Year: 1874

On the afternoon Of summer day, a
small schooner yacht, closely reefed, made
her appearance off the mouth Of Loeb Uri.
Dol, long and lonely ford in the remote
Hebrides of Scotland, and while beating to
and fro in the open sea in the midst of the
squalls in the neighboring mountains,
hoisted the inverted red flag to the FORE
mast as signal that the parties on board
were in need of assistance.


1t had been dark, a dry day, with the
wind blowing fresh from the west very
steady and strong, and the yacht, tiny
thing of fifteen or sixteen tons, with y
small cockpit, had been beating since
early dawn across the tossing waters of
the Minch, which divides the dark serrated
peaks of Syke from the far-off Outer Isles.
Lightly as a bird she bounded over the
great rollers of the sea, splashing the foam
over herself from stem to stern, but sell
dom taking on board a drop of "green."
The distance across was thirty miles, and
the wind was dead ahead, so that their
progress westward was slow indeed. The
time slipped by, however; the basaltic
crags of the northwest coast of Syke grew
fainter and fainter; and the islands Of the
ocean, which at first had been scarcely
distinguishable on the horizon, had grad
ually lOomed more and more distinct
stretching in one desolate and lonely dark
ness from the high hills of Lewis past the
faint, low-lying flats of Uist, to the dark
and rocky shores which fringe the cliffs OF
Barra. Not once in the long day had the
sun actually made his appearance. The
atmosphere had been full of palpitating,
silvery light, in which the skies seemed
close to the earth, and very gray. and the
waves of the sea, where they did not
break into white foam, unusually black
and threatening. Yet it was "good
weather. safe, snug day for sailing, and
the sombre. colorless tone of all things
sea. far-off land. and sky-was not with
out its charms for those who have learned
to love the pathetic neutral tint" of the
melancholy Scottish coast.


But as evening approached, the sun
looked out from grey chasm above the
outlying hills, and shed lurid light over
the dancing sea, Illuminating to rose color
the white sails of the little yacht.


A weather-beaten Highlander. who was
steering the little vessel, cooked his eye
up to the sunset, and relinquishing the
tiller to young man who sat in the cock
pit beside him, said quietly


''She's going to give puff out o. the
west yonder, and Loeb Uribol's a terrible
place for squalls. Wen take off the fore.
sail altogether, and lot her go canine wi
mainsall, staysail and jib."


Scarcely had the speaker with the as.
sistance of another man who had been ly-
ing listlessly in the forepart of the vessel,
carried out his precaution, and taken the
foresail down, when the first sqIall from
the land came up white as foam and laid
the vessel over to the cooming of the
cockpit. Squall after squall followed,
while the light from the sunset grew every
moment of more lurid crimson, stream
ing with the wind out of great rent in
the vast mountains of cloud. The yacht
was too lightly ballasted to carry her can
vas well, and more than once the wind
struck her so savagely as to threaten to
founder her outright, the water passing
into the cockpit in one green torrent and
drenching the helsman to the skin. The
sea was comparatively smooth, however,
owing to the shelter of the hills. From
the dark precipico and distant misty glens
the squalls shot out with fury only real
liable by him who has navigated these
coasts in small vessel With the fury
of hate and strength of despair, so to speak,
they plunged one by one upon the schoon-
er like wild beasts frantically endeayor.
ing to tear her to pieces.


With a slight laugh the helsman dashed
the wet hair out of his eyes, and strained
his gaze towards the land.


(Which is the Uribol land? he cried to
the old Celt who had first spoken. "Can
you make out the mouth of the Loeb?


The old man shook his head


II know fine she lies somewhere in yon-
der," he said, "but I've never passed the
mouth. Luff, sir. luff Well put about
directly-there's nasty bit O. water fair
ahead"


The young man uttered an exclamation
expressive of impatience.


'Here, Calum, take the helm, and let
me have look at the chart"


So saying, he again resigned the tiller
to Calum, as the old man was called. and
plunging down the companion to the cab
in. soon re-emerged with the government
chart of the coast in his hand, spreading
it out on the "coach-roof" and following
the marks with his finger, he studied It
attentively, now and then glancing at the
land, while the yacht having put about,
was dashing along through squall after
squall, and coming nearer to the shore


He was a man of eight or nine and
twenty, with a rather handsome style of
face-broad, high brow, nose of the So
called Grecian sort, and proud, sarcastic
mouth, His skin was dark and tanned, as
if he had lived long in the sun of warmer
climates. He was clean shaven, all save
the upper lip, where he wore a thick flossy
moustache, very fair in color. His eyes
We're blue and very large, though he had
Il habit of contracting them very much
when he was looking at any person. In
his whole person, and in every gesture,
there was certain air that spoke the gen.
ticman by birth. His expression, never
theless, was marred by audacity and su-
percilliousness, and his laugh had not the
ringing carelessness of youth, but sound
ed hollow at times, with sort of spas
modic gayety his face did not share.


As he studied the mysterious lines OF the
chart, his face grew very black. 1t was
clear that this gentleman, whatever might
be his good qualities, possessed very
passionate temper.


why the devil did come here with
out pilot!" he exclaimed "Look here,
Calum the month of the 1orh Ia fi,ll nj