STORMBOUND ON COll IN THE 'GOOD OLD DAYS'

The following is an extract from the diary of Margaret MacEchern, who was staying with her relatives at Clabbach in the autumn of 1899.

1st November
No post. The 'Fingal' not been able to come because of the storm. 'The Hebrides' did not come last night, so there is no bread on the island.

3rd November
Mr McFadyn and Johnnie passed early this morning, from which we gathered they were going 'out'. They were followed presently by their retinue in the form of three carts containing pigs, cheese cloths etc, and accompanied by Sandy, Charlie Kennedy and Kennedy-with-the-Iaugh. What you might call a 'personally conducted tour'! Tonight we were alarmed by a great rumbling rising from the raging storm without. It turned out to be the same personally conducted tour trundling home- no word of the 'Hebrides' having come to hand.

4th November
This morning poor McFadyen and his caravan made another pilgrimage to the village to look for the overdue steamer. They waited all day in the wind and rain - for every day seems to get worse than the last - in the hope of each minute seeing the red funnel round the point, or at least getting word from some port or other of her whereabouts. Poor things! There they waited all day surrounded by their pigs, cheese, cloth and also some unmanageable sheep, till evening, when word came that the 'Hebrides' was passing on owing to the storm. So the drenched and dripping creatures have once more passed home with their retinue. The bread is still on board that 'Hebrides' and must be mouldering by now. Today I made a plum pudding. . .