The Story of the Rock, by R. M. Ballantyne. 

________________________________________________________________________In this book Ballantyne has brilliantly woven the story of a family thatworked on the building of the Eddystone lighthouse, with the story ofthe actual building. Three successive attempts were made to build alighthouse on this dangerous rock which lies several miles off the southcoast of Devon, and on which so many fine ships making their way up theEnglish Channel to the North Sea ports of Europe had been wrecked. 

The first attempt was made in the early years of the eighteenth century, but that lighthouse did not last long. The second was made by Rudyerd, and was very well made and strong, but its upperworks were made oftimber, and the whole thing was destroyed by fire, after having shown alight for over a third of a century. There was an amusing episodeduring the construction of the Rudyerd lighthouse when a French warshiptook all the construction workers prisoner, and made off with them toFrance. Luckily Louis, the King of France, heard of this and was quiteincensed, ordering the British prisoners to be released and treated ashospitably as possible, while the captain of the warship was to be castinto the prison. 

The final construction was by a mathematical instrument maker, of allpeople, called Smeaton. His lighthouse was even more soundly foundedthan even Rudyerd's had been, and he used the fact that stone is heavierthan timber to add weight to the building, thus rendering it moreresistant to the forces of wind and water. It was not only succesful asa lighthouse, but it has lasted to this day, well over two centuries, and has ever since it was completed been a highly-regarded example ofthe art of lighthouse building. 

________________________________________________________________________THE STORY OF THE ROCK, BY R. M. BALLANTYNE. 

CHAPTER ONE. 

WRECK OF WINSTANLEY'S LIGHTHOUSE. 

"At mischief again, of course: always at it. "

Mrs Potter said this angrily, and with much emphasis, as she seized herson by the arm and dragged him out of a pool of dirty water, into whichhe had tumbled. 

"Always at mischief of one sort or another, he is, " continued MrsPotter, with increasing wrath, "morning, noon, and night--he is;tumblin' about an' smashin' things for ever he does; he'll break myheart at last--he will. There: take that!"

"That, " which poor little Tommy was desired to take, was a sounding boxon the ear, accompanied by a violent shake of the arm which would havedrawn that limb out of its socket if the child's bones and muscles hadnot been very tightly strung together. 

Mrs Potter was a woman of large body and small brain. In respect ofreasoning power, she was little better than the wooden cuckoo which cameout periodically from the interior of the clock that stood over her ownfireplace and announced the hours. She entertained settled convictionson a few subjects, in regard to which she resembled a musical box. Ifyou set her going on any of these, she would harp away until she hadplayed the tune out, and then begin over again; but she never varied. Reasons, however good, or facts, however weighty, were utterly powerlessto penetrate her skull: her "settled convictions" were not to beunsettled by any such means. Men might change their minds; philosophersmight see fit to alter their opinions; weaklings of both sexes and allages might trim their sails in accordance with the gales of advancingknowledge, but Mrs Potter--no: never! _her_ colours were nailed to themast. Like most people who unite a strong will with an empty head, shewas "wiser in her own conceit than eleven men that can render a reason:"in brief, she was obstinate. 

One of her settled convictions was that her little son Tommy was "asfull of mischief as a hegg is full of meat. " Another of theseconvictions was that children of all ages are tough; that it does themgood to pull them about in a violent manner, at the risk even ofdislocating their joints. It mattered nothing to Mrs Potter that manyof her female friends and acquaintances held a different opinion. Someof these friends suggested to her that the hearts of the poor littlethings were tender, as well as their muscles and bones and sinews; thatchildren were delicate flowers, or rather buds, which required carefultending and gentle nursing. Mrs Potter's reply was invariably, "Fiddlesticks!" she knew better. They were obstinate and self-willedlittle brats that required constant banging. She knew how to train 'emup, she did; and it was of no manner of use, it wasn't, to talk to _her_upon that point. 

She was right. It was of no use. As well might one have talked to thewooden cuckoo, already referred to, in Mrs Potter's timepiece. 

"Come, Martha, " said a tall, broad-shouldered, deep-voiced man at herelbow, "don't wop the poor cheeld like that. What has he been doin'--"

Mrs Potter turned to her husband with a half angry, half ashamedglance. 

"Just look at 'im, John, " she replied, pointing to the small culprit, who stood looking guilty and drenched with muddy water from hands toshoulders and toes to nose. "Look at 'im: see what mischief he's alwaysgittin' into. "

John, whose dress bespoke him an artisan, and whose grave earnest facebetokened him a kind husband and a loving father, said:--

"Tumblin' into dirty water ain't necessarily mischief. Come, lad, speakup for yourself. How did it happen--"

"I felled into the water when I wos layin' the foundations, faither, "replied the boy; pointing to a small pool, in the centre of which lay apile of bricks. 

"What sort o' foundations d'ye mean, boy?"

"The light'ouse on the Eddystun, " replied the child, with sparklingeyes. 

The man smiled, and looked at his son with interest. 

"That's a brave boy, " he said, quietly patting the child's head. "Get'ee into th'ouse, Tommy, an' I'll show 'ee the right way to lay thefoundations o' the Eddystun after supper. Come, Martha, " he added, ashe walked beside his wife to their dwelling near Plymouth Docks, "don'tbe so hard on the cheeld; it's not mischief that ails him. It'sengineerin' that he's hankerin' after. Depend upon it, that if he isspared to grow up he'll be a credit to us. "

Mrs Potter, being "of the same opinion still, " felt inclined to say"Fiddlesticks!" but she was a good soul, although somewhat highly spicedin the temper, and respected her husband sufficiently to hold hertongue. 

"John;" she said, after a short silence, "you're late to-night. "

"Yes, " answered John, with a sigh. "My work at the docks has come to anend, an' Mr Winstanley has got all the men he requires for the repairof the light'ouse. I saw him just before he went off to the rockto-night, an' I offered to engage, but he said he didn't want me. "

"What?" exclaimed Mrs Potter, with sudden indignation: "didn't wantyou--you who has served 'im, off an' on, at that light'ouse for the lastsix year an' more while it wor a buildin'! Ah, that's gratitood, thatis; that's the way some folk shows wot their consciences is made of;treats you like a pair of old shoes, they does, an' casts you off w'enyou're not wanted: hah!"

Mrs Potter entered her dwelling as she spoke, and banged the doorviolently by way of giving emphasis to her remark. 

"Don't be cross, old girl, " said John, patting her shoulder: "I hope_you_ won't cast me off like a pair of old shoes when you're tired ofme! But, after all, I have no reason to complain. You know I have laidby a good lump of money while I was at work on the Eddystone; besides, we can't expect men to engage us when they don't require us; and if Ihad got employed, it would not have bin for long, being only a matter ofrepairs. Mr Winstanley made a strange speech, by the way, as the boatwas shoving off with his men. I was standin' close by when a friend o'his came up an' said he thowt the light'ouse was in a bad way an'couldn't last long. Mr Winstanley, who is uncommon sure o' thestrength of his work, he replies, says he--`I only wish to be there inthe greatest storm that ever blew under the face of heaven, to see whatthe effect will be. ' Them's his very words, an'it did seem to me anawful wish--all the more that the sky looked at the time very like as ifdirty weather was brewin' up somewhere. "

"I 'ope he may 'ave 'is wish, " said Mrs Potter firmly, "an' that thewaves may--"

"Martha!" said John, in a solemn voice, holding up his finger, "thinkwhat you're sayin'. "

"Well, I don't mean no ill; but, but--fetch the kettle, Tommy, d'yehear? an' let alone the cat's tail, you mischievous little--"

"That's a smart boy, " exclaimed John rising and catching the kettle fromhis son's and, just as he was on the point of tumbling over a stool:"there, now let's all have a jolly supper, and then, Tommy, I'll showyou how the real foundation of the Eddystun was laid. "

The building to which John Potter referred, and of which he gave agraphic account and made a careful drawing that night, for the benefitof his hopeful son, was the _first_ lighthouse that was built on thewild and almost submerged reef of rocks lying about fourteen miles tothe south-west of Plymouth harbour. The highest part of this reef, named the Eddystone, is only a few feet above water at high tide, and asit lies in deep water exposed to the full swell of the ocean, the ragingof the sea over it in stormy weather is terrible beyond conception. 

Lying as it does in the track of vessels coasting up and down theEnglish Channel, it was, as we may easily believe, a source of terror, as well as of danger, to mariners, until a lighthouse was built upon it. 

But a lighthouse was talked of long before any attempt was made to erectone. Important though this object was to the navies of the world, thesupposed impossibility of the feat, and the danger apprehended in themere attempt, deterred any one from undertaking the task until the year1696, when a country gentleman of Essex, named Henry Winstanley, cameforward, and, having obtained the necessary legal powers, began thegreat work of building on the wave-lashed rock. 

Winstanley was an eccentric as well as a bold man. He undoubtedlypossessed an ingenious mechanical mind, which displayed itself very muchin practical joking. It is said of him that he made a machine, thespring of which was attached to an old slipper, which lay (apparently bychance) on the floor of his bedroom. If a visitor kicked this out ofhis way, a phantom instantly arose from the floor! He also constructeda chair which seized every one who sat down in it with its arms, andheld them fast; and in his garden he had an arbour which went afloat ina neighbouring canal when any one entered it! As might have beenexpected, Winstanley's lighthouse was a curious affair, not well adaptedto withstand the fury of the waves. It was highly ornamented, andresembled a Chinese pagoda much more than a lighthouse. Nevertheless itmust be said to the credit of this bold man, that after facing andovercoming, during six years, difficulties and dangers which up to thattime had not been heard of, he finished his lighthouse, proved herebythe possibility of that which had been previously deemed impossible, andgave to mankind a noble example of enterprise, daring, and perseverance. 

Our friend John Potter had, from the commencement, rendered ableassistance in the dangerous work as a stone cutter, and he could nothelp feeling as if he had been deserted by an old friend that night whenthe boat went off to the rock without him. 

It was in November 1703, when Winstanley expressed the wish that hemight experience, in his lighthouse, the greatest storm that ever blew. On the 26th of that month his wish was granted! That night there aroseone of the fiercest gales that ever strewed our shores with wrecks andcorpses. The day before the storm, there were indications of itsapproach, so John Potter went down to the shore to look with someanxiety at the lighthouse. There it stood, as the sun went down, like astar on the horizon, glimmering above the waste of foaming water. Whenthe dark pall and the driving sprays of that terrible night hid it fromview, John turned his back on the sea and sought the shelter of hishumble home. 

It was a cheery home though a poor one, for Mrs Potter was a goodhousewife, despite her sharp temper; and the threatening aspect of theweather had subdued her somewhat. 

"You wouldn't like to be a lighthouse-keeper on a night like this, John, would you?" asked Mrs Potter, as she busied herself with supper. 

"May be not: but I would be content to take things as they are sent. Anyhow, I mean to apply for the situation, because I like the notion ofthe quiet life, and the wage will be good as well as sure, which will bea matter of comfort to you, old girl. You often complain, you know, ofthe uncertainty of my present employment. "

"Ay, but I'd rather 'ave that uncertainty than see you run the risk ofbein' drownded in a light'ouse, " said Mrs Potter, glancing uneasily atthe window, which rattled violently as the fury of the gale increased. 

"Oh, faither, " exclaimed Tommy, pausing with a potato halfway to hismouth, as he listened partly in delight and partly in dread to theturmoil without: "I wish I was a man that I might go with 'ee to live inthe light'ouse. Wot fun it would be to hear the gale roarin' out_there_, an' to see the big waves _so close_, an' to feel the houseshake, and--oh!"

The last syllable expressed partly his inability to say more, and partlyhis horror at seeing the fire blown almost into the room!

For some time past the smoke had poured down the chimney, but the lastburst convinced John Potter that it was high time to extinguish the firealtogether. 

This accomplished, he took down an old family Bible from a shelf, andhad worship, for he was a man who feared and loved God. Earnestly didhe pray, for he had a son in the coasting trade whom he knew to be outupon the raging sea that night, and he did not forget his friends uponthe Eddystone Rock. 

"Get thee to bed, lass, " he said when he had concluded. "I'll sit upan' read the word. My eyes could not close this night. "

Poor Mrs Potter meekly obeyed. How strangely the weather had changedher! Even her enemies--and she had many--would have said there was somegood in her after all, if they had seen her with a tear trickling downher ruddy cheek as she thought of her sailor boy. 

Day broke at last. The gale still raged with an excess of fury that wasabsolutely appalling. John Potter wrapped himself in a tarpaulin coatand sou'wester preparatory to going out. 

"I'll go with 'ee, John, " said his wife, touching him on the shoulder. 

"You couldn't face it, Martha, " said John. "I thowt ye had bin asleep. "

"No: I've bin thinkin' of our dear boy. I can face it well enough. "

"Come, then: but wrap well up. Let Tommy come too: I see he's gettin'ready. "

Presently the three went out. The door almost burst off its hinges whenit was opened, and it required John's utmost strength to reclose it. 

Numbers of people, chiefly men, were already hurrying to the beach. Clouds of foam and salt spray were whirled madly in the air, and, carried far inland, and slates and cans were dashing on the pavements. Men tried to say to each other that they had never seen such a storm, but the gale caught their voices; away, and seemed to mingle them all upin one prolonged roar. On gaining the beach they could see nothing atfirst but the heavings of the maddened sea, whose billows mingled theirthunders with the wind. Sand, gravel, and spray almost blinded them, but as daylight increased they caught glimpses of the foam above therock. 

"God help us!" said John, solemnly, as he and his wife and child soughtshelter under the lee of a wall: "_the light'ouse is gone_!"

It was too true. The Eddystone lighthouse had been swept completelyaway, with the unfortunate Winstanley and all his men: not a vestige, save a fragment of chain-cable, remained on the fatal rock to tell thatsuch a building had ever been. 

CHAPTER TWO. 

BEGINNING OF RUDYERD'S LIGHTHOUSE. 

The terrible gale which swept away the first lighthouse that was builton the Eddystone Rock, gave ample proof of the evils resulting from thewant of such a building. Just after the structure fell, a vessel, namedthe "Winchelsea, " homeward bound, approached the dreaded rock. Trusting, doubtless, to the light which had been destroyed so recently, she held on her course, struck, split in two, and went down with everysoul on board. 

The necessity for building another tower was thus made; as it were, urgently obvious; nevertheless, nearly four years elapsed before any onewas found with sufficient courage and capacity to attempt the dangerousand difficult enterprise. 

During this period, our friend John Potter, being a steady, able man, found plenty of work at the docks of Plymouth; but he often cast awistful glance in the direction of "the Rock" and sighed to think of thetower that had perished, and the numerous wrecks that had occurred inconsequence; for, not only had some vessels struck on the Rock itself, but others, keeping too far off its dreaded locality, were wrecked onthe coast of France. John Potter's sigh, it must be confessed, was alsoprompted, in part, by the thought that his dreams of a retired andpeaceful life as a light-keeper were now destined never to be realised. 

Returning home one evening, somewhat wearied, he flung his huge frameinto a stout arm chair by the fireside, and exclaimed, "Heigho!"

"Deary me, John, what ails you to-night?" asked the faithful Martha, whowas, as of yore, busy with the supper. 

"Nothin' partikler, Martha; only I've had a hard day of it, an I'm gladto sit down. Was Isaac Dorkin here to-day?"

