rest. Indeed, I wore myself down with
continual and aimless goings and comings in the rain.

9. As soon, however, as the sun came out, I lay down on the top of
that rock to dry myself. The comfort of the sunshine is a thing I
cannot tell. It set me thinking hopefully of my deliverance, of which
I had begun to despair; and I scanned the sea and the Ross with a
fresh interest. On the south of my rock a part of the island jutted
out and hid the open ocean so that a boat could thus come quite near
me upon that side and I be none the wiser.

10. Well, all of a sudden, a coble, with a brown sail and a pair of
fishers aboard of it, came flying round that corner of the isle, bound
for Iona. I shouted out, and then fell on my knees on the rock and
prayed to them. They were near enough to hear--I could even see the
colour of their hair--and there was no doubt but they observed me, for
they cried out in the Gaelic tongue, and laughed. But the boat never
turned aside, and flew right on, before my eyes, for Iona.

11. I could not believe such wickedness, and ran along the shore from
rock to rock, crying on them piteously; even after they were out of
reach of my voice I still cried and waved to them; and when they were
quite gone I thought my heart would burst.

12. The next day (which was the fourth of this horrible life of mine)
I found my bodily strength run very low. But the sun shone, the air
was sweet, and what I managed to eat of the shellfish agreed well with
me and revived my courage.

13. I was scarce back on my rock (where I went always the first thing
after I had eaten) before I observed a boat coming down the Sound, and
with her head, as I thought, in my direction.

14. I began at once to hope and fear exceedingly; for I thought these
men might have thought better of their cruelty and be coming back to
my assistance. But another disappointment, such as yesterday's, was
more than I could bear. I turned my back accordingly upon the sea, and
did not look again till I had counted many hundreds.

15. The boat was still heading for the island. The next time I counted
the full thousand, as slowly as I could, my heart beating so as to
hurt me. And then it was out of all question. She was coming straight
to Earraid. I could no longer hold myself back, but ran to the seaside
and out, from one rock to another, as far as I could go. It is a
marvel I was not drowned; for when I was brought to a stand at last my
legs shook un