ahead, however, at the first mention of
the word "race", the men forgot this incident in their anxiety to
overtake their comrades. In a few seconds both boats were going at
full speed, and they kept it up all the way to the rock.

While this was going on, the _Smeaton's_ boat was getting ready to
take the strangers on board the sloop, and just as the workmen landed
on the rock, the _Smeaton_ cast loose her sails, and proceeded to
Arbroath.

There were a few seals basking on the Bell Rock this morning when the
men landed. These at once made off, and were not again seen during
the day.

At first, seals were numerous on the rock. Frequently from fifty to
sixty of them were counted at one time, and they seemed for a good
while unwilling to forsake their old quarters, but when the forge was
set up they could stand it no longer. Some of the boldest ventured to
sun themselves there occasionally, but when the clatter of the anvil
and the wreaths of smoke became matters of daily occurrence, they
forsook the rock finally, and sought the peace and quiet which man
denied them there in other regions of the deep.

The building of the lighthouse was attended with difficulties at
every step. As a short notice of some of these, and an account of the
mode in which the great work was carried on, cannot fail to be
interesting to all who admire those engineering works which exhibit
prominently the triumph of mind over matter, we shall turn aside for
a brief space to consider this subject.

CHAPTER XIV

SOMEWHAT STATISTICAL

It has been already said that the Bell Rock rises only a few feet out
of the sea at low tide. The foundation of the tower, sunk into the
solid rock, was just three feet three inches above low water of the
lowest spring-tides, so that the lighthouse may be said with
propriety to be founded beneath the waves.

One great point that had to be determined at the commencement of the
operations was the best method of landing the stones of the building,
this being a delicate and difficult process, in consequence of the
weight of the stones and their brittle nature, especially in those
parts which were worked to a delicate edge or formed into angular
points. As the loss of a single stone, too, would stop the progress
of the work until another should be prepared at the workyard in
Arbroath and sent off to the rock, it may easily be imagined that
this matter of the landing was of the utmost importance, and that
much