‘That’s us,’ I said.

‘. . . the starboard hand perch is surmounted by a circle, and the port hand by a cross. . . . The best anchorage, which is sheltered from all but N. E. winds, is just off the jetty in three fathoms. . . . The passage between Eiln. Castle and the shore, through to the S. anchorage, is only cable wide, and there is a bad reef on the Eigg side to be guarded against. The tide runs strongly through this channel. The S. anchorage is in the middle of the bay, in 4 fathoms. Off the S. end of Eiln. Castle the reef extends for I cable. . . .’

But there I stopped her. We should not go to the south end: we should have ‘the best anchorage’, with heaven’s help and the engine’s.

And then I made a curious miscalculation, misled probably by the strong set of an ebbing tide running with us and increasing our speed perhaps to round about eight knots. In our chart I saw a headland marked Rudha nan Tri Clach, on the east coast of Eigg, which I took to mean the headland of the three stones. I began to watch for this formation. Presently I saw a headland thrice-terraced in rock and assumed it was the one I wanted. But soon a doubt began to arise and I wondered—for distances at sea can be very deceptive—if what I actually saw was not the point of Eiln. Castle (or Castle Island) at the southern corner of Eigg, inshore of which lay our anchorage.

This it turned out to be. All too quickly the island came open of Eigg and we saw the rocks and reefs and tried to pick up the two perches. I dare not disappear to attempt a slow-down, and look as we liked we could not see the perches. Perhaps we had expected something more solid than thin iron rods. But suddenly the starboard perch leapt to the eye, and then—though it took a moment or two because the dark rod is not readily visible against the dark beach of the island—we picked up the port perch with its cross. And there, some white boats lying at anchor—off the jetty.

As we came dead between the perches, keeping a smart lookout, I glimpsed the shore rising to wooded loveliness against the eastern end of the Scuir and some figures on the jetty watching our arrival. Eagerness to make a tidy mooring rose keenly in me.

But alas! for human vanity. A strong tide was with us, the seaway was narrow, there were plenty of reefs about, and the bay to starboard was obviously shallow. I waited as long as I dared, then I ducked to the lever and gave it a tug; it came, and in neutral the engine let out a mighty roar. I throttled down the least bit; the engine stopped abruptly. I was told that my remarks were heard on shore. I swung the heavy flywheel to a spin; but the engine refused to fire and I had now no time to prime her, for we were being carried on the tide against a ten-ton motor boat in the middle of the fairway. Nothing could be done except fend off, so I eased the bump, and, hanging on to the vessel’s rail, hailed anyone aboard. There was no answer, and slowly the dinghy swung round the other side of the vessel’s anchor chain. We were properly fixed now!