od
earnest, that, in the still of the evening, the sound must have been
heard in all parts of the town, reechoing from the walls and lofty
turrets of the venerable Abbey of Aberbrothwick. The writer felt much
satisfaction at the manner of this parting scene, though he must own
that the present rejoicing was, on his part, mingled with occasional
reflections upon the responsibility of his situation, which extended to
the safety of all who should be engaged in this perilous work. With such
sensations he retired to his cabin; but as the artificers were rather
inclined to move about the deck than to remain in their confined berths
below, his repose was transient, and the vessel being small every motion
was necessarily heard. Some who were musically inclined occasionally
sung; but he listened with peculiar pleasure to the sailor at the helm,
who hummed over Dibdin's characteristic air:--

"They say there's a Providence sits up aloft,
To keep watch for the life of poor Jack."

Tuesday, 18th Aug.

The weather had been very gentle all night, and, about four in the
morning of the 18th, the _Smeaton_ anchored. Agreeably to an arranged
plan of operations, all hands were called at five o'clock a.m., just as
the highest part of the Bell Rock began to show its sable head among the
light breakers, which occasionally whitened with the foaming sea. The
two boats belonging to the floating light attended the _Smeaton_, to
carry the artificers to the rock, as her boat could only accommodate
about six or eight sitters. Every one was more eager than his neighbour
to leap into the boats, and it required a good deal of management on the
part of the coxswains to get men unaccustomed to a boat to take their
places for rowing and at the same time trimming her properly. The
landing-master and foreman went into one boat, while the writer took
charge of another, and steered it to and from the rock. This became the
more necessary in the early stages of the work, as places could not be
spared for more than two, or at most three, seamen to each boat, who
were always stationed, one at the bow, to use the boat-hook in fending
or pushing off, and the other at the aftermost oar, to give the proper
time in rowing, while the middle oars were double-banked, and rowed by
the artificers.

As the weather was extremely fine, with light airs of wind from the
east, we landed without difficulty upon the central part of the rock at
half-past five, but the