"No, 'e wasn't. I wonder you keep company with that man, " replied MrsPotter, testily; "he's for ever quarrelling with 'ee, John. "

"No doubt he is, Martha; but we always make it up again; an' it don't dofor a man to give up his comrades just because they have sharp words nowand then. Why, old girl, you and I are always havin' a spurt o' thatsort off and on; yet I don't ever talk of leavin' ye on that account. "

To this Martha replied, "Fiddlesticks;" and said that she didn't believein the friendship of people who were always fighting and making it upagain; that for her part she would rather have no friends at all, shewouldn't; and that she had a settled conviction, she had, that IsaacDorkin would come to a bad end at last. 

"I hope not, Martha; but in the meantime he has bin the means of gettin'me some work to do that is quite to my liking. "

"What may that be, John?" asked Mrs Potter in surprise. 

"I'll tell you when we're at supper, " said John with a smile; for heknew from experience that his better half was in a fitter state toswallow unpleasant news when engaged in swallowing her meals than at anyother time. 

"Where is Tommy?" he added, looking round at the quantity of chips whichlittered the floor. 

"Where is 'e?" repeated Mrs Potter, in a tone of indignation. "Wherewould you expect 'im to be but after mischief? 'E's at the mod'l, ofcourse; always at it; never at hanythingk else a'most. "

"No!" exclaimed John, in affected surprise. "Wasn't he at schoolto-day?"

"O yes, of course 'e was at school. "

"An' did he git his lessons for to-morrow after comin' 'ome?"

"I suppose 'e did. "

"Ah then, he does something else _sometimes_, eh?"

Mrs Potter's reply was interrupted by Tommy himself emerging from acloset, which formed his workshop and in which he was at that time busywith a model of Winstanley's lighthouse, executed from the drawings anddescriptions by his father, improved by his own brilliant fancy. 

Four years make a marked difference on a boy in the early stage of life. He was now nearly ten, and well grown, both intellectually andphysically, for his age. 

"Well, Tommy, how d'ee git on wi' the light-'ouse?" asked his father. 

"Pretty well, faither: but it seems to me that Mr Winstanley had toomany stickin'-out poles, an' curlywurleys, an' things o' that sort aboutit. "

"Listen to that now, " said Mrs Potter, with a look of contempt, as theyall sat down to supper: "what ever does the boy mean by curlywurleys?"

"You've seed Isaac Dorkin's nose, mother?"

"Of course I 'ave: what then?"

"Well, it goes in at the top and out at the middle and curls up at theend: that's curlywurley, " said Tommy, with a grin, as he helped himselfto a large potato. 

"The boy is right, Martha, " said John, laughing, "for a lighthouseshould be as round an' as smooth as a ship's bow, with nothin' for windor water to lay hold on. But now I'll tell 'ee of this noo situation. "

Both mother and son looked inquiringly up, but did not speak, being toobusy and hungry. 

"Well, this is how it came about. I met Isaac Dorkin on my way to thedocks this mornin', an' he says to me, says he, `John, I met a gentlemanwho is makin' very partikler inquiries about the Eddystone Rock: hisname he says is Rudyerd, and he wants to hire a lot o' first-rate men tobegin a new--'"

"A noo light'ouse!" exclaimed Mrs Potter, with sudden energy, bringingher fist down on the table with such force that the dishes rattledagain. "I know'd it: I did. I've 'ad a settled conviction that if everthey begun to put up another 'ouse on that there rock, you would 'aveyour finger in it! And now it'll be the old story over again: out inall weathers, gettin' yer limbs bruised, if yer neck ain't broke; comin''ome like a drownded rat, no regular hours or meals! Oh John, John!"

Mrs Potter stopped at this point to recover breath and make up her mindwhether to storm or weep. Heaving a deep sigh she did neither, but wenton with her supper in sad silence. 

"Don't take on like that, duckey, " said John, stretching his long armacross the table and patting his wife's shoulder. "It won't be so badas that comes to, and it will bring steady work, besides lots o' money. "

"Go on with the story, faither, " said Tommy, through a potato, while hiseyes glittered with excitement. 

"It ain't a story, lad. However, to make it short I may come to thepint at once. Isaac got engaged himself and mentioned my name to MrRudyerd, who took the trouble to ferret me out in the docks and--and infact engaged me for the work, which is to begin next week. "

"Capital!" exclaimed Tommy. "Oh, how I wish I was old enough to gotoo!"

"Time enough, lad: every dog shall have his day, as the proverb says. "

Mrs Potter said nothing, but sighed, and sought comfort in another cupof tea. 

Meanwhile John continued his talk in an easy, off hand sort of way, between bite. 

"This Mr Rudyerd, you must know (pass the loaf, Tommy: thank 'ee), is aCornish man--and fine, straightforward, go-ahead fellows them Cornishmen are, though I'm not one myself. Ah, you needn't turn up your prettynose, Mrs Potter; I would rather have bin born in Cornwall than anyother county in England, if I'd had my choice. Howsever, that ain'tpossible now. Well, it seems that Mr Rudyerd is a remarkable sort ofman. He came of poor an' dishonest parents, from whom he runned away inhis young days, an' got employed by a Plymouth gentleman, who became atrue father to him, and got him a good edication in readin', writin', an' mathematics. Ah, Tommy, my son, many a time have I had cause for toregret that nobody gave me a good edication!"

"Fiddlesticks!" exclaimed Mrs Potter, rousing up at this. "You've gotedication enough for your station in life, and a deal more than most menin the same trade. You oughtn't for to undervally yourself, John. I'dback you against all your acquaintance in the matter of edication, Iwould, so don't talk any more nonsense like that. "

Mrs Potter concluded by emphatically stabbing a potato with her fork, and beginning to peel it. 

John smiled sadly and shook his head, but he was too wise a man tooppose his wife on such a point. 

"However, Tommy, " he continued, "I'll not let _you_ have the sameregrets in after life, my son: God helping me, you shall have a good;edication. Well, as I was sayin', John Rudyerd the runaway boy becameMister Rudyerd the silk-mercer on Ludgate Hill, London, and now he'sgoin' to build a noo light'ouse on the Eddystun. "

"He'd do better to mind his shop, " said Mrs Potter. 

"He must be a strange man, " observed Tommy, "to be both a silk-mercerand an engineer. "

Tommy was right: Mr Rudyerd was indeed a strange man, for thelighthouse which he ultimately erected on the Eddystone Rock provedthat, although not a professional engineer, and although he neverattempted any other great work of the kind, he nevertheless possessedengineering talent of the highest order: a fact which must of coursehave been known to Captain Lovet, the gentleman who selected him for thearduous undertaking. 

The corporation of the Trinity House, who managed the lighthouses on theEnglish coast, had let the right to build on the Eddystone, for a periodof 99 years, to this Captain Lovet, who appointed Mr Rudyerd to do thework. 

It was a clear calm morning in July 1706 when the boat put off for thefirst time to "the Rock, " with the men and materials for commencing thelighthouse. Our friend John Potter sat at the helm. Opposite to himsat his testy friend, Isaac Dorkin, pulling the stroke oar. Mr Rudyerdand his two assistant engineers sat on either hand, conversing on thesubject that filled the thoughts of all. It was a long hard pull, evenon a calm day, but stout oars and strong arms soon carried them out tothe rock. Being low water at the time, a good deal of it was visible, besides several jagged peaks of the black forbidding ridge of which theEddystone forms a part. 

But calm though it was, the party could plainly see that the work beforethem would be both difficult and dangerous. A slight swell from theopen sea caused a long smooth glassy wave to roll solemnly forward everyminute or two, and launch itself in thunder on the weather side, sendingits spray right over the rock at times, so that a landing on that sidewould have been impossible. On the lee side, however, the boat found asort of temporary harbour. Here they landed, but not altogether withoutmishap. Isaac Dorkin, who had made himself conspicuous, during the rowout, for caustic remarks, and a tendency to contradict, slipped his footon a piece of seaweed and fell into the water, to the great glee of mostof his comrades. 

"Ah, then, sarves you right, " cried Teddy Maroon, a little Irishman, oneof the joiners. 

The others laughed, and so did John Potter; but he also stretched out ahelping hand and pulled Dorkin out of the sea. 

This little incident tended to increase the spirits of the party as theycommenced preliminary operations. 

The form of the little mass of rock on which they had to build was veryunfavourable. Not only was it small--so small that the largest circlewhich it was possible to draw on it was only twenty-five feet six inchesin diameter, but its surface sloped so much as to afford a very insecurefoundation for any sort of building, even if the situation had been anunexposed one. 

The former builder, Winstanley, had overcome this difficulty byfastening a circle of strong iron posts into the solid rock, but theweight of his building, coupled with the force of the sea, had snappedthese, and thus left the structure literally to slide off itsfoundation. The ends of these iron posts, and a bit of chain firmlyimbedded in a cleft of the rock, were all that the new party of buildersfound remaining of the old lighthouse. Rudyerd determined to guardagainst a similar catastrophe, by cutting the rock into a succession offlat steps or terraces, so that the weight of his structure should restperpendicularly on its foundation. 

Stormy weather interrupted and delayed him, but he returned with his menagain and again to the work, and succeeded in advancing it veryconsiderably during the first year--that is to say, during the few weeksof the summer of that year, in which winds and waves permitted the workto go on. 

Many adventures, both ludicrous and thrilling, had these enterprisingmen while they toiled, by snatches as it were, sometimes almost underwater, and always under difficulties; but we are constrained to passthese by, in silence, in order to devote our space to the more importantand stirring incidents in the history of this the second lighthouse onthe Eddystone, --one of which incidents bade fair to check the progressof the building for an indefinite period of time, and well-nigh broughtthe career of our hero, John Potter, and his mates to an abrupt close. 

CHAPTER THREE. 

A VIOLENT INTERRUPTION. 

The incident referred to in our last chapter occurred on the afternoonof a calm summer day. Early that morning, shortly after daybreak, MrRudyerd, with his engineers and workmen, put off in the boat to resumeoperations on the rock after a lapse of nearly a week, during whichperiod rough weather had stopped the work. They landed withoutdifficulty, the calm being so complete that there was only a little seacaused by the heavy swell on the south-west side of the Eddystone Rock, the leeside being as quiet as a pond. 

"It's not often we have weather like this sir, " observed John Potter toMr Rudyerd, as the heavily-laden boat approached the landing place. 

"True, John; a few weeks like this would enable us almost to completethe courses, " replied the engineer. "Easy, lads, easy! If you run herup so fast you'll stave in the planks. Stand by with the fender, Teddy!"

"Ay, ay, sir!" cried the man, springing up and seizing a stuffed canvasball, which he swung over the gunwale just in time to prevent the boat'sside from grazing the rock. "There now: jump out wi' the painter; manalive!" said Teddy, addressing himself to Isaac Dorkin, who wasnaturally slow in his movements, "you'll go souse between the boat an'the rock av ye don't be smarter nor that. "

Dorkin made some grumbling reply as he stepped upon the rock, andfastened the painter to a ring-bolt. His comrades sprang after him, andwhile some began to heave the tools from the boat, others busiedthemselves round the base of the column, which had by that time risen toa considerable height. It looked massive enough to bid defiance to windand waves, however fierce their fury. Some such thought must havepassed through Mr Rudyerd's mind just then, for a satisfied smilelighted up his usually grave features as he directed the men to arrangethe tackle of the crane, by which the stones were to be removed from theboat to their place on the building. They were all quickly at work; forthey knew from experience how suddenly their operations might be cutshort by a gale. 

In order that the reader may fully understand the details of the eventwhich occurred that afternoon, it is necessary that he should know thenature of the structure, and the height to which, at that time, it hadproceeded; and while we are on the subject, we may as well state a fewfacts connected with the foundation and superstructure, which cannotfail to interest all who take pleasure in contemplating man's efforts toovercome almost insuperable difficulties. 

As we have said, the sloping foundation of the building was cut into aseries of terraces or steps. There were seven of these. The firstoperation was the cutting of thirty-six holes in the solid rock, intowhich iron hold-fasts were securely fixed. The cutting of these holesor sockets was ingeniously managed. First, three small holes weredrilled into the rock; and then these were broken into one large hole, which was afterwards smoothed, enlarged, and _undercut_, so as to be ofdovetail form; the size of each being 7 and a half inches broad and 2and a half inches wide at the top, and an inch broader at the bottom. They were about sixteen inches deep. Thirty-six massive malleable ironhold-fasts were then inserted, and wedged into the places thus preparedfor them, besides being filled up with lead, so that no force of anykind could draw them out. The next proceeding was to place beams ofsolid oak timber, lengthwise, on the first _step_, thus bringing itlevel with the second step. Timbers of the same kind were then placedabove and across these, bringing the level up to the third step. Thenext "course" of timbers was again laid, lengthwise, bringing the levelto the fourth step, and so on to the seventh, above which two completelycircular timber courses were laid, thus making a perfectly flat andsolid foundation on which the remainder of the column might rest. Thebuilding, therefore, had no tendency to slide, even although it had notbeen held in its place by the thirty-six hold-fasts before mentioned. In addition to this, the various courses of timber were fastened to therock and to each other by means of numerous iron cramps and bolts, andwooden trenails. 

It was well known to Mr Rudyerd, however, that it was not possible tofit his timbers so perfectly to the rock and to each other as to excludewater altogether; and that if the water should manage to find entrance, it would exert a tremendous lifting power, which, coupled with theweight of the falling billows, would be apt to sweep his foundationaway. He resolved, therefore, to counteract this by means of _weight_;and, in order to do this, he next piled five courses of Cornishmoor-stone above the timber courses. The stones were huge blocks, which, when laid and fastened in one solid stratum, weighed 120 tons. They were not laid in cement; but each block was fastened to its fellowby joints and similar to the first. The whole of this fabric was builtround a strong central mast or pole, which rose from the rock. The twotimber courses above described terminated the "solid" part of thelighthouse. It rose to the height of about fourteen feet from the rock, at the centre of the building. 

At this point in the structure; namely, at the top of the "solid, " thedoor was begun on the east side; and a central "well-hole" was left, where the stair leading to the rooms above was ultimately built. Thedoor itself was reached by a strong iron stair of open work, outside, through which the sea could easily wash. 

After the solid was completed, other five courses of moor-stone werelaid, which weighed about eighty-six tons. It was in these that thedoor-way and well-hole were made. Two more courses of wood followed, covering the door-head; and on these, four more courses of stone, weighing sixty-seven tons; then several courses of timber, with a floorof oak plank, three inches thick, over all, forming the floor of thefirst apartment, which was the store-room. This first floor wasthirty-three feet above the rock. 

The upper part of the column, containing its four rooms, was by no meansso strong as the lower part, being composed chiefly of the timberuprights in which the building was encased from top to bottom. Theseuprights, numbering seventy-one, were massive beams; about a foot broadand nine inches thick at the bottom, and diminishing towards the top. Their seams were caulked like those of a ship, and they gave to thelighthouse when finished the appearance of an elegant fluted column. The top of the column, on which rested the lantern, rose, when finished, to about sixty-three feet above the highest part of the rock. 

We have thought proper to give these details in this place, but at thetime of which we write, none of the outside timbers had been set up, andthe edifice had only reached that point immediately above the "solid, "where the doorway and the "well-hole" began. Here a large crane hadbeen fixed, and two of the men were up there working the windlass, bywhich the heavy blocks of moor-stone were raised to their places. 

