finger, and cut it so nearly
off that it was left hanging by a mere shred of skin. The poor man was
at once sent off in a fast rowing boat to Arbroath, where the finger was
removed and properly dressed. [See note 1.]

A much more serious accident occurred at another time, however, which
resulted in the death of one of the seamen belonging to the _Smeaton_.

It happened thus. The _Smeaton_ had been sent from Arbroath with a
cargo of stones one morning, and reached the rock about half-past six
o'clock a.m. The mate and one of the men, James Scott, a youth of
eighteen years of age, got into the sloop's boat to make fast the hawser
to the floating buoy of her moorings.

The tides at the time were very strong, and the mooring-chain when
sweeping the ground had caught hold of a rock or piece of wreck, by
which the chain was so shortened, that when the tide flowed the buoy got
almost under water, and little more than the ring appeared at the
surface. When the mate and Scott were in the act of making the hawser
fast to the ring, the chain got suddenly disentangled at the bottom, and
the large buoy, measuring about seven feet in length by three in
diameter in the middle, vaulted upwards with such force that it upset
the boat, which instantly filled with water. The mate with great
difficulty succeeded in getting hold of the gunwale, but Scott seemed to
have been stunned by the buoy, for he lay motionless for a few minutes
on the water, apparently unable to make any exertion to save himself,
for he did not attempt to lay hold of the oars or thwarts which floated
near him.

A boat was at once sent to the rescue, and the mate was picked up, but
Scott sank before it reached the spot.

This poor lad was a great favourite in the service, and for a time his
melancholy end cast a gloom over the little community at the Bell Rock.
The circumstances of the case were also peculiarly distressing in
reference to the boy's mother, for her husband had been for three years
past confined in a French prison, and her son had been the chief support
of the family. In order in some measure to make up to the poor woman
for the loss of the monthly aliment regularly allowed her by her lost
son, it was suggested that a younger brother of the deceased might be
taken into the service. This appeared to be a rather delicate
proposition, but it was left to the landing-master to arrange according
to circumstances. Such was the resignation, and at t