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eggs,down,feathers,andquills.Whentheygotoseatheyhavetheirboatwellmanned,
and make forwards the islands with an east wind; but if before or at the landing the
wind turn westerly they hoist up sail and steer directly home again. If any of their crew
isanoviceandnotversedinthecustomsoftheplace,hemustbeinstructedperfectlyin
allthepunctilloesobservedherebeforelanding,andtopreventinconveniencethatthey
think may ensue upon the transgression of the least nicety observed here, every novice
is always joined with another that can instruct him all the time of their fowling; so all
the boats crew are matched in this manner. After their landing they fasten the boat to
thesidesofarockthenfixawoodenladderbylayingastoneatthefootofittoprevent
its falling into the sea, and when they are got up into the island all of them uncover
their heads and make a turn sun-ways round, thanking God for their safety.
The biggest of these islands is called Island-More; it has the ruins of a chapel ded-
icated to Saint Flannan from whom the island derives its name. When they are come
within about twenty paces of the altar they all strip themselves of their upper garments
at once, and their upper clothes being laid upon a stone, which stands there on purpose
for that use, all the crew pray three times before they begin fowling; the first day they
say the first prayer, advancing towards the chapel upon their knees; the second prayer
is said as they go round the chapel; the third is said hard by or at the chapel; and this
is their morning service. Their vespers are performed with the like number of prayers.
Another rule is that it is absolutely unlawful to kill a fowl with a stone, for that they
reckon a great barbarity and directly contrary to ancient custom.
It is also unlawful to kill a fowl before the ascend by the ladder. It is absolutely un-
lawful to call the island of St Kilda (which lies thirty leagues southward) by its proper
Irish name, Hirt, but only the high country. They must not so much as once name the
islands in which they are fowling by the ordinary name Flannan, but only the country.
There are several other things that must not be called by their common names - e.g.
Visk,whichinthelanguageofthenativessignifieswater,theycallBurn;aRockwhich
intheirlanguageisCrag,mustherebecalledCruey-whichishard;Shoreintheirlan-
guage expressed by Claddach, must here be called Vah - i.e. a Cave; Sour in their lan-
guage is expressed by Gort, but here must be called Gaire - i.e. Sharp; Slippery, which
is expressed Bog, must be called Soft; and several other things to this purpose. They
count it also unlawful to kill a fowl after evening prayers. There is an ancient custom
by which the crew not to carry home any sheep suet. Let them kill ever so many sheep
in these islands.
One of their principal customs is not to steal or eat anything unknown to their part-
ner, else the transgressor (they say) will certainly vomit it up, which they reckon as a
just judgement. When they have loaded their boat sufficiently with sheep, fowl, eggs,
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