The signal had been given to hoist one of these, when Isaac Dorkin, whostood beside the stone, suddenly uttered a loud cry, and shouted, "holdon! Ease off up there! Hold o-o-on! D'ye hear?"

"Arrah! howld yer noise, an' I'll hear better, " cried Teddy Maroon, looking over the top edge of the lighthouse. 

"My thumb's caught i' the chain!" yelled Dorkin. "Ease it off. "

"Och! poor thing, " exclaimed Teddy, springing back and casting loose thechain. "Are ye aisy now?" he cried, again looking down at his friend. 

"All right: hoist away!" shouted Stobbs, another of the men, who couldscarce refrain from laughing at the rueful countenance of his comrade ashe surveyed his crushed thumb. 

Up went the stone, and while it was ascending some of the men broughtforward another to follow it. 

"There comes the boat, " observed Mr Rudyerd to one of his assistantengineers, as he shut up a pocket telescope with which he had beensurveying the distant shore. "I find it necessary to leave you to-day, Mr Franks, rather earlier than usual; but that matters little, asthings are going smoothly here. See that you keep the men at work aslong as possible. If the swell that is beginning to rise shouldincrease, it may compel you to knock off before dark, but I hope itwon't. "

"It would be well, sir, I think, " said Franks, "to make John Potteroverseer in place of Williamson; he is a better and steadier man. Ifyou have no objection--"

"None in the least, " replied Rudyerd. "I have thought of promotingPotter for some time past. Make the change by all means. "

"Please, sir, " said Williamson, approaching at that moment, "I've justbeen at the top of the building an' observed a French schooner bearingdown from the south-west. "

"Well, what of that?" demanded Rudyerd. 

"Why, sir, " said Williamson with some hesitation in his manner, "p'rapsit's a man-of-war, sir. "

"And if it be so, what then?" said Rudyerd with a smile; "you don'tsuppose they'll fire a broadside at an unfinished lighthouse, do you? orare you afraid they'll take the Eddystone Rock in tow, and carry youinto a French port?"

"I don't know, sir, " replied Williamson with an offended look; "I onlythought that as we are at war with France just now, it was my duty toreport what I had seen. "

"Quite right, quite right, " replied Rudyerd, good-humouredly, "I'llrecord the fact in our journal. Meanwhile see that the men don't havetheir attention taken up with it. "

By this time the small boat, which the chief engineer had ordered tocome off to take him on shore, was alongside the rock. The swell hadrisen so much that although there was not a breath of wind, the surf wasbeating violently on the south-west side, and even in the shelterednook, which was styled by courtesy the harbour, there was sufficientcommotion to render care in fending off with the boat-hook necessary. Meanwhile the men wrought like tigers, taking no note of their chief'sdeparture--all, except Williamson, being either ignorant of, orindifferent to, the gradual approach of the French schooner, whichdrifted slowly towards them with the tide. 

Thus work and time went on quietly. Towards the afternoon, Teddy Maroonwiped the perspiration from his heated brow and looked abroad upon thesea, while the large hook of his crane was descending for another stone. An expression of intense earnestness wrinkled his visage as he turnedsuddenly to Stobbs, his companion at the windlass, and exclaimed:--

"Sure that's a Frenchman over there. "

"That's wot it is, Ted, an' no mistake, " said Stobbs. "I had a'mostforgot about the war and the Mounseers. "

"Ah then, it's not goin' to attack us ye are, is it? Never!" exclaimedTeddy in surprise, observing that two boats had been lowered from theschooner's davits into which men were crowding. 

The question was answered in a way that could not be misunderstood. Apuff of white smoke burst from the vessel's side, and a cannon shot wentskipping over the sea close past the lighthouse, at the same time theFrench flag was run up and the two boats, pushing off, made straight forthe rock. 

Teddy and his comrade ran down to the foot of the building, where theother men were arming themselves hastily with crowbars and large chipsof stone. Marshalling the men together, the assistant engineer, who wasa fiery little fellow, explained to them how they ought to act. 

"My lads, " said he, "the surf has become so strong, by good luck, thatit is likely to capsize the enemy's boats before they get here. Inwhich case they'll be comfortably drowned, and we can resume our work;but if they manage to reach the rock, we'll retire behind the lighthouseto keep clear of their musket balls; and, when they attempt to land, rush at 'em, and heave 'em all into the sea. It's like enough thatthey're more numerous than we, but you all know that one Englishman is amatch for three Frenchmen any day. "

A general laugh and cheer greeted this address, and then they all tookshelter behind the lighthouse. Meanwhile, the two boats drew near. Thelightest one was well in advance. On it came, careering on the crest ofa large glassy wave. Now was the time for broaching-to and upsetting, but the boat was cleverly handled. It was launched into the "harbour"on a sea of foam. 

Most of the Englishmen, on seeing this, ran to oppose the landing. 

"Surrender!" shouted an officer with a large moustache, standing up inthe bow of the boat. 

"Never!" replied Mr Franks, defiantly. 

"Hooray!" yelled Teddy Maroon, flourishing his crowbar. 

At this the officer gave an order: the Frenchmen raised their muskets, and the Englishmen scampered back to their place of shelter, laughinglike school-boys engaged in wild play. Teddy Maroon, whose fertilebrain was always devising some novelty or other, ran up to his old postat the windlass, intending to cast a large mass of stone into the boatwhen it neared the rock, hoping thereby to knock a hole through itsbottom; but before he reached his perch, a breaker burst into theharbour and overturned the boat, leaving her crew to struggle towardsthe rock. Some of them were quickly upon it, grappling with theEnglishmen who rushed forward to oppose the landing. Seeing this, Teddyhurled his mass of stone at the head of an unfortunate Frenchman, whomhe narrowly missed, and then, uttering a howl, ran down to join in thefray. The French commander, a powerful man, was met knee-deep in thewater, by Isaac Dorkin, whom he struck down with the hilt of his sword, and poor Isaac's grumbling career would certainly have come to an endthen and there, had not John Potter, who had already hurled twoFrenchmen back into the sea, run to the rescue, and, catching his friendby the hair of the head, dragged him on the rock. At that moment TeddyMaroon dashed at the French officer, caught his uplifted sword-arm bythe wrist, and pushed him back into the sea just as he was in the act ofmaking a savage cut at John Potter. Before the latter had dragged hismate quite out of danger he was grappled with by another Frenchman, andthey fell struggling to the ground, while a third came up behind Teddywith a boat-hook, and almost took him by surprise; but Teddy turned intime, caught the boat-hook in his left hand, and, flattening theFrenchman's nose with his right, tumbled him over and ran to assist inrepelling another party of the invaders who were making good theirlanding at the other side of the rock. 

Thus the "skrimmage, " as John Potter styled it, became general. Although out-numbered, the Englishmen were getting the best of it, whenthe second boat plunged into the so-called harbour, and in a few secondsthe rock was covered with armed men. Of course the Englishmen wereoverpowered. Their tools were collected and put into the boat. Withsome difficulty the first boat was righted. The Englishmen were putinto it, with a strong guard of marines, and then the whole party werecarried on board the French schooner, which turned out to be aprivateer. 

Thus were the builders of the Eddystone lighthouse carried off asprisoners of war to France, and their feelings may be gathered from thelast remark of Teddy Maroon, who, as the white cliffs of England werefading from his view, exclaimed bitterly, "Och hone! I'll never seeowld Ireland no more!"

Note. It may be as well to state, at this point, that the incidentshere related, and indeed all the important incidents of our tale, arefounded on, we believe, well authenticated facts. 

CHAPTER FOUR. 

UNLOOKED-FOR DELIVERANCE. 

Behold, then, our lighthouse-builders entering a French port; TeddyMaroon looking over the side of the vessel at the pier to which they aredrawing near, and grumbling sternly at his sad fate; John Potter besidehim, with his arms crossed, his eyes cast down, and his thoughts faraway with the opinionated Martha and the ingenious Tommy; Mr Franks andthe others standing near; all dismal and silent. 

"You not seem for like ver moche to see la belle France, " said theFrench officer with the huge moustache, addressing Teddy. 

"It's little Teddy Maroon cares whether he sees Bell France or BetsyFrance, " replied the Irishman, impudently. "No thanks _to you_ aitherfor givin' me the chance. Sure it's the likes o' you that bring warinto disgrace intirely; goin' about the say on yer own hook, plunderin'right an' left. It's pirate, and not privateers, ye should be called, an' it's myself that would string ye all at the yard-arm av I only hadme own way. "

"Hah!" exclaimed the Frenchman, with a scowl: "but by goot fortune younot have your own vay. Perhaps you change you mind ven you see deinside of French prisons, ha!"

"Perhaps I won't; ha!" cried Teddy, mimicking his captor. "Go away widyez, an' attind to yer own business. "

The Frenchman turned angrily away. In a few seconds more they werealongside the pier, and a gangway was run on board. 

The first man who stepped on this gangway was a tall powerful gendarme, with a huge cocked hat, and a long cavalry sabre, the steel scabbard ofwhich clattered magnificently as he stalked along. Now it chanced thatthis dignified official slipped his foot on the gangway, and, to thehorror of all observers, fell into the water. 

Impulsiveness was a part of Teddy Maroon's enthusiastic nature. Hehappened to be gazing in admiration at the gendarme when he fell. Inanother moment he had plunged overboard after him, caught him by thecollar, and held him up. 

The gendarme could not swim. In the first agony of fear he threw abouthis huge limbs, and almost drowned his rescuer. 

"Be aisy, won't 'ee!" shouted Ted, holding him at arm's length, andstriving to keep out of his grasp. At the same time he dealt him ahearty cuff on the ear. 

The words and the action appeared to have a sedative effect on thegendarme, who at once became passive, and in a few minutes the rescuerand the rescued stood dripping on the schooner's deck. 

"Thank 'ee, my friend, " said the gendarme in English, extending hishand. 

"Och, ye're an Irishman!" exclaimed Teddy eagerly, as he grasped theoffered hand. "But sure, " he added, in an altered tone, dropping thehand and glancing at the man's uniform, "ye must be a poor-spiritedcraitur to forsake yer native land an' become a mounseer. "

"Ireland is not my native land, and I am not an Irishman, " said thegendarme, with a smile. "My mother was Irish, but my father was French, and I was born in Paris. It is true that I spent many years in Irelandamong my mother's relations, so that I speak your language, but I ammore French than Irish. "

"Humph! more's the pity, " said Teddy. "If there was but wan drop o' meblood Irish an' all the rest o' me French, I'd claim to be an Irishman. If I'd known what ye was I'd have let ye sink, I would. Go along: Idon't think much of yez. "

"Perhaps not, " replied the gendarme, twirling his long moustache with agood-humoured smile; "nevertheless I think a good deal of you, my finefellow. Farewell, I shall see you again. "

"Ye needn't trouble yerself, " replied Teddy, flinging off, testily. 

It was quite evident that the unfortunate Irishman found it hard to getreconciled to his fate. He could scarcely be civil to his mates inmisfortune, and felt a strong disposition to wrench the sword from hiscaptor's hand, cut off his moustached head, and then, in the language ofdesperate heroes of romance, "sell his life dearly. " He refrained, however, and was soon after marched along with his mates to thestronghold of the port, at the door of which the French commander handedthem over to the jailor, wishing Teddy all health and happiness, with abroad grin, as he bid him farewell. 

Our unfortunates crossed a stone court with walls that appeared to riseinto the clouds; then they traversed a dark stone passage, at the end ofwhich stood an open door with a small stone cell beyond. Into this theywere desired to walk, and as several bayonet points glittered in thepassage behind them, they felt constrained to obey. Then locks wereturned, and bars were drawn, and bolts were shot. The heavy heels ofthe jailer and guard were heard retiring. More locks and bars and boltswere turned and drawn and shot at the farther end of the stone passage, after which all remained still as the grave. 

"Och hone!" groaned Teddy, looking round at his companions, as he sat ona stone seat, the picture of despair: "To be kilt is a trifle; to fightis a pleasure; to be hanged is only a little trying to the narves. Butto be shut up in a stone box in a furrin land--"

Words failed him here, but another groan told eloquently of thebitterness of the spirit within. 

"We must just try to be as cheery as we can, mates, " said John Potter. "The Lord can deliver us out o' worse trouble than this if He sees fit. "

"Oh, it's all very well for you to talk like that, " growled IsaacDorkin, "but I don't believe the Almighty is goin' to pull down stonewalls and iron gates to set us free, an' you know that we haven't afriend in all France to help us. "

"I _don't_ know that, Isaac. It certainly seems very unlikely that anyone should start up to befriend us here, but with God all things arepossible. At the worst, I know that if we are to remain here, it's Hiswill that we should. "

"Humph! I wish ye much comfort o' the thought: it doesn't give much tome, " remarked Stobbs. 

Here, Mr Franks, who had hitherto sat in sad silence, brightened up, and said, "Well, well, lads, don't let us make things worse bydisputing. Surely each man is entitled to draw comfort from any sourcehe chooses. For my part, I agree with John Potter, in this at allevents, --that we should try to be as cheery as we can, and make the bestof it. "

"Hear, hear!" exclaimed the others. Acting on this advice, they soonbegan to feel a little less miserable. They had straw to sleep on, andwere allowed very poor fare; but there was a sufficiency of it. Thefirst night passed, and the second day; after which another fit ofdespair seized some of the party. Then John Potter managed to cheerthem up a bit, and as he never went about without a small Testament inhis pocket, he was able to lighten the time by reading portions of italoud. After that they took to relating their "lives and adventures" toeach other, and then the inventive spirits among them took to "spinninglong-winded yarns. " Thus a couple of weeks passed away, during whichthese unfortunate prisoners of war went through every stage of feelingbetween hope and despair over and over again. 

During one of his despairing moods, Teddy Maroon declared that he hadnow given up all hope, and that the first chance he got, he would killhimself, for he was quite certain that nobody would ever be able to findout where they were, much less "get them out of that fig. "

But Teddy was wrong, as the sequel will show. 

Let us leap now, good reader, to the Tuileries, --into the apartments ofLouis XIV. From a prison to a palace is an unusual leap, no doubt, though the reverse is by no means uncommon! The old King is pacing hischamber in earnest thought, addressing an occasional remark to hisprivate Secretary. The subject that occupies him is the war, and thename of England is frequently on his lips. The Secretary begs leave tobring a particular letter under the notice of the King. The Secretaryspeaks in French, of course, but there is a peculiarly rich tone andemphasis in his voice which a son of the Green Isle would unhesitatinglypronounce to be "the brogue. "

"Read it, " says the King hurriedly: "but first tell me, who writes?"

"A gendarme, sire: a poor relation of mine. "

"Ha: an Irishman?"

"No, sire: but his mother was Irish. "

"Well, read, " says the King. 

The Secretary reads: "Dear Terrence, will you do me the favour to bringa matter before the King? The commander of a French privateer has donean act worthy of a buccaneer: he has attacked the men who werere-building the famous Eddystone lighthouse, and carried them prisonersof war into this port. I would not trouble you or the King about this, did I not know his Majesty too well to believe him capable ofcountenancing such a deed. "

"What!" exclaims the King, turning abruptly, with a flush of anger onhis countenance, "the Eddystone lighthouse, which so stands as to be ofequal service to all nations having occasion to navigate the channel?"

