CHAPTER XIV.

SHETLAND-FAIR

ISLE-A PURPOSE OF MARRIAGE-FOULA—A RUNNING COMMENTARY ON THE LAST CHAPTER OF ECCLESIASTES.

In the early years of my service there were only three or four schools in Shetland to which an annual visit was due, and there was only one steamer a-week. I had consequently three or four days which I usually employed in visiting other schools, with a view to induce the teachers to become certificated. In 1865 two friends, the Rev. Drs Mitchell of South Leith and Elder Cumming of Glasgow, were making a cruise among the islands on business connected with the Home Mission Scheme of the Church of Scotland, and I was tempted to join them in a visit to Fair Isle, on which I had not yet set foot. It lies about midway between Orkney and Shetland. We set sail in the cutter Nelson on a perfectly beautiful morning. The wind, though fair, was extremely light, so much so that for a time we

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realised Coleridge's idea of "a painted ship upon a painted ocean." After a long sail we got near the island, and found the rocks so absolutely walllike that there seemed no spot where it was possible to land. There are, however, on the east side two little creeks towards which the captain steered. We saw a considerable number of people on the sky-line, who were evidently watching our movements with interest. When it became clear that we were making for the landing-place, there was a simultaneous rush off in different directions, and in a few minutes all but a few had disappeared. This puzzled us a good deal at the time, but was afterwards explained. The skipper rowed ashore and told those who had not scampered off that two ministers were on board the cutter on a missionary cruise among the islands, and were going to land. On his return he told us that the people had run off, thinking our vessel was a revenue cutter with an officer on board in search of possible deposits of tobacco smuggled from the Dutch fishing-boats, a number of which were then in the neighbourhood. The news that ministers and not excisemen were about to land spread like wildfire, and there was a rush of men, women, and children to the creek. Two boats were pushed off, the crew of one consisting

It

of five nice-looking boys, the other of full-grown men. They were soon alongside, and sprang on board with a not disagreeable absence of ceremony arising from eagerness and excitement. On landing we found a considerable crowd awaiting us. Singularly enough it happened to be the fast day, and the arrival of two ministers was regarded as a specially providential occurrence. They were pressed to stay over Sunday and assist the missionary in celebrating the communion. was pointed out that this was impossible; that the arrangements for visiting as many of the islands as possible were all made, and that they were quite unable to give three or four days to one island. All seemed satisfied with this statement except the missionary, who, with a persistence and earnestness strangely out of keeping with what seemed a decidedly lymphatic temperament, pressed us to stay over Sunday. This being still refused, he begged us to stay over one night at least. Thinking that he had perhaps some special reason for persisting in his request, we asked him, and got for answer that he had just thought of improving the occasion of the presence of two ministers by getting married, there being no resident minister who could tie the knot, and it might be a long time before he would have

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another opportunity. mature age of at least forty, his proposal could not be objected to on the ground of youthful indiscretion. It was, besides, an indication of spirit and activity so totally at variance with the general bearing of one, the motions of whose spirit seemed

As he had reached the

"dull as night,

And his affections dark as Erebus,"

and of such good promise, that his request was thought worthy of consideration. It was accordingly suggested that as there were to be three services in different parts of the island during that day, the proclamation could be made at each, and the marriage take place in the evening. It was not forgotten that proclamation of banns at weekday services was unusual, but the circumstances were peculiar and the emergency great. The would-be bridegroom said he was not sure that that would do.

"Hadn't you better," said one of us, "go to your bride and see what she says about it?” "Well," he replied, "I would need to see her at any rate," with a significant emphasis on the last three words.

"What, have you not spoken to her about it at all?"

"Oh no," he replied. "I was just going to ask her. I think she will marry me, but I thought it better not to ask her till I knew whether you could stay till to-morrow."

He went and saw her, and came back somewhat downcast, saying that she thought it was "awfu' sudden,"-that she had no objections to marry him provided the ministers could wait till to-morrow, but it was too hurried to be proclaimed and married on the same day. We could not wait, and, so far as I know, the poor man is still in the misery of single blessedness.

He had not been long in the island as a missionary, and was supposed to combine the duties of preacher and teacher. I can say

nothing about his

capacity, but it was

efficiency in the former

evident that in the latter

he had done nothing. I visited the schoolhouse, which had obviously been long disused. I found it dismantled, part of the roof off, three tables that had served for desks, one form whole, another broken. The sole occupant was a hen, perched comfortably on a joist over which there remained a fragment of the roof. There was abundant evidence that the building had for a long time been used as a henhouse. The parents expressed great anxiety for the resump