is built of
uncemented stones like the great
Dun Engus on the Irish Aran
Islands; IL about 100 feet in circum-
ference and 1t is still fully forty feet
high. The walls, which are about
fifteen feet thick. are really double,
| or rather consist of two concentric
circles of stone five feet thick, with
an intervening space of equal width.
This space, chumbered by making
the floor of one tier answer for the
ceiling of the next one below, light
and air only being admitted from
the open interior, contained all the
barracll accommodation the hardy
warriors of old knew how, or cared
to provide. A curious scrow-like
stone staircase, built into the inner
wall, winds around within the tower,
communicating with the tiny stone
chambers; and on the ground floor
are three large detached chambers,
fifteen feet long, ten feet high, the
width of the space between the
walls, In which are square storage
holes or ambries. Mousa
is n wondrous old relic Of
Pagan times. Its age Is certainly
1900, and perhaps 1000 years.
Strange chronicles flash along the
pages of Morse history regarding the
orgies, sieges and tragedies known
within this ancient tower; and we
can easily learn that among its other
uses 1t was held In high reputo 900
years ago by Morse lovers of noble
blood, rs n sort of impregnable
Gretna Green. Many Morse viking
has besieged the sturdy place In vain
for daughter, or sweetheart, who
has found protection, husband and
honeymoon within Its gray old
walls.
BY foot.path across the moorland
wastes it Is but seven miles to Fitful
Head. II Is the
WHITE MOUNTAIN
of the Norsemen, on account of the
luster of its slate formation. Its
highest crag rises fully 1000 feet
above the sea, but the legendary
habitation of Norma, bold, almost
detached:clifi' lifting its sea-front In
to point as sharp as II church-spire,
is not more than three-fourths that
elevation. 1t is quite accessible
after "a rough scramble, and its sides
are the haunts of myriads of sea-
fowl. Horrible indeed must be the
spot in time of storm. But when |
had accomplished the task of seal
ing its heights, nature seemed
asleep and dreaming peacefully.
Away down there below, the sea
was as calm as n Highland loch.
From the higher headland the
whole of Shetland could be
seen with glass-waste moor,
hillock, valley, glen; land
without forests, split and serrated
by the ceaseless gnawings of the
sea. Tremendous precipices rose
everywhere. Lochs and tarns
showed without copse or verdure.
Shadowy "hellyers" cut the sea-
walls where the tide Is ever at ebb
or flow. Here fishing station;
there a dreary hamlet. Yonder a
gravelly beach, with fish curers and
their sodden toll; beyond a weird
gio with u herd of seals turning
their shining sides to the low, red
sun. Over all filmy, dreamy, ten
der presence; for in the brief days
before the dark, long winter sets in,
it is ''peerie summer" in the Shet-
land isles.
EDGAR T., WALEMAN