"The same, sire; and the officer who has done this expects to berewarded. "

"Ha: he shall not be disappointed; he shall have his reward, " exclaimsthe King. "Let him be placed in the prison where the English men nowlie, to remain there during our pleasure; and set the builders of theEddystone free. Let them have gifts, and all honourable treatment, torepay them for their temporary distress, and send them home, withoutdelay, in the same vessel which brought them hither. We are indeed atwar with England, but not with mankind!"

The commands of kings are, as a rule, promptly obeyed. Even althoughthere were neither railways nor telegraphs in those days, many hours hadnot elapsed before the tall gendarme stood in the prison-cell where JohnPotter and his friends were confined. There was a peculiar twinkle inhis eye, as he ordered a band of soldiers to act as a guard of honour inconducting the Englishmen to the best hotel in the town, where asumptuous collation awaited them. Arrived there, the circumstances oftheir case were explained to them by the chief magistrate, who was inwaiting to receive them and present them with certain gifts, by order ofLouis XIV. 

The fortunate men looked on at all that was done, ate their feast, andreceived their gifts in speechless amazement, until at length thegendarme (who acted as interpreter, and seemed to experience intenseenjoyment at the whole affair) asked if they were ready to embark forEngland? To which Teddy Maroon replied, by turning to John Potter andsaying, "I say, John, just give me a dig in the ribs, will 'ee: a goodsharp one. It's of no use at all goin' on draimin' like this. It'llonly make it the worse the longer I am o' wakin' up. "

John Potter smiled and shook his head; but when he and his friends wereconducted by their guard of honour on board of the schooner which hadbrought them there, and when they saw the moustached commander broughtout of his cabin and led ashore in irons, and heard the click of thecapstan as the vessel was warped out of harbour, and beheld the tallgendarme take off his cocked hat and wish them "_bon voyage_" as theypassed the head of the pier, they at length became convinced that "itwas all true;" and Teddy declared with enthusiastic emphasis, that "themounseers were not such bad fellows after all!"

"Oh, John, John!" exclaimed Mrs Potter, about thirty hours after that, as she stood gazing in wild delight at a magnificent cashmere shawlwhich hung on her husband's arm, while Tommy was lost in admiration atthe sight of a splendid inlaid ivory work-box, "where ever got 'ee sucha helegant shawl?"

"From King Louis, of France, lass, " said John, with a peculiar smile. 

"Never!" said Mrs Potter, emphatically; and then she gave it forth asone of her settled convictions, that, "Kings wasn't such fools as to gomakin' presents like that to poor working men. "

However, John Potter, who had only just then presented himself beforethe eyes of his astonished spouse, stoutly asserted that it was true;and said that if she would set about getting something to eat, for hewas uncommonly hungry, and if Tommy would leave off opening his mouthand eyes to such an unnecessary extent, he would tell them all about it. So Mrs Potter was convinced, and, for once, had her "settledconvictions" unsettled; and the men returned to their work on theEddystone; and a man-of-war was sent to cruise in the neighbourhood toguard them from misfortune in the future; and, finally, the Rudyerdlighthouse was completed. 

Its total height, from the lowest side to the top of the ball on thelantern, was ninety-two feet, and its greatest diameter twenty-threefeet four inches. It took about three years to build, having beencommenced in 1706, the first light was put up in 1708, and the whole wascompleted in 1709. 

Teddy Maroon was one of the first keepers, but he soon left to takecharge of a lighthouse on the Irish coast. Thereupon John Potter madeapplication for the post. He was successful over many competitors, andat last obtained the darling wish of his heart: he became principalkeeper; his surly comrade, Isaac Dorkin, strange to say, obtaining thepost of second keeper. Mrs Potter didn't like the change at first, asa matter of course. 

"But you'll come to like it, Martha, " John would say when they referredto the subject, "`Absence, ' you know, `makes the heart grow fonder. 'We'll think all the more of each other when we meet during my spellsashore, at the end of every two months. "

Tommy also objected very much at first, but he could not alter hisfather's intentions; so John Potter went off to the Eddystone rock, andfor a long time took charge of the light that cast its friendly beamsover the sea every night thereafter, through storm and calm, for upwardsof six-and-forty years. 

That John's life in the lighthouse was not all that he had hoped forwill become apparent in the next chapter. 

CHAPTER FIVE. 

A TERRIBLE SITUATION. 

There were four rooms and a lantern in Rudyerd's lighthouse. The secondroom was that which was used most by John Potter and his mate IsaacDorkin: it was the kitchen, dining room, and parlour, all in one. Immediately below it was the store-room, and just above it thedormitory. 

The general tenor of the life suited John exactly: he was aquiet-spirited, meditative, religious man; and, although quite willingto face difficulties, dangers, and troubles like a man, when required todo so, he did not see it to be his duty to thrust himself unnecessarilyinto these circumstances. There were plenty of men, he was wont to say, who loved bustle and excitement, and there were plenty of situations ofthat sort for them to fill; for his part, he loved peace and quiet; theEddystone lighthouse offered both, and why should he not take advantageof the opportunity, especially when, by so doing, he would secure apretty good and regular income for his wife and family. 

John gave vent to an opinion which contained deeper truths than, at thattime, he thought of. God has given to men their varied powers andinclinations, in order that they may use these powers and follow theseinclinations. Working rightly, man is a perfect machine: it is only"the fall" which has twisted all things awry. There is no sin infeeling an intense desire for violent physical action, or in gratifyingthat desire when we can do so in accordance with the revealed will ofGod; but there is sin in gratifying it in a wrong way; in committingburglary for instance, or in prize-fighting, or in helping others tofight in a cause with which we have no right to interfere. Again, it isnot wrong to desire peace and quiet, and to wish for mental andspiritual and physical repose; but it is decidedly wrong to stand bywith your hands in your pockets when an innocent or helpless one isbeing assaulted by ruffians; to sit quiet and do nothing when yourneighbour's house is on fire; to shirk an unpleasant duty and leave someone else to do it; or to lie a-bed when you should be up and at work. 

_All_ our powers were given to be used: our inclinations were intendedto impel us in _certain_ directions, and God's will and glory were meantto be our guide and aim. So the Scripture teaches, we think, in theparable of the talents, and in the words, "_Whatsoever_ thy hand findethto do, do it with thy might;" and, "Whether, therefore, ye eat, ordrink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. "

Our great fault lies in not consulting God's plan of arrangement. Howoften do we find that, in adopting certain lines of action, men consultonly the pecuniary or social advantage; ignoring powers, or want ofpowers, and violating inclinations; and this even among professingChristians; while, among the unbelieving, God's will and glory are notthought of at all. And yet we wonder that so many well-laid plansmiscarry, that so many promising young men and women "come to grief!"Forgetting that "the right man (or woman) in the right place" is anessential element in thorough success. 

But, to return to John Potter. His conscience was easy as to his dutyin becoming a lightkeeper, and the lighthouse was all that he couldwish, or had hoped for. There was no disturbance from without, for thethick walls and solid foundation defied winds or waves to trouble him;save only in the matter of smoke, which often had a strong tendency totraverse the chimney in the wrong direction, but that was not worthmentioning! John found, however, that _sin_ in the person of his matemarred his peace and destroyed his equanimity. 

Isaac Dorkin did not find the life so much to his taste as he hadexpected. He became more grumpy than ever, and quarrelled with hisfriend on the slightest provocation; insomuch that at last John found itto be his wisest plan to let him alone. Sometimes, in consequence ofthis pacific resolve, the two men would spend a whole month withoututtering a word to each other; the one in the sulks, the other waitinguntil he should come out of them. 

Their duties were light, but regular. During the day they found asufficiency of quiet occupation in cooking their food, cleaning. Thelighting apparatus--which consisted of a framework full of tallowcandles, --and in keeping the building clean and orderly. At night theykept watch, each four hours at a time, while the other slept. Whilewatching, John read his Bible and several books which had been given tohim by Mr Rudyerd; or, in fine weather, paced round and round thegallery, just outside the lantern, in profound meditation. Dorkin also, during his watches, meditated much; he likewise grumbled a good deal, and smoked continuously. He was not a bad fellow at bottom, however, and sometimes he and Potter got on very amicably. At such seasons Johntried to draw his mate into religious talk, but without success. Thus, from day to day and year to year, these two men stuck to their post, until eleven years had passed away. 

One day, about the end of that period, John Potter, who, having attainedto the age of fifty-two, was getting somewhat grey, though still in fullstrength and vigour, sat at his chimney corner beside his buxom andstill blooming wife. His fireside was a better one than in days ofyore, --thanks to Tommy, who had become a flourishing engineer: MrsPotter's costume was likewise much better in condition and quality thanit used to be; thanks, again, to Tommy, who was a grateful and lovingson. 

"Well, Martha, I've had a pleasant month ashore, lass: I wish that Ihadn't to go off on relief to-morrow. "

"Why not leave it altogether, then, John? You've no occasion tocontinue a light-keeper now that you've laid by so much, and Tommy is sowell off and able to help us, an' willin' too--God bless him!"

"Amen to that, Martha. I have just bin thinkin' over the matter, andI've made up my mind that this is to be my last trip off to the Rock. Ispoke to the superintendent last week, and it's all settled. Who d'yethink is to take my place?"

"I never could guess nothink, John: who?"

"Teddy Maroon: no less. "

"What? an' 'im a' older man than yourself?"

"Ah, but it ain't the same Teddy. It's his eldest son, named afterhimself; an' so like what his father was when I last saw him, that Idon't think I'd be able to tell which was which. "

"Well, John, I'm glad to 'ear it; an' be sure that ye git 'ome, nextrelief before the thirty-first of October, for that's Tommy's weddingday, an' you know we fixed it a purpose to suit your time of being at'ome. A sweet pair they'll make. Nora was born to be a lady: nobodywould think but she is one, with 'er pretty winsome ways; and Tommy, whowas twenty-five 'is very last birthday, is one of the 'andsomest men inPlymouth. I've a settled conviction, John, that he'll live to be agreat man. "

"You once had a settled conviction that he would come to a bad end, "said Potter, with an arch smile. 

"Go along with you, John!" retorted Mrs Potter. 

"I'm just going, " said John, rising and kissing his wife as he put onhis hat; "and you may depend on it that I'll not miss dancing at ourTommy's wedding, if I can help it. "

That night saw John Potter at his old post again--snuffing the candleson the Eddystone, and chatting with his old mate Dorkin beside thekitchen fire. One evening towards the end of October, John Potter andIsaac, having "lighted up, " sat down to a game of draughts. It wasblowing hard outside, and heavy breakers were bursting on the rock andsending thin spray as high as the lantern, but all was peace and comfortinside; even Isaac's grumpy spirit was calmer than usual. 

"You seem dull to-night, mate, " observed John, as they re-arranged thepieces for another game. 

"I don't feel very well, " said Dorkin, passing his hand over his browlanguidly. 

"You'd better turn in, then; an' I'll take half of your watch as well asmy own. "

"Thank 'ee kindly, " said Dorkin in a subdued voice: "I'll take yeradvice. Perhaps, " he added slowly, "you'll read me a bit out o' _theBook_. "

This was the first time that Isaac had expressed a desire to touch onreligious subjects, or to hear the Bible read; and John, you may besure, was only too glad to comply. After his mate had lain down, heread a small portion; but, observing that he seemed very restless, heclosed the Bible and contented himself with quoting the following wordsof our Lord Jesus: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavyladen, and I will give you rest;" and, "The blood of Jesus Christ God'sSon, cleanseth us from all sin. " Then in a sentence or two he prayedfervently that the Holy Spirit might apply these words. 

John had a suspicion that his mate was on the verge of a seriousillness, and he was not wrong. Next day, Dorkin was stricken with araging fever, and John Potter had not only to nurse him day and night, but to give constant attention to the lantern as well. Fortunately, theday after that the relief boat would be out, so he consoled himself withthat thought; but the gale, which had been blowing for some days, increased that night until it blew a perfect hurricane. The sea roundthe Eddystone became a tremendous whirlpool of foam, and all hope ofcommunication with the shore was cut off. Of course the unfortunatelighthouse-keeper hung out a signal of distress, although he knew fullwell that it could not be replied to. 

Meanwhile a wedding party assembled in Plymouth. The bride was bloomingand young; the bridegroom--strong and happy; but there was a shade uponhis brow as he approached a stout elderly female, and said, sadly, "Ican't tell you, mother, how grieved I am that father is not with usto-day. I would be quite willing to put it off, and so would Nora, fora few days, but there is no appearance of the storm abating; and, indeed, if even it stopped this moment, I don't think the relief-boatcould get off in less than a week. "

"I know it, Tommy. " (It seemed ridiculous to call a strapping, curly-haired, bewhiskered, six-foot man "Tommy"!) "I know it, Tommy; butit ain't of no use puttin' of it off. I've always 'ad a settledconviction that anythink as is put off is as good as given upaltogether. No, no, my son; go on with the weddin'. "

So the wedding went on, and Nora Vining, a dark-haired Plymouth maiden, became Mrs Thomas Potter; and the breakfast was eaten, and the healthswere drunk, and the speeches made, and Mrs Potter, senior, weptprofusely (for joy) nearly all the time, into a white cottonhandkerchief, which was so large and strong that some of the guestsentertained the belief to the end of their lives that the worthy womanhad had it manufactured for her own special use on that great occasion. 

Meanwhile the father, whose absence was regretted so much, and whoseheart would have rejoiced so much to have been there, remained in hislonely dwelling, out among the mad whirlpools in the wildest past of theraging sea. All day, and every day, his signal of distress streamedhorizontally in the furious gale, and fishermen stood on the shore andwondered what was wrong, and wished so earnestly that the gale would godown; but no one, not even the boldest among them all, imagined for amoment that a boat could venture to leave the shore, much less encounterthe seething billows on the Eddystone. As each night drew on, one byone the lights glimmered out above the rock, until the bright beams ofthe fully illuminated lantern poured like a flood through the murky air, and then men went home to their firesides, relieved to know that, whatever might be wrong, the keepers were at all events able to attendto their important duties. 

Day after day Isaac Dorkin grew worse: he soon became delirious, and, strong though he was, John Potter was scarcely able to hold him down inbed. When the delirium first came on, John chanced to be in the lanternjust commencing to light up. When he was about to apply the light, heheard a noise behind him, and, turning hastily round, beheld the flushedface and blazing eyes of his mate rising through the trap door thatcommunicated with the rooms below. Leaving his work, John hastened tohis friend, and with some difficulty persuaded him to return to his bed;but no sooner had he got him into it and covered him up, than a newparoxysm came on, and the sick man arose in the strength of his agonyand hurled his friend to the other side of the apartment. John sprangup, and grappled with him while he was rushing towards the door. It wasan awful struggle that ensued. Both were large and powerful men; theone strong in a resolute purpose to meet boldly a desperate case, theother mad with fever. They swayed to and fro, and fell on and smashedthe homely furniture of the place; sometimes the one and sometimes theother prevailing, while both gasped for breath and panted vehemently;suddenly Dorkin sank down exhausted. He appeared to collapse, and Johnlifted him with difficulty again into his bed; but in a few seconds heattempted to renew the struggle, while the whole building was filledwith his terrific cries. 

