ck seemed to be peculiarly adapted
to their habits, for, excepting two or three days at neap-tides, a part
of it always dries at low water--at least, during the summer season--and
as there was good fishing-ground in the neighbourhood, without a human
being to disturb or molest them, it had become a very favourite
residence of these amphibious animals, the writer having occasionally
counted from fifty to sixty playing about the rock at a time. But when
they came to be disturbed every tide, and their seclusion was broken in
upon by the kindling of great fires, together with the beating of
hammers and picks during low water, after hovering about for a time,
they changed their place, and seldom more than one or two were to be
seen about the rock upon the more detached outlayers which dry
partially, whence they seemed to look with that sort of curiosity which
is observable in these animals when following a boat.

Saturday, 22nd Aug.

Hitherto the artificers had remained on board the _Smeaton_, which was
made fast to one of the mooring buoys at a distance only of about a
quarter of a mile from the rock, and, of course, a very great
conveniency to the work. Being so near, the seamen could never be
mistaken as to the progress of the tide, or state of the sea upon the
rock, nor could the boats be much at a loss to pull on board of the
vessel during fog, or even in very rough weather; as she could be cast
loose from her moorings at pleasure, and brought to the lee side of the
rock. But the _Smeaton_ being only about forty register tons, her
accommodations were extremely limited. It may, therefore, be easily
imagined that an addition of twenty-four persons to her own crew must
have rendered the situation of those on board rather uncomfortable. The
only place for the men's hammocks on board being in the hold, they were
unavoidably much crowded: and if the weather had required the hatches to
be fastened down, so great a number of men could not possibly have been
accommodated. To add to this evil, the _co-boose_ or cooking-place being
upon deck, it would not have been possible to have cooked for so large a
company in the event of bad weather.

The stock of water was now getting short, and some necessaries being
also wanted for the floating light, the _Smeaton_ was despatched for
Arbroath; and the writer, with the artificers, at the same time shifted
their quarters from her to the floating light.

Although the rock barely made i