th Sea better far than
those that are gone. Thousands of these brave men turn at Christmas to
the M.D.S.F. flag as to the one bright link which binds them to
friendly hearts ashore, assuring them that in England's Christmas
festivities they and their like have a real part, and are no longer
forgotten.

Some facts recorded by the Rev. John Sinclair[91] illustrate the
dangers of the wild winter sea, and also set forth some

CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCES IN THE ORKNEY ISLES.

They were related to Mr. Sinclair by Mr. Traill, chief of the clan,
with whom he stayed on the occasion of his visit to the island of
Pappa Westra. The first of the two incidents was as follows:--"One
Christmas Day," says Mr. Traill, "during a heavy gale, I wrapped my
cloak about me, and started off with my telescope to walk upon the
cliffs. Coming to the other side of the island, on which the surf was
beating violently, I observed a vessel a few miles off fire a signal
of distress. I hastened to the nearest point, and with the help of my
glass perceived that she was Dutch built, and that, having lost her
rudder, she was quite unmanageable. She fired several guns at short
intervals, and my people came in large numbers to give assistance. But
the surf was so fearful that nothing could be done. No boat could have
lived a moment in such a sea. We were all utterly helpless. As the
vessel drifted towards us, I could see the whole tragedy as distinctly
as if it had been acted on the stage. Immediately below me were a
number of my fellow-creatures, now alive and in health, and in a few
moments they would all be mangled corpses. I could make out the
expression of their features, and see in what manner each was
preparing for inevitable death. But whether they climbed up into the
shrouds, or held by ropes on deck while the sea was washing over the
bulwarks, their fate was the same. The first wave lifted the vessel so
high that I almost thought it would have placed her upon the land. She
fell back, keel upwards. The next wave struck her with such terrific
force against the cliffs that she was shivered at once into a thousand
pieces; hardly two planks held together. It seemed as if she had been
made of glass. Not a soul escaped. One or two bodies, with a few
planks and casks, were all that ever reached the shore." Well might
Mr. Traill add, "I was haunted for months by the remembrance of that
heartrending sight."

The other story related by Mr. Traill shows that a