While this was going on, the shades of night had been falling fast, andJohn Potter remembered that none of the candles had been lit, and thatin a few minutes more the rock would be a source of greater danger toshipping than if no lighthouse had been there, because vessels would bemaking for the light from all quarters of the world, in the full faithof its being kept up! Filled with horror at the thought that perhapseven at that moment vessels might be hurrying on to their doom, heseized a piece of rope that lay at hand, and managed to wind it sofirmly round his mate as to render him helpless. Bounding back to thelantern, he quickly lighted it up, but did not feel his heart relieveduntil he had gazed out at the snowy billows below, and made sure that novessel was in view. Then he took a long draught of water, wiped hisbrow, and returned to his friend. 

Two days after that Isaac Dorkin died. And now John Potter foundhimself in a more horrible situation than before. The storm continued:no sooner did one gale abate than another broke out, so as to renderapproach to the rock impossible; while, day after day, and night afternight, the keeper had to pass the dead body of his mate several times inattending to the duties of the lantern. And still the signal ofdistress continued to fly from the lighthouse, and still the people onshore continued to wonder what was wrong, to long for moderate weather, and to feel relief when they saw the faithful light beam forth eachevening at sunset. 

At last the corpse began to decay, and John felt that it was necessaryto get rid of it, but he dared not venture to throw it into the sea. Itwas well known that Dorkin had been a quarrelsome man, and he fearedthat if he could not produce the body when the relief came, he might bedeemed a _murderer_. He therefore let it lie until it became sooverpoweringly offensive that the whole building, from foundation tocupola, was filled with the horrible stench. The feelings of thesolitary man can neither be conceived nor described. Well was it forJohn that he had the Word of God in his hand, and the grace of God inhis heart during that awful period. 

For nearly a month his agony lasted. At last the weather moderated. The boat came off; the "relief" was effected; and poor Dorkin's body, which was in such a condition that it could not be carried on shore, wasthrown into the sea. Then John Potter returned home, and left thelighthouse service for ever. 

From that time forward it has been the custom to station not fewer thanthree men at a time on all out-lying lighthouses of the kingdom. 

Note. Reader, we have not drawn here on our imagination. This story isfounded on unquestionable fact. 

CHAPTER SIX. 

THE END OF RUDYERD'S LIGHTHOUSE. 

Thirty-Four years passed away, and still Rudyerd's lighthouse stood firmas the rock on which it was founded. True, during that period it had toundergo occasional repairs, because the timber uprights at the base, where exposed to the full violence of the waves, had becomeweather-worn, and required renewing in part; but this was onlyequivalent to a ship being overhauled and having some of her planksrenewed. The main fabric of the lighthouse remained as sound andsteadfast at the end of that long period as it was at the beginning, andit would in all probability have remained on the Eddystone Rock till thepresent day, had not a foe assailed it, whose nature was very differentindeed from that with which it had been built to contend. 

The lighthouse was at this time in charge of Teddy Maroon: not the Teddywho had bewailed his fate so disconsolately in the French prison in daysgone by, but his youngest son, who was now getting to be an elderly man. We may, however, relieve the mind of the sympathetic reader, by sayingthat Teddy, senior, was not dead. He was still alive and hearty; thoughbent nearly double with extreme age; and dwelt on the borders of one ofthe Irish bogs, at the head of an extensive colony of Maroons. 

One night Teddy the younger ascended to the lantern to trim the candles;he snuffed them all round and returned to the kitchen to have a pipe, his two mates being a-bed at the time. No one now knows how the thinghappened, but certain it is that Teddy either dropped some of theburning snuff on the floor, or in some other way introduced more lightinto his lantern that night than it had ever been meant to contain, sothat while he and his mates were smoking comfortably below, thelighthouse was smoking quietly, but ominously, above. 

On shore, late that night, an elderly gentleman stood looking out of thewindow of a charmingly situated cottage in the village of Cawsand Bay, near Plymouth, which commanded a magnificent prospect of the channel. 

"Father, " he said, turning to a very old man seated beside the fire, who, although shrunken and wrinkled and bald, was ruddy in complexion, and evidently in the enjoyment of a green old age, "Father, thelighthouse is beautifully bright to-night; shall I help you to thewindow to look at it?"

"Yes, Tommy: I'm fond o' the old light. It minds me of days gone by, when you and I were young, Martha. "

The old man gave a chuckle as he looked across the hearthstone, where, in a chair similar to his own, sat a very stout and very deaf and veryold lady, smoothing the head of her grandchild, a little girl, who wasthe youngest of a family of ten. 

Old Martha did not hear John Potter's remark, but she saw his kindlysmile, and nodded her head with much gravity in reply. Martha had grownintellectually slow when she partially lost her hearing, and althoughshe was not sad she had evidently become solemn. An English Dictionaryand the Bible were the only books that Martha would look at now. Shedid not use the former as a help to the understanding of the latter. Noone knew why she was so partial to the dictionary; but as she notunfrequently had it on her knee upside down while poring over it, hergrandchild, little Nora, took up the idea that she had resolved todevote the latter days of her life to learning to read backwards!Perhaps the fact that the dictionary had once belonged to her son Jameswho was wrecked and drowned on the Norfolk coast, may have had somethingto do with it. 

With the aid of his son's arm and a stick old John managed to hobble tothe window. 

"It is very bright. Why, Tommy, " he exclaimed, with a start, "it's toobright: the lighthouse must be on fire!"

At that moment, "Tommy's" wife, now "fat, fair, and _fifty_" (orthereabouts), entered the room hurriedly, exclaiming, "Oh, Tom, what_can_ be the matter with the lighthouse, I never saw it so brightbefore?"

Tom, who had hastily placed his father in a chair, so that he could seethe Eddystone, seized his hat, and exclaiming, "I'll go and see, mydear, " ran out and proceeded to the shore. 

"What's the matter?" cried Mrs Potter in a querulous voice, when littleNora rushed from her side. 

Nora, senior, went to her at once, and, bending down, said, in a musicalvoice that retained much of its clearness and all its former sweetness:"I fear that the lighthouse is on fire, grandma!"

Mrs Potter gazed straight before her with vacant solemnity, and Nora, supposing that she had not heard, repeated the information. 

Still Mrs Potter made no reply; but, after a few moments, she turnedher eyes on her daughter-in-law with owlish gravity, and said; "I knewit! I said long ago to your father, my dear, I had a settled convictionthat that lighthouse would come to a bad end. "

It did indeed appear as though old Martha's prophecy were about to cometrue!

Out at the lighthouse Teddy Maroon, having finished his pipe, went up tothe lantern to trim the candles again. He had no sooner opened thehatch of the lantern than a dense cloud of smoke burst out. He shoutedto his comrades, one of whom, Henry Hall, was old and not fit for muchviolent exertion; the other, James Wilkie, was a young man, but a heavysleeper. They could not be roused as quickly as the occasion demanded. Teddy ran to the store-room for a leathern bucket, but before he coulddescend to the rock, fill it and re-ascend, the flames had got a firmhold of the cupola. He dashed the water into the lantern just as hishorrified comrades appeared. 

"Fetch bucketfulls as fast as ye can. Och, be smart, boys, if iver yewas, " he shouted, while perspiration streamed down his face. Pullingoff his coat, while his mates ran down for water, Teddy dashed wildlyinto the lantern, and, holding the coat by its arms, laid about himviolently, but smoke and fire drove him but almost immediately. Thebuckets were long of coming, and when they did arrive, their contentswere as nothing on the glowing cupola. Then Teddy went out on thebalcony and endeavoured to throw the water up, but the height was toogreat. While he was doing this, Wilkie ran down for more water, butHall stood gazing upwards, open-mouthed with horror, at the ragingflames. At that moment the leaden covering of the roof melted, andrushed down on Hall's head and shoulders. He fell, with a loud shriek. While Teddy tried to drag him down to the room below, he exclaimed thatsome of the melted lead had gone down his throat! He was terriblyburned about the neck, but his comrades had to leave him in his bedwhile they strove wildly to check the flames. It was all in vain. Thewood-work around the lantern, from years of exposure to the heat oftwenty-four large candles burning at once, had become like tinder, andthe fire became so fierce that the timber courses composing the top ofthe column soon caught. Then the keepers saw that any further effortswould be useless. The great exertions made to carry up even a fewbucketsfull of water soon exhausted their strength, and they were drivenfrom room to room as the fire descended. At last the heat and smokebecame so intense that they were driven out of the lighthousealtogether, and sought shelter in a cavern or hollow under the ladder, on the east side of the rock. Fortunately it was low water at the time, and the weather was calm. Had it been otherwise, the rock would havebeen no place of refuge. 

Meanwhile Mr Thomas Potter (our old friend Tommy--now, as we have saidan elderly gentleman) went off in a large boat with a crew of stoutfishermen from Cawsand Bay, having a smaller boat in tow. When theyreached the rock, a terrific spectacle was witnessed. The lighthousewas enveloped in flames nearly to the bottom, for the outside planking, being caulked and covered with pitch, was very inflammable. The topglowed against the dark sky and looked in the midst of the smoke like afiery meteor. The Eddystone Rock was suffused with a dull red light, asif it were becoming red hot, and the surf round it appeared to hissagainst the fire, while in the dark shadow of the cave the threelighthouse keepers were seen cowering in terror, --as they well might, seeing that melted lead and flaming masses of wood and other substanceswere falling thickly round them. 

To get them out of their dangerous position was a matter of extremedifficulty, because, although there was little or no wind, the swellcaused a surf on the rock which absolutely forbade the attempt to land. In this emergency they fell upon a plan which seemed to afford some hopeof success. They anchored the large boat to the westward, and veereddown towards the rock as far as they dared venture. Then three men wentinto the small boat, which was eased off and sent farther in by means ofa rope. When as near as it was possible to approach, a coil of rope wasthrown to the rock. It was caught by Teddy Maroon, and although inextreme danger and anxiety, the men in the boat could not help givingvent to a ringing cheer. Teddy at once tied the end of the rope roundthe waist of old Henry Hall, and half persuaded, half forced him intothe surf, through which he was hauled into the boat in safety. Wilkiewent next, and Teddy followed. Thus they were rescued, put on board thelarge boat, and carried on shore; but no sooner did the keel grate onthe sand, than Wilkie, who had never spoken a word, and who appearedhalf stupefied, bounded on shore and ran off at full speed. It is acurious fact, which no one has ever been able to account for, that thisman was never more heard of! As it is quite certain that he did notcause the fire, and also that he did his utmost to subdue it, the onlyconclusion that could be come to was, that the excitement and terror haddriven him mad. At all events that was the last of him. 

Another curious fact connected with the fire is, that Henry Hallactually did swallow a quantity of melted lead. He lingered for twelvedays after the accident, and then died. Afterwards his body was opened, and an oval lump of lead, which weighed upwards of seven ounces, wasfound in his stomach. This extraordinary fact is authenticated by thecredible testimony of a respectable medical man and severaleye-witnesses. 

Meanwhile, the lighthouse continued to burn, despite the most strenuousefforts made to save it. Had a storm arisen, the seas would speedilyhave quenched the fire, but unfortunately the weather continued fine andcomparatively calm for several days, while the wind was just strongenough to fan the fury of the flames, and at the same time to cause asurf sufficiently high to render a landing on the rock impossible. But, indeed, even if this had been effected, the efforts that could have beenmade with the small fire-engines at that time in use, would have beenutterly useless. The fire gradually descended to the different coursesof solid timber, the well-hole of the staircase assisting the draught, and the outside timbers and inside mast, or wooden core, forming adouble connecting link whereby the devouring element was carried to thevery bottom of the building, with a heat so intense that the courses ofCornish moor-stone were made red hot. 

Admiral West, with part of the fleet, happened to be at that time inPlymouth Sound. He at once sent a sloop with a fire-engine to the rock. They attempted to land in a boat, but could not. So violent was thesurf, that the boat was at one time thrown bodily upon the rock by onewave and swept off again by the next. The escape on this occasion wasalmost miraculous, the men therefore did not venture to make anotherattempt, but contented themselves with endeavouring to work the enginefrom the boat, in doing which they broke it, and thus all hope of doinganything further was gone. But indeed the engine they had would haveavailed nothing, even though it had been twice as powerful, against sucha mighty conflagration. As well might they have tried to extinguishVesuvius with a tea-kettle!

For four days and nights did that massive pillar of fire burn. At lastit fell in ruins before the most irresistible element with which man ormatter has to contend, after having braved the fury of the winds andwaves for nearly half a century. 

Thus perished the second lighthouse that was built on the EddystoneRock, in December of the year 1755, and thus, once again, were thoseblack reefs left unguarded. Once more that dread of mariners, ancientand modern, became a trap on the south coast of England--a trap nowrendered doubly dangerous by the fact that, for so long a period, shipshad been accustomed to make for it instead of avoiding it, in the fullexpectation of receiving timely warning from its friendly light. 

CHAPTER SEVEN. 

OLD FRIENDS IN NEW CIRCUMSTANCES. 

We open the story of the third, and still existing, lighthouse on theEddystone with the re-introduction of Teddy Maroon--that Teddy who actedso prominent a part at the burning of Rudyerd's tower in December 1755. 

Men's activities seem to have been quickened at this period of time, foronly about six months were allowed to elapse between the destruction ofthe old and the commencement of operations for the new lighthouse. 

It was a calm evening in the autumn 1756 when Teddy Maroon, smoking alittle black pipe, sauntered towards the residence of old John Potter. On reaching the door he extinguished the little pipe by the summaryprocess of thrusting the point of his blunt forefinger into the bowl, and deposited it hot in his vest pocket. His tap was answered by asmall servant girl, with a very red and ragged head of hair, who usheredhim into the presence of the aged couple. They were seated in the twochairs--one on each side of the fireplace--which they might almost besaid to inhabit. Little Nora was stirring a few embers of coal into acheery flame, for she knew the old people loved the sight of the fireeven in summer. On a chair beside old Martha lay the open Bible, fromwhich Nora had been reading, and on old Martha's knee was the valueddictionary, upside down as usual. 

"Glad to see you, lad, " said old John, with a pleasant smile as heextended his hand; "it does us good to see you; it minds us so of oldtimes. "

"Ah, then, I've got to tell 'ee what'll mind you more of owld times thanthe mere sight o' me face, " said Teddy, as he patted old Martha on theshoulder and sat down beside her. "How are 'ee, owld ooman?"

"Ay, " replied Martha in a tremulous voice, "you're uncommon like yourfather--as like as two peas. "

"Faix, av ye saw the dear owld gintleman now, " said Teddy with a laugh, "ye'd think there was a difference. Hows'ever, its o' no use repaitin'me question, for any man could see that you're in the best o' health--you're bloomin' like a cabbage rose. "

The latter part of this complimentary speech was shouted into oldMartha's ear, and she responded by shaking her head and desiring theflatterer to "go along. "

"Well, John, " said the visitor, turning to his father's old friend, "you'll be glad to hear that I've been engaged to work at the newlighthouse, an', moreover we've got fairly begun. "

"You _don't_ say so, " cried John Potter, with some of the old firesparkling in his eyes; "well, now, that is pleasant noos. Why, it makesme a'most wish to be young again. Of course I heard that they've binhard at the preparations for a good while; but few people comes to seeme now; they think I'm too old to be interested in anything; I suppose;an' I didn't know that it was fairly begun, or that you were on thework: I'd like to hear what your old father would say to it, Teddy. "

"I don't know what he'd say to it, " responded the Irishman, "but I knowwhat he threatens to do, for I wrote him the other day tellin' him allabout it, an' he bade my sister Kathleen write back that he's more norhalf a mind to come and superintend the operations. "

"What is it all about, Nora?" demanded old Martha, who had been gazingintently at her husband's countenance during the conversation. 

