he wave receded
from the rock on which she stood trembling, with tears she exclaimed,
'Oh, Grace, if your father is lost, I'll blame a' you for this
morning's work?' And who would censure the mother under such
circumstances, especially when the fact is known, that she was left
alone on the island to witness their struggles as they crossed a pass
between the Longstone rocks and those on which the surviving sufferers
of the ill-fated 'Forfarshire' were anxiously looking out for help?
The particulars of that noble deed have already been published, but I
happen to have a newspaper account of another heroic action by the same
family, which took place in the month of December, 1834, and was thus
noticed in the 'Berwick Advertiser':--

"On Saturday night, December 27th, about eleven o'clock, the sloop
'Autumn,' of Peterhead, coal-laden, ran upon the Naestone rock, outside
the Farne Islands, and immediately sunk; the master, in endeavouring to
get the boat launched, unfortunately went down with the sloop! The
other two men (being the whole of the crew), clung to the mast and
topmast, and as the tide receded, descended the ship's deck, and
finally, about four o'clock in the morning, the rock appeared, which
they got upon, and remained there till about eight o'clock, when they
were discovered by the lighthouse-keeper, Darling, who most
providentially, having his three sons with him spending their
Christmas, got out their boat, and got alongside the rock about nine
o'clock (half an hour before it was covered by the returning tide), and
with great exertion succeeded in getting a rope thrown to one of the
men, who, having lashed himself, was dragged through the sea to the
boat; the other poor fellow, having previously died upon the fatal
rock, was left there. With very great exertions Darling and his sons
gained the lighthouse, having broken two of their oars whilst
attempting to approach the rock; and thus crippled, they got a small
sail set, but the wind being against them, they had much difficulty in
regaining the island. Very great praise is due to Darling and his sons
for their great exertions--having run a considerable risk in
approaching the rock with a heavy sea. A signal gun upon each island
where the lighthouses are, would be of very great use in cases of
accidents of this sort, when assistance could be immediately had from
North Sunderland, Bamborough, or Holy Island--for had it not been for
the circumstance of Darl