Nora put her pretty lips to her grandmother's ear and gave the desiredinformation, whereupon the old lady looked solemnly at her spouse, andlaying her hand on the dictionary, said, with strong though quiveringemphasis: "now, John, mark my words, I 'ave a settled conviction thatthat light'ouse will come to a bad end. It's sure to be burnt or blow'dover. "

Having given vent to which prophecy, she relapsed into herself andappeared to ruminate on it with peculiar satisfaction. 

"And what's the name of the architect?" demanded John. 

"Smeaton, " replied Teddy Maroon. 

"Never heerd of 'im before, " returned John. 

"No more did I, " said Teddy. 

The two friends appeared to find food for meditation in this point ofignorance, for they fell into a state of silence for a few minutes, which was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Mr Thomas Potter. Helooked a little wearied as he sat down beside his mother, whose facelighted up with an expression of intense delight as she said, "Comeaway, Tommy, where have you been, my boy?"

"I've been out on the sea, mother, after mischief as usual, " repliedTommy, whose bald head and wrinkled brow repudiated, while his openhearty smile appeared to justify, the juvenile name. 

"What! they 'aven't engaged you on the noo light'ouse, 'ave they?" saidold Martha, in horror. 

"No, no, mother, don't fear that, " said her son, hastening to relieveher mind, "but you know the new engineer is gathering information fromall quarters, and he naturally applied to me, because I am of his ownprofession and have known and studied the rock since I was a littleboy. "

"Know'd an' studied it, " exclaimed Martha with more than her wontedvigour, "ay, an' if you'd said you'd a'most broke your old mother'sheart with it, you'd 'ave said no more than the truth, Tommy. It's awonder as that rock hasn't brought me to a prematoor grave. However, itain't likely to do so now, an' I'm glad they have not inveigled you intoit, my boy; for it's an awful place for wettin' of your feet an'dirt'in' of your hands and pinafores, an'--"

The old lady, relapsing here into early reminiscences, once more retiredwithin herself, while. Teddy Maroon and John Potter, mentioning theirignorance as to the architect who had undertaken the great work, demanded of "Mister Thomas" if he could enlighten them. 

"Of course I can, " he replied, "for he is well known to his friends as amost able man, and will become better known to the world, if I mayventure to prophesy, as the builder of what is sure to be the mostfamous lighthouse on the English coast. His name is Smeaton, and he isnot an engineer. "

"Not an engineer?" echoed Teddy and old John, in surprise. 

"No, he's a mathematical instrument maker. "

"Well now, " said John Potter, gazing meditatively into the fireplacewhere Nora had evoked a tiny flame, "that is strange. This EddystunRock seems to have what I may call a pecooliar destiny. The builder ofthe first light'ouse was a country gentleman; of the second, asilk-mercer; and now, as you say, the third is to be put up by a makero' mathymatical instruments. I only hope, " continued John, shaking hishead gravely at the fireplace, "that he won't make a mess of it like theothers did. "

"Come now, father, " returned his son, "don't say that the others made amess of it. We must remember that Winstanley began his building in whatwe may call total darkness. No other man before him had attempted sucha work, so that he had no predecessor whose good points he mightimitate, or whose failures he might avoid. Many a trained engineermight have made a worse mess of it, and, to my mind, it says much forpoor Winstanley's capacity, all things considered, that his lighthousestood so long as the six or seven years of its building. Then as toRudyerd's one, it was in reality a great success. It stood firm fornigh fifty years, and, but for the fire, might have stood for any numberof years to come. It cannot be justly said that he made a mess of it. As well might you say that the builders of a first-rate ship made a messof it because someone set her alight after she had sailed the ocean forhalf a century. "

"True, Tommy, true, " said old John, nodding acquiescence emphatically. On seeing this, old Martha, knowing nothing about the matter because ofher deafness, nodded emphatically also, and said, "that's so, Tommy, Ialways 'ad a settled conviction that you was right, except, " she added, as if to guard herself, "except w'en you was after mischief. "

"Well, but Tommy, " continued old John, "you was agoin' to tell ussomethin' about this Mister Smeaton. What sort of a man is he?"

"As far as I can judge, on short acquaintance, " replied Potter, "heseems to be a man who has got a mind and a will of his own, and lookslike one who won't be turned out of his straight course by trifles. Hisname is John, which is a good bible name, besides being yours, father, and he comes from Leeds, a highly respectable place, which has producedmen of note before now. His age is thirty-two, which is about the mostvigorous period of a man's life, and he has come to his present businessin spite of all opposition, a fact which is favourable to the prospectsof the lighthouse. In short he's a natural genius, and a born engineer. His father, an attorney, wished him to follow his own profession, butit was soon clear that that was out of the question, for the boy's wholesoul was steeped from earliest childhood in mechanics. "

"I once knew a boy, " said John Potter, with a smile, "whose whole soulwas steeped in the same thing!"

"And in mischief, " added old Martha, suddenly, much to every one'ssurprise. The old woman's deafness was indeed of a strangelyintermittent type!

"Well, " continued Potter, with a laugh and a nod to his mother, "nodoubt Smeaton had a spice of mischief in him among other qualities, forit is said of him that when quite a little fellow he made a force pump, with which he emptied his father's fish-pond of water, to the detriment, not to say consternation, of the fish. The upshot of it all was thatthe lad was apprenticed to a maker of mathematical instruments, and soonproved himself to be an inventive genius of considerable power. Erelong he commenced business on his own account, and has now undertakenthe task of building the _third_ lighthouse on the Eddystone. I was inLondon lately, and saw the beautiful models of the intended structurewhich Smeaton has made with his own hands, and it seems to me that he'sjust the man to do the work. "

At the mention of models, old John Potter's eyes lighted up, for itbrought the memory of former days vividly before him. 

"He means to build it of stone, " said the son. 

"Stone, say 'ee? that's right, Tommy, that's right, " said old John, witha nod of strong approval, "I've always thought that the weak point inthe old light'ouses was _want of weight_. On such a slope of afoundation, you know, it requires great weight to prevent the seaswashin' a lighthouse clean away. "

"I've thought the same thing, father, but what you and I only thought ofSmeaton has stated, and intends to act upon. He means to build a towerso solid that it will defy the utmost fury of winds and waves. He isgoing to cut the sloping foundation into a series of steps or shelves, which will prevent the possibility of slipping. The shape of thebuilding is to be something like the trunk of an oak tree, with a widerbase than the lighthouse of Rudyerd. The first twenty feet or so of itis to be built solid; each stone to be made in the shape of a dovetail, and all the stones circling round a central key to which they willcling, as well as to each other, besides being held by bolts and cement, so that the lower part of the building will be as firm as the rock onwhich it stands. But I daresay, father, " continued his son, with aglance at Teddy Maroon, "our friend here, being engaged on the work, hastold you all about this already. "

"Not I, " said Maroon, quickly, "I've bin too busy to come here untilto-day, and though I've got me own notions o' what Mr Smeaton intends, by obsarvin' what's goin' on, I han't guessed the quarter o' what you'vetowld me, sur. Howsever, I can spake to what's bin already done. Youmust know, " said Teddy, with a great affectation of being particular, "Mr Smeaton has wisely secured his workmen by howldin' out pleasantprospects to 'em. In the first place, we've got good regular wages, an'additional pay whin we're on the Rock. In the second place, extra workon shore is paid for over an' above the fixed wages. In the thirdplace, each man has got his appinted dooty, an's kep close at it. Inthe fourth place, the rules is uncommon stringent, and instant dismissalfollers the breakin' of 'em. In the fifth place--"

"Never mind the fifth place, Teddy, " interrupted old John, "like yerfather, ye was ever too fond o' waggin' yer tongue. Just tell usstraight off, if ye can, what's been already done at the Rock. "

"Well, well, " said Maroon, with a deprecatory smile, "owld father an'me's always bin misonderstud more or less; but no matter. Av coorsewe've had the usual difficulties to fight agin, for the owld EddystoneRock ain't agoin' to change its natur to please nobody. As me fatherdescribed it in _his_ day, so I finds it in mine. On most of our firstvisits we got wet skins; but little or no work done, for though it mightbe ever so calm here at Plymouth, it always seemed to be blowin' aprivate gale out at the Rock--leastwise, av it warn't blowin', there wasswell enough most days to make the landin' troublesome. So we got wanhour's work at wan time, an' two hours, or may be three, at another, offan' on. As the saison advanced we got on better, sometimes got five andsix hours on the Rock right on ind, and whin the tide sarved we wint atit by torch-light. Wan week we got no less than sixty-four an' a halfhours on it, an' we was all in great sperrits intirely over that, foryou see, mister Potter, we're all picked men an' takes a pride in thework--to say nothin' of havin' a good master. Av coorse we've had theusual botherations wid the sharp rocks cuttin' the cable of ourattendin'-sloop, an' gales suddinly gettin' up whin we was at the Rockwantin' to land, as well as suddinly goin' down whin we wasn't at theRock, so that we missed our chances. But such sorrows was what weexpicted, more or less. The wust disappointment we've had has bin wi'the noo store-ship, the _Neptune Buss_. I wish it was the Neptune_bu'st_, I do, for it's wus than a tub, an' gives us more trouble thanit's all worth. Now the saison's drawin' to a close, it's clear thatwe'll do no more this year than cut the foundations. "

"An' that's not a bad season's work, lad, " said old John. "Ain't itnot, Tommy?"

"Not bad, indeed, father, for there are always unusual and vexatiousdelays at the beginning of a great work; besides, some of the greatestdifficulties in connexion with such buildings are encountered in thepreparation of the foundations. I suppose Mr Smeaton means to dressthe stones on shore, ready for laying?" continued Potter the younger, turning to Maroon, who had risen and was buttoning up his monkey-jacket. 

"Why, yes sur, haven't you bin down at the yard?"

"Not yet. I've only just arrived in town; and must be off againto-morrow. You can't think how disappointed I am at being prevented bybusiness from taking part in the building of the new lighthouse--"

"What's that you say, Tommy?" interrupted old Martha, putting her handto her ear and wrinkling her brow interrogatively. 

"That I'm grieved, mother, at not being able to help in building the newlighthouse, " shouted her son, in a voice that might have split anordinary ear. 

Old Martha's visage relaxed into a faint smile as she turned towards thefire and looked earnestly at it, as if for explanation or consolation. 

"Ay ay, " she muttered, "it would have bin strange if you hadn't wishedthat; you was always up to mischief, Tommy; always; or else wishin' tobe up to it, although you might know as well as I know myself, that ifyou did get leave to go hout to the Rock (which you're for ever wantin'to do), it would be wet feet an dirty pinafores mornin', noon, an'night, which it's little you care for that, you bad boy, though itcauses me no end of washin' an' dryin', --ay ay!"

The old woman looked up in the smiling countenance of her stalwart son, and becoming apparently a little confused by reminiscences of the pastand evidences of the present, retired within herself and relapsed intosilence. 

"Well, sur, " continued Teddy, "just give a look down if you can; it'sworth your while. Mr Smeaton means to have every stone cut in the yardhere on shore, and to lay down each `course' in the yard too, to be surethat it all fits, for we'll have no time out at the Rock to correctmistakes or make alterations. It'll be `sharp's the word, boys, andlook alive O!' all through; ship the stones; off to the Rock; land 'emin hot haste; clap on the cement; down wi' the blocks; work likeblazes--or Irishmen, which is much the same thing; make all fast intothe boats again; sailors shoutin' `Look alive, me hearties! squallbearin' down right abaft of the lee stuns'l gangway!'--or somethin' likethat; up sail, an' hooroo! boys, for the land, weather permittin'; ifnot, out to say an' take things aisy, or av ye can't be aisy, be as aisyas ye can!"

"A pleasant prospect, truly, " said Mr T. Potter, laughing, as he shookthe Irishman's horny hand. 

"Good-bye, John. Good-bye, Nora, me darlin'; Good-bye, owld ooman. "

"Hold your noise, lad, " said old Martha, looking gravely into hervisitor's face. 

"That's just what I manes to do, mavoorneen, " replied Teddy Maroon, witha pleasant nod, "for I'll be off to the Rock to-morrow by day-break, weather permittin', an' it's little help any noise from me would give tothe waves that kape gallivantin' wid the reefs out there like madthings, from Sunday to Saturday, all the year round. "

When the door shut on the noisy Irishman, it seemed as though one of theprofound calms so much needed and desired out at the Eddystone Rock hadsettled down in old John Potter's home--a calm which was not broken forsome minutes thereafter except by old Martha muttering softly once ortwice, while she gravely shook her head: "Hold your noise, Teddy, holdyour noise, lad; you're very like your father; hold your noise!"

CHAPTER EIGHT. 

EXPERIENCES, DIFFICULTIES, AND DANGERS OF THE FIRST SEASON. 

While the building of the new lighthouse was being thus calmly discussedon shore, out at the Eddystone the wild waves were lashing themselvesinto fierce fury, as if they had got wind of what was being done, andhad hurried from all ends of the sea to interdict proceedings. Inhurrying to the field of battle these wild waves indulged in a little oftheir favourite pastime. They caught up two unfortunate vessels--alarge West Indiaman and a man-of-war's tender--and bore themtriumphantly towards the fatal Rock. It seemed as though the wavesregarded these as representative vessels, and meant thus to cast theroyal and the merchant navies on the Eddystone, by way, as it were, ofthrowing down the gauntlet to presumptuous Man. 

For want of the famous light the vessels bore straight down upon theRock, and the wild waves danced and laughed, and displayed their whiteteeth and their seething ire, as if in exultation at the thought of theshattered hulls and mangled corpses, which they hoped ere long to tossupon their crests. 

Fortunately, Man was on the "look out!" The _Buss_ was tugging at hermoorings off the Rock, and some of the seamen and hands wereperambulating the deck, wishing for settled weather, and trying topierce the gloom by which they were surrounded. Suddenly the twovessels were seen approaching. The alarm was given. Those on board thedoomed ships saw their danger when too late, and tried to sheer off thefatal spot, but their efforts were fruitless. The exulting waveshurried them irresistibly on. In this extremity the Eddystone menleaped into their yawl, pushed off, and succeeded in towing both vesselsout of danger; at once demonstrating the courage of English hearts andthe need there was for English hands to complete the work on which theywere then engaged. 

Next day Mr Smeaton came off to visit the Rock, and the news of therescue served him for a text on which to preach a lay-sermon as to theneed of every man exerting himself to the uttermost in a work which wasso obviously a matter of life and death. It was, however, scarcelynecessary to urge these men, for they were almost all willing. But notall; in nearly every flock there is a black sheep or so, that requiresweeding out. There were two such sheep among the builders of theEddystone. Being good at everything, Smeaton was a good weeder. Hesoon had them up by the roots and cast out. A foreman proved to bedisorderly, and tried to make the men promise, "that if he should bedischarged they would all follow him. " Smeaton at once assembled themen and gave orders that such of them as had any dependence on, orattachment to, the refractory foreman, should take up his tools andfollow him. Only one did so--the rest stood firm. 

At this time the weather was very unsettled, and the work progressedslowly. Once or twice it was still further retarded, by men who shouldhave known better, in the following manner:

One evening one of the lighthouse boats was boarded by a cutter, theofficer in charge of which proceeded to "impress" several of the meninto the navy. 

"It's to be pressed we are, " murmured Teddy Maroon to one of his mates, in a vexed tone, "sure the tater-heads might know we've got an Admiraltyprotection. "

Whether the officer knew this or not, it was evident that he hadoverheard the remark, for, after selecting two of the best men, heturned, and, pointing to Maroon, said aloud:--

"Let that tater-head also jump on board. He's not worth much, but theservice is in want of powder-monkeys just now. Perhaps he'll do. Ifnot, I'll send him back. "

Thus was the poor Irishman carried off with his two mates to fight thebattles of his country! In a few days, however, they were all sentback, and the indiscreet officer who had impressed them got a reprimandfor his pains. After the first season they had no further interruptionsfrom this source. 

Large mainsails were given them for their boats, with a lighthousepainted on each, and every man obtained besides a silver medal ofexemption from impressment. 

But this was only the commencement of poor Teddy's "throubles" at thattime. He had scarcely returned to his work when a new one overtook him. This was, however, in the way of business. 

"Teddy, my fine fellow, " said Richardson, the foreman, as they stood onthe deck of the _Buss_ holding on to the mizzen shrouds, "it's quiteclear to me that with the wind dead against them like this, the reliefboat with Hill's company won't be able to get off, and as we're short ofprovisions, I mean to take the big yawl and go ashore with my gang. Asthe best men are always chosen for posts of danger, I shall leave you incharge of the _Buss_ with two hands--Smart and Bowden;--both stanchfellows as you know. "

"I'm your servant, sir, " said Teddy, "only if the best men are wantedhere, hadn't you better stop yourself, an' I'll take the rest ashore?"

Richardson did not see his way to this, though he acknowledged thecompliment, and that evening Teddy found himself in command of thedespised _Buss_, with half a gale blowing, and, as he observed, "morewhere that came from. "

Teddy was right, "more" did come, and kept him and his mates idleprisoners for a week. Indeed the whole of that month had been so stormythat from the 16th to the 30th only twenty hours' work had been done onthe Rock. 

During six days the three men stuck to their post, but at the end ofthat time Teddy called a council of war. 

"Gintlemen, " said he, "(for men in our pursition must be purlite to sichother), it's our dooty to stick by this here tub so long's it's of anyuse to do so; but as she seems to be well able to look after herself, an' our purvisions has come down to the last ounce, it's my opinion--founded on profound meditations over me last pipe--that we'd better goashore. "

To this speech John Bowden replied "I'm agreeable, for it's not my dootyto starve myself. "

William Smart, however, intimated that he was "_dis_agreeable. "

"Because, " said he, "its blowin' great guns, an' looks as if it meant togo on, which is not a state of weather suitable for goin' over a dozenmiles of sea in a small open boat, without even a mast or a rag of sailto bless herself with. "

"Pooh!" exclaimed Maroon, contemptuously; "a blanket'll make the best ofsails. "

"Ay, " added Bowden, "and an oar will do well enough for a mast--anyhowwe'll try, for most votes carry in all well-regulated meetin's. "

This plan, although attended with considerable danger, was finallyagreed to, and forthwith acted on. 

That afternoon the men on shore observed a very Robinson-Crusoe-likeboat coming in from the sea with an oar-mast and a blanket-sail, fromwhich landed "Captain" Teddy Maroon and his two mates. The sameevening, however, the wind moderated and shifted a little, so that therelief boat, with provisions and the gang of men whose turn it was to doduty in the store-ship, succeeded in getting off and reaching their_Buss_ in safety. 

The weather became so bad soon after this that Smeaton thought it wiseto bring his operations for that season to a close. Accordingly, on the7th November, he visited the Rock, which had been cut into a regularfloor of successive terraces or steps, and was considerably larger incircumference than the foundation on which Rudyerd's building hadrested. On the 15th the _Buss_ sailed into Plymouth, the men having runout of provisions, and having been unable to do anything on the Rock. 

A great storm raged on the 22nd. On the previous day Smeaton had goneoff in the _Buss_ to attach a buoy to the mooring chains for thatwinter. The task was laborious, and when it was completed they found itimpossible to return to Plymouth, owing to the miserable sailingqualities of their vessel. There was nothing for it but to cast looseand run before the wind. While doing so they snapt the painter of theyawl, and lost it. 

Thus they were, as it were, cast adrift upon the sea with neither maps, charts, books, nor instruments to guide them. No alarm, however, wasfelt, the neighbouring headlands being bold, and all on board havingpreviously been at Fowey, to which port Smeaton now gave orders tosteer. 

Wet and worn out with labour, he then went below to snatch a few hours'repose. In the night he was awakened by a tremendous noise overhead. The men were rushing about the deck, and shouting wildly. He sprang upwithout dressing. A voice, exclaiming, "For God's sake heave hard onthat rope if you want to save yourselves!" saluted him as he gained thedeck. Roaring wind, a deluge of rain, and pitch darkness held revel onthe sea; but above the din was heard the dreaded sound of breakers closeunder their lee. The jib was split, the mainsail half-lowered, and thevessel running gunwale under. By vigorous and well-directed action, inwhich John Bowden proved himself to be one of those men who are towersof strength in emergencies, the head of the _Buss_ was brought round, and the immediate danger averted, but they had no idea where they were, and when day broke on the 23rd they found themselves out of sight ofland! Their last boat, also, had filled while towing astern, and had tobe cut adrift. At noon, however; they sighted the Land's End--the windblowing hard from the nor'-east. 

"No chance o' making a British port in this wind with such a vessel, sir, " said John Bowden, touching his cap respectfully to Mr Smeaton. 

"As well try to bate to win'ard in me grandmother's wash-tub, " remarkedTeddy Maroon, in a disrespectful tone. 

Smeaton, agreeing with them, lay-to the whole of the 24th, and then, casting anchor, debated whether it were better to make for the coast ofFrance or try to reach the Scilly Islands. Fortunately a change of windon the 25th enabled them to weigh anchor and run back to Plymouthrejoicing; and vowing, as John Bowden said, never more to venture out tosea in a _Buss_! They reached the harbour at six in the morning, to theintense relief of their friends, who had given them up for lost. 

Thus ended the first season--1756. 

CHAPTER NINE. 

ACCOUNT OF THE WAR CONTINUED. 

"Now then, my lads, " said Smeaton, on the 12th of June 1757, "we shalllay the foundation to-day, so let us go to work with a will. "

"Faix, then, " whispered Teddy Maroon to John Bowden, as they proceededto the wharf, where the ready-cut stones were being put on board theEddystone boat, "it's little good we'll do av we _don't_ go to work wida will. "

"I believe you, my boy, " replied John, heartily. John Bowden said anddid everything heartily. "An' we won't be long, " he continued, "aboutlaying the first course, it's such a small one. "

"Hallo!" shouted the man in charge of the boat, as they came in sight ofit, "come along, lads; we're all ready. "

According to directions they ran down, and jumped on board "with awill. " Smeaton took his place in the stern. They pushed off with awill; sailed and pulled out the fourteen miles with a will; jumped onthe rock, landed the heavy stones, went immediately into action, cleanedthe bed, and laid the first stone of the great work--all under the samevigorous impulse of the will. This was at eight in the morning. By theevening tide, the first "course, " which formed but a small segment of acircle, was fitted with the utmost despatch, bedded in mortar andtrenailed down. Next day the second course was partly landed on therock; the men still working with a will, for moments out there were moreprecious than hours or days in ordinary building, --but before they gotthe whole course landed, old Ocean also began to work with a will, andeventually proved himself stronger than his adversaries, by drivingthem, in a terrific storm, from the Rock!

They reached the _Buss_ with difficulty, and lay there idle while themad waves revelled round the rocks, and danced through their worksderidingly. It seemed, however, as though they were only "in fun, " for, on returning to work after the gale abated, it was found that "no harmhad been done. " As if, however, to check any premature felicitations, old Ocean again sent a sudden squall on the 18th, which drove the menonce more off the rock, without allowing time to chain the stoneslanded, so that five of them were lost. 

This was a serious disaster. The lost stones could only be replaced bynew ones being cut from the distant quarries. Prompt in allemergencies, Smeaton hurried away and set two men to work on each stone, night and day; nevertheless, despite his utmost efforts, seconded bywilling men, the incident caused the loss of more than a week. 

Fogs now stepped in to aid and abet the winds and waves in their madefforts to stop the work. Stop it! They little knew what indomitablespirits some men have got. As well might they have attempted to stopthe course of time! They succeeded, however, in causing vexatiousdelays, and, in July, had the audacity to fling a wreck in the veryteeth of the builders, as if to taunt them with the futility of theirlabours. 

It happened thus: On the night of the 5th a vessel named the _CharmingSally_, about 130 tons burden, and hailing from Biddeford, came sailingover the main. A bright lookout was kept on board of her, of course, for the wind was moderately high, and the fog immoderately thick. The_Sally_ progressed charmingly till midnight, when the look-out observed"something" right ahead. He thought the something looked likefishing-boats, and, being an unusually bright fellow, he resolved towait until he should be quite sure before reporting what he saw. With ajovial swirl the waves bore the _Charming Sally_ to her doom. "Rocksahead!" roared the bright look-out, rather suddenly. "Rocks under herbottom, " thought the crew of seven hands, as they leaped on deck, andfelt the out-lying reefs of the Eddystone playing pitch and toss withtheir keel. Dire was the confusion on board, and cruel were the blowsdealt with ungallant and unceasing violence at the hull of the _CharmingSally_; and black, black as the night would have been the fate of thehapless seamen on that occasion if the builders of the Eddystone had notkept a brighter look-out on board their sheltering _Buss_. John Bowdenhad observed the vessel bearing down on the rocks, and gave a startlingalarm. Without delay a boat was launched and pulled to the rescue. Meanwhile the vessel filled so fast that their boat floated on the deckbefore the crew could get into it, and the whole affair had occurred sosuddenly that some of the men, when taken off, were only in theirshirts. That night the rescued men were hospitably entertained in the_Buss_ by the builders of the new lighthouse, and, soon after, the ribsof the _Charming Sally_ were torn to pieces by the far-famed teeth ofthe Eddystone--another added to the countless thousands of wrecks whichhad been demonstrating the urgent need there was for a lighthouse there, since the earliest days of navigation. 

Having enacted this pleasant little episode, the indefatigable buildersset to work again to do battle with the winds and waves. That thebattle was a fierce one is incidentally brought out by the fact that onthe 8th of August the sea was said "for the first time" to haverefrained from going over the works during a whole tide!

On the 11th of the same month the building was brought to a level withthe highest point of the Rock. This was a noteworthy epoch, inasmuch asthe first completely _circular_ course was laid down, and the men hadmore space to move about. 

Mr Smeaton, indeed, seems to have moved about too much. Possibly thehilarious state of his mind unduly affected his usually sedate body. Atall events, from whatever cause, he chanced to tumble off the edge ofthe building, and fell on the rocks below, at the very feet of theamazed Teddy Maroon, who happened to be at work there at the time. 

"Och, is it kilt ye are, sur?" demanded the Irishman. 

"Not quite, " replied Smeaton, rising and carefully examining his thumb, which had been dislocated. 

"Sure now it's a sargeon ye should have bin, " said Teddy, as hiscommander jerked the thumb into its place as though it had been thedisabled joint of a mathematical instrument, and quietly returned to hislabours. 

About this time also the great shears, by means of which the stones wereraised to the top of the building, were overturned, and fell with acrash amongst the men; fortunately, however, no damage to life or limbresulted, though several narrow escapes were made. Being now on a goodplatform, they tried to work at night with the aid of links, but theenemy came down on them in the form of wind, and constantly blew thelinks out. The builders, determined not to be beaten, made a hugebonfire of their links. The enemy, growing furious, called upreinforcements of the waves, and not only drowned out the bonfire butdrove the builders back to the shelter of their fortress, the _Buss_, and shut them up there for several days, while the waves, comingconstantly up in great battalions, broke high over the re-erectedshears, and did great damage to the machinery and works, but failed tomove the sturdy root of the lighthouse which had now been fairlyplanted, though the attack was evidently made in force, this being theworst storm of the season. It lasted fifteen days. 

On the 1st September the enemy retired for a little repose, and thebuilders, instantly sallying out, went to work again "with a will, " andsecured eighteen days of uninterrupted progress. Then the ocean, as ifrefreshed, renewed the attack, and kept it up with such unceasing vigourthat the builders drew off and retired into winter quarters on the 3rdof October, purposing to continue the war in the following spring. 

During this campaign of 1757 the column of the lighthouse had risen fourfeet six inches above the highest point of the Eddystone Rock. Thusended the second season, and the wearied but dauntless men returned tothe work-yard on shore to carve the needful stones, and otherwise toprepare ammunition for the coming struggle. 

Sitting one night that winter at John Potter's fireside, smoking hispipe in company with John Bowden, Teddy Maroon expressed his belief thatbuilding lighthouses was about the hardest and the greatest work thatman could undertake; that the men who did undertake such work ought notonly to receive double pay while on duty, but also half pay for theremainder of their natural lives; that the thanks of the king, lords, and commons, inscribed on vellum, should be awarded to each man; andthat gold medals should be struck commemorative of such great events, --all of which he said with great emphasis, discharging a sharp littlepuff of smoke between every two or three words, and winding up with adeclaration that "them was his sentiments. "

To all this old John Potter gravely nodded assent, and old Martha--beingquite deaf to sound as well as reason--shook her head so decidedly thather cap quivered again. 

John Bowden ventured to differ. He--firing off little cloudlets ofsmoke between words, in emulation of his friend--gave it as his opinionthat "war was wuss, " an opinion which he founded on the authority of hisdeparted father, who had fought all through the Peninsular campaign, andwho had been in the habit of entertaining his friends and family withsuch graphic accounts of storming breaches, bombarding fortresses, lopping off heads, arms, and legs, screwing bayonets into men's gizzardsand livers, and otherwise agonising human frames, and demolishing humanhandiwork, that the hair of his auditors' heads would certainly havestood on end if that capillary proceeding had been at all possible. 

But Teddy Maroon did not admit the force of his friend's arguments. Heallowed, indeed, that war was a great work, inasmuch as it was a greatevil, whereas lighthouse-building was a great blessing; and hecontended, that while the first was a cause of unmitigated misery, andproductive of nothing better than widows, orphans, and national debts, the second was the source of immense happiness, and of salvation tolife, limb, and property. 

To this John Bowden objected, and Teddy Maroon retorted, whereupon a warof words began, which speedily waged so hot that the pipes of bothcombatants went out, and old John Potter found it necessary to assumethe part of peace-maker, in which, being himself a keen debater, hefailed, and there is no saying what might have been the result of it ifold Martha had not brought the action to a summary close by telling hervisitors in shrill tones to "hold their noise. " This they did afterlaughing heartily at the old woman's fierce expression of countenance. 

Before parting, however, they all agreed without deciding the questionat issue--that lighthouse-building was truly a noble work. 

CHAPTER TEN. 

THE CAMPAIGN OF 1758. 

The contrast was pleasant; repose after toil, --for stone-cutting in theyard on shore was rest compared with the labour at the Rock. Steady, regular, quiet progress; stone after stone added to the great pile, tested and ready for shipment at the appointed time. Thecommander-in-chief planning, experimenting, superintending. The menbusy as bees; and, last but not least, delightful evenings with friends, and recountings of the incidents of the war. Such is the record of thewinter. 

The spring of 1758 came; summer advanced. The builders assumed theoffensive, and sent out skirmishers to the Rock, where they found thatthe enemy had taken little or no rest during the winter, and were ashard at it as ever. Little damage, however, had been done. 

The attacking party suffered some defeats at the outset. They foundthat their buoy was lost, and the mooring chain of the _Buss_ had sunkduring the winter. It was fished up, however, but apparently might aswell have been let lie, for it could not hold the _Buss_, which brokeloose during a gale, and had to run for Plymouth Sound. Again, on 3rdJune; another buoy was lost, and bad weather continued till July. Then, however, a general and vigorous assault was made, the result being"great progress, " so that, on the 8th of August, a noteworthy point wasreached. 

On that day the fourteenth "course" was laid, and this completed the"solid" part of the lighthouse. It rose 35 feet above the foundation. 

From this point the true _house_ may be said to have commenced, for, just above this course, the opening for the door was left, and thelittle space in the centre for the spiral staircase which was to lead tothe first room. 

As if to mark their disapproval of this event, the angry winds andwaves, during the same month, raised an unusually furious commotionwhile one of the yawls went into the "Gut" or pool, which served as akind of harbour, to aid one of the stone boats. 

"She won't get out o' that _this_ night, " said John Bowden, alluding tothe yawl, as he stood on the top of the "solid" where his comrades werebusy working, "the wind's gettin' up from the east'ard. "

"If she don't, " replied one of the men, "we'll have to sleep where weare. "

"Slape!" exclaimed Maroon, looking up from the great stone whose jointshe had been carefully cementing, "it's little slape you'll do here, boys. Av we're not washed off entirely we'll have to howld on by ourteeth and nails. It's a cowld look-out. "

Teddy was right. The yawl being unable to get out of the Gut, the menin it were obliged to "lie on their oars" all night, and those on thetop of the building, where there was scarcely shelter for a fly, feltboth the "look-out" and the look-in so "cowld" that they worked allnight as the only means of keeping themselves awake and comparativelywarm. It was a trying situation; a hard night, as it were "in thetrenches, "--but it was their first and last experience of the kind. 

Thus foot by foot--often baffled, but never conquered--Smeaton and hismen rose steadily above the waves until they reached a height ofthirty-five feet from the foundation, and had got as far as thestore-room (the first apartment) of the building. This was on the 2ndof October, on which day all the stones required for that season wereput into this store-room; but on the 7th of the same month the enemymade a grand assault in force, and caused these energetic labourers tobeat a retreat. It was then resolved that they should again retire intowinter quarters. Everything on the Rock was therefore "made taut" andsecure against the foe, and the workers returned to the shore, whencethey beheld the waves beating against their tower with such fury thatthe sprays rose high above it. 

The season could not close, however, without an exhibition of thepeculiar aptitude of the _Buss_ for disastrous action! On the 8th thatinimitable vessel--styled by Teddy Maroon a "tub, " and by the other men, variously, a "bumboat, " a "puncheon, " and a "brute" began to tug withtremendous violence at her cable. 

"Ah then, darlin', " cried Maroon, apostrophising her, "av ye go on likethat much longer it's snappin' yer cable ye'll be after. "

"It wouldn't be the first time, " growled John Bowden, as he leanedagainst the gale and watched with gravity of countenance a huge billowwhose crest was blown off in sheets of spray as it came rolling towardsthem. 

"Howld on!" cried Teddy Maroon, in anxiety. 

If his order was meant for the _Buss_ it was flatly disobeyed, for thatcharming example of naval architecture, presenting her bluff bows to thebillow, snapt the cable and went quietly off to leeward!

"All hands ahoy!" roared William Smart as he rushed to the foresailhalyards. 

The summons was not needed. All the men were present, and each knewexactly what to do in the circumstances. But what avails the strengthand capacity of man when his weapon is useless?

"She'll _never_ beat into Plymouth Sound wi' the wind in thisdirection, " observed one of the masons, when sail had been set. 

"Beat!" exclaimed another contemptuously, "she can't beat with the windin _any_ direction. "

"An' yit, boys, " cried Maroon, "she may be said to be a first-ratebaiter, for she always baits _us_ complaitly. "

"I never, no I never did see such a scow!" said John Bowden, with adeepening growl of indignation, "she's more like an Irish pig than a--"

"Ah then, don't be hard upon the poor pigs of owld Ireland, " interruptedMaroon, pathetically. 

"Bah!" continued Bowden, "I only wish we had the man that planned her onboard, that we might keel-haul him. I've sailed in a'most every kind ofcraft that floats--from a Chinese junk to a British three-decker, andbetween the two extremes there's a pretty extensive choice ofwashin'-tubs, but the equal o' this here _Buss_ I never did see--nonever; take another haul on the foretops'l halyards, boys, and shut yourpotato-traps for fear the wind blows your teeth overboard. Look alive!"

That the _Buss_ deserved the character so emphatically given to her wasproved by the fact that, after an unsuccessful attempt to reach theSound, she was finally run into Dartmouth Roads, and, shortlyafterwards, her ungainly tossings, for that season, came to a close. 

CHAPTER ELEVEN. 

THE LAST CAMPAIGN--AND VICTORY!

The campaign of 1759 opened on the 3rd of July with an attack commandedby Smeaton in person in the old _Buss_. 

Previous to this, on March 21st, the coast was visited by a gale of suchseverity that immense mischief was done on shore. Ships in the port, houses, etcetera, at Plymouth, were greatly damaged; nevertheless, theunfinished tower out upon the exposed Eddystone reef stood fast, havingdefied the utmost fury of winds and waves. 

It was found, however, that some loss had been sustained, the buoy ofthe mooring chain, as usual, was gone; but worse than that, one of thestones left in the store-room, a mass which weighed four and a halfhundredweight, was missing. It had been washed out of the store-roomentry by the water!

This was a serious loss, as it obliged the men to retire to the _Buss_, where they were constrained to spin yarns and twirl their thumbs inidleness till the lost stone was replaced by another. Then they went towork according to custom "with a will, " and, on the 21st of July, completed the second floor; a whole room with a vaulted roof having beenbuilt in seven days. 

At this point they proceeded to fit in the entry and store-room doors;and here another vexatious check appeared imminent. It was found thatthe block-tin with which the door-hooks were to be fastened had beenforgotten!

Doubtless Mr Smeaton felt inclined to emulate the weather by "storming"on this occasion, but that would have been of no use. Neither was it ofany avail that Teddy Maroon scratched his head and wrinkled his visagelike that of a chimpanzee monkey. The tin _was_ not; the hooks wouldnot hold without it, and to send ashore for it would have involved greatdelay. Mr Smeaton proved equal to the occasion. 

"Off with you, lads, to the _Buss_, " he cried, "and bring hither everypewter plate and dish on board. "

"Think o' that now!" exclaimed Maroon his wrinkles expanding into abland smile of admiration. 

"Don't think of it, but _do_ it, " returned Smeaton, with a laugh. 

The thing was done at once. The "plate" of the _Buss_ was melted downand mixed with lead, the hooks were fixed into the jambs, and the doorswere hung in triumph. Solid doors they were too; not slender thingswith wooden panels, but thick iron-plated affairs somewhat resemblingthe armour of a modern ship-of-war, and fitted to defy the ocean's mostpowerful battering-rams. 

Progress thereafter was steady and rapid. There were points here andthere in the work which served as landmarks. On the 6th of AugustSmeaton witnessed a strange sight--a bright halo round the top of thebuilding. It was no miracle, though it looked like one. Doubtless somescientific men could give a satisfactory explanation of it, and provethat it was no direct interposition of the hand of God. So could theygive a satisfactory account of the rainbow, though the rainbow _is_ adirect sign to man. Whatever the cause, there the glory circled like asign of blessing on the work, and a fitting emblem of the life-giving, because death-warding, beams which were soon to be sent streaming fromthat tower by the hand of man. 

Three days afterwards they began to lay the balcony floor; on the 17ththe main column was completed, and on the 26th the masonry was finished. It only remained that the lantern should be set up. But this lanternwas a mighty mass of metal and glass, made with great care, and ofimmense strength and weight. Of course it had to be taken off to therock in pieces, and we may almost say _of course_ the ocean offeredopposition. Then, as if everything had conspired to test the enduranceand perseverance of the builders, the first and second coppersmiths fellill on the 4th September. Skilled labour such as theirs could notreadily be replaced in the circumstances, and every hour of the now faradvanced season had become precious. Smeaton had set his heart on"showing a light" that year. In this difficulty, being a skilledmechanic himself, he threw off his coat and set to work with the men. 

The materials of the lantern were landed on the 16th and fittedtogether, and the cupola was hoisted to its place on the 17th. Thislatter operation was extremely hazardous, the cupola being upwards ofhalf a ton in weight, and it had to be raised outside the building andkept carefully clear of it the while. It seemed as if the elementsthemselves favoured this critical operation, or rather, as though theystood aghast and breathlessly still, while this, the crowning evidenceof their defeat, was being put on. It was accomplished in less thanhalf an hour, and, strange to say, no sooner was the tackling loosed andthe screws that held the cupola fixed, than up got wind and sea oncemore in an uproarious gale of consternation from the east!

On the 18th a huge gilt ball was screwed on the top by Smeaton's ownhand, and thus the building of the Eddystone lighthouse was finished. 

There still remained, however, a good deal of copper and wood-work to bedone in the interior, but there was now no doubt in Smeaton's mind thatthe light would be exhibited that season. He therefore removed his bedand stores from the _Buss_ to the lighthouse, and remained there, thebetter to superintend the completion of the work. 

One evening he looked into the upper storeroom, where some bars werebeing heated over a charcoal fire. He became giddy with the fumes, staggered, and fell down insensible. Assuredly poor Smeaton's labourswould have terminated then and there if it had not been that one of themen had providentially followed him. A startled cry was heard--one ofthose cries full of meaning which cause men to leap half involuntarilyto the rescue. 

"Och! somebody's kilt, " cried Maroon, flinging away his pipe andspringing up the staircase, followed by others, "wather! wather! lookalive there!"

Some bore Smeaton to the room below, and others ran down for sea-water, which they dashed over their master unmercifully. Whether or not it wasthe best treatment we cannot say, but it sufficed, for Smeaton soonrecovered consciousness and found himself lying like a half drowned raton the stone floor. 

At last, on the 1st of October, the lantern was lighted for trial duringthe day, with 24 candles. They burned well though a gale was blowing. On the 4th an express was sent to the Corporation of the Trinity Houseto say that all was ready. A short delay was made to allow of thelighting-up being advertised, and finally, on the 16th of October 1759, the new Eddystone lighthouse cast its first benignant rays over thetroubled sea. 

It chanced on that day that an appropriate storm raged, as if toinaugurate the great event. Owing to this, Smeaton could not get off tobe at the lighting-up of his own building. From the shore, however, hebeheld its initiative gleam as it opened its bright eye to the realityof its grand position, and we can well believe that his hardy, persevering spirit exulted that night over the success of his labours. We can well believe, also, that there was in him a deeper and higherfeeling than that of mere joy, if we may judge of the cast of his mindby the inscriptions put by him upon his work during progress and atcompletion. 

Round the upper store-room, on the course under the ceiling, hechiselled the words:--

"Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. "

And on the last stone set, over the door of the lantern, was carved:--

"Praise God!"

The lighthouse, thus happily completed, rose to a height of seventyfeet, and consisted of forty-six courses of masonry. The internalarrangements will be understood at once by reference to our engraving, which exhibits a section of the tower. There was first the solid part, 35 feet in height and 16 feet 8 inches in diameter at the top, the basebeing much wider. Then came the still very solid portion with theentrance-door and the spiral staircase. Above that, the firststore-room, which had no windows. Next, the second store-room, with twowindows. Next the kitchen, followed by the bed-room, both of which hadfour windows; and, last, the lantern. The rooms were 12 feet 4 inchesin diameter, with walls 2 feet 2 inches thick, and the whole fabric, from top to bottom, was so dovetailed, trenailed, cemented, inter-connected, and bound together, that it formed and still continues, a unique and immoveable mass of masonry. 

There were others besides Smeaton who watched, that night, with deepinterest the opening of the Eddystone's bright eye. 

In a humble apartment in the village of Cawsand Bay an aged man stood, supported by an elderly man, at a window, gazing seaward with anexpression of intense expectation, while a very aged woman sat crooningover the fire, holding the hand of a fair girl just verging on earlywomanhood. 

"D'ee see it yet, Tommy?" asked the old man, eagerly. 

"No, not yet, " replied Tommy, "not--yes--there--!"

"Ah! that's it, I see it, " cried old John Potter, with a faint gleam ofhis old enthusiasm. "There it goes, brighter than ever. A blessedlight, and much wanted, Tommy, much, much wanted. "

He leaned heavily on his son's arm and, after gazing for some time, asked to be taken back to his chair opposite old Martha. 

"What is it?" inquired Martha, bending her ear towards a pretty littlemouth. 

"Grandfather has just seen the new Eddystone lighted up for the firsttime, " replied Nora. 

"Ay, ay, " said Martha in a moralising tone, as she turned her eyestowards the fire, "ay, ay, so soon! I always had a settled convictionthat that lighthouse would be burnt. "

"It's _not_ burnt, grannie, " said Nora, smiling, "it's only lighted up. "

"Well, well, my dear, " returned Martha, with a solemn shake of the head, "there an't much difference atween lighted-up an' burnt-up. It's justas I always said to your father, my dear--to your grandfather I mean--depend upon it, John, I used to say, that light'ouse will either beburnt up or blowed over. Ay, ay, dear me!"

She subsided into silent meditation, and thus, good reader, we shall bidher farewell, merely remarking that she and her honest husband did notdie for a considerable time after that. As she grew older and blinder, old Martha became more and more attached to the Bible and thedictionary, as well as to dear good blooming Nora, who assisted her inthe perusal of the former, her sweet ringing voice being the only one atlast that the old woman could hear. But although it was evident thatMartha had changed in many ways, her opinions remained immoveable. Shefeebly maintained these, and held her "settled convictions" to the lastgasp. 

As for Teddy Maroon, he returned to Ireland after the lighthouse wasfinished and quietly got married, and settled on the margin of the bogwhere the Teddy from whom he sprang still lingered, among his numerousdescendants, the life of his juvenile kindred, and an oracle onlighthouses. 

Time with its relentless scythe at last swept all the actors in our taleaway: Generations after them came and went. The world grew older andmore learned; whether more wise is still an open question! Knowledgeincreased, science and art advanced apace. Electricity, steam, iron, gold, muscle, and brain, all but wrought miracles, and almost everythingunderwent change more or less; but, amid all the turmoil of the world'sprogress and all the storms of elemental strife, one object remainedunaltered, and apparently unalterable--the Eddystone Lighthouse! True, indeed, its lantern underwent vast improvements, the Argand lamp andlens replacing the old candle, and causing its crown to shine with awhiter light and an intensified glory as it grew older, but as regardsits sturdy frame, there it has stood on the rugged rocks amid thetormented surges, presenting its bold and battered, but undamaged, frontto the utmost fury of blast and billow for upwards of a hundred years.