h；　brooding　over　the　waves；　counting　them；　noting　their　least　deflection；　noting　when　they　broke。　　On　Tweedside；　or　by　Lyne　or　Manor；　we　have　spent　together　whole　afternoons；　to　me；　at　the　time；　extremely　wearisome；　to　him；　as　I　am　now　sorry　to　think；　bitterly　mortifying。　　The　river　was　to　me　a　pretty　and　various　spectacle；　I　could　not　see　…　I　could　not　be　made　to　see　…　it　otherwise。　　To　my　father　it　was　a　chequer…board　of　lively　forces；　which　he　traced　from　pool　to　shallow　with　minute　appreciation　and　enduring　interest。　　'That　bank　was　being　under…cut；'　he　might　say。　　‘Why？　　Suppose　you　were　to　put　a　groin　out　here；　would　not　the　FILUM　FLUMINIS　be　cast　abruptly　off　across　the　channel？　and　where　would　it　impinge　upon　the　other　shore？　and　what　would　be　the　result？　　Or　suppose　you　were　to　blast　that　boulder；　what　would　happen？　Follow　it　…　use　the　eyes　God　has　given　you　…　can　you　not　see　that　a　great　deal　of　land　would　be　reclaimed　upon　this　side？'　It　was　to　me　like　school　in　holidays；　but　to　him；　until　I　had　worn　him　out　with　my　invincible　triviality；　a　delight。　　Thus　he　pored　over　the　engineer's　voluminous　handy…book　of　nature；　thus　must；　too；　have　pored　my　grand…father　and　uncles。
  But　it　is　of　the　essence　of　this　knowledge；　or　this　knack　of　mind；　to　be　largely　incommunicable。　　‘It　cannot　be　imparted　to　another；'　says　my　father。　　The　verbal　casting…net　is　thrown　in　vain　over　these　evanescent；　inferential　relations。　Hence　the　insignificance　of　much　engineering　literature。　　So　far　as　the　science　can　be　reduced　to　formulas　or　diagrams；　the　book　is　to　the　point；　so　far　as　the　art　depends　on　intimate　study　of　the　ways　of　nature；　the　author's　words　will　too　often　be　found　vapid。　　This　fact　…　that　engineering　looks　one　way；　and　literature　another　…　was　what　my　grand…father　overlooked。　　All　his　life　long；　his　pen　was　in　his　hand；　piling　up　a　treasury　of　knowledge；　preparing　himself　against　all　possible　contingencies。　　Scarce　anything　fell　under　his　notice　but　he　perceived　in　it　some　relation　to　his　work；　and　chronicled　it　in　the　pages　of　his　journal　in　his　always　lucid；　but　sometimes　inexact　and　wordy；　style。　　The　Travelling　Diary　（so　he　called　it）　was　kept　in　fascicles　of　ruled　paper；　which　were　at　last　bound　up；　rudely　indexed；　and　put　by　for　future　reference。　Such　volumes　as　have　reached　me　contain　a　surprising　medley：　the　whole　details　of　his　employment　in　the　Northern　Lights　and　his　general　practice；　the　whole　biography　of　an　enthusiastic　engineer。　　Much　of　it　is　useful　and　curious；　much　merely　otiose；　and　much　can　only　be　described　as　an　attempt　to　impart　that　which　cannot　be　imparted　in　words。　　Of　such　are　his　repeated　and　heroic　descriptions　of　reefs；　monuments　of　misdirected　literary　energy；　which　leave　upon　the　mind　of　the　reader　no　effect　but　that　of　a　multiplicity　of　words　and　the　suggested　vignette　of　a　lusty　old　gentleman　scrambling　among　tangle。　　It　is　to　be　remembered　that　he　came　to　engineering　while　yet　it　was　in　the　egg　and　without　a　library；　and　that　he　saw　the　bounds　of　that　profession　widen　daily。　　He　saw　iron　ships；　steamers；　and　the　locomotive　engine；　introduced。　　He　lived　to　travel　from　Glasgow　to　Edinburgh　in　the　inside　of　a　forenoon；　and　to　remember　that　he　himself　had　‘often　been　twelve　hours　upon　the　journey；　and　his　grand…father　（Lillie）　two　days'！　　The　profession　was　still　but　in　its　second　generation；　and　had　already　broken　down　the　barriers　of　time　and　space。　　Who　should　set　a　limit　to　its　future　encroachments？　　And　hence；　with　a　kind　of　sanguine　pedantry；　he　pursued　his　design　of　‘keeping　up　with　the　day'　and　posting　himself　and　his　family　on　every　mortal　subject。　　Of　this　unpractical　idealism　we　shall　meet　with　many　instances；　there　was　not　a　trade；　and　scarce　an　accomplishment；　but　he　thought　it　should　form　part　of　the　outfit　of　an　engineer；　and　not　content　with　keeping　an　encyclopaedic　diary　himself；　he　would　fain　have　set　all　his　sons　to　work　continuing　and　extending　it。　　They　were　more　happily　inspired。　　My　father's　engineering　pocket…book　was　not　a　bulky　volume；　with　its　store　of　pregnant　notes　and　vital　formulas；　it　served　him　through　life；　and　was　not　yet　filled　when　he　came　to　die。　　As　for　Robert　Stevenson　and　the　Travelling　Diary；　I　should　be　ungrateful　to　complain；　for　it　has　supplied　me　with　many　lively　traits　for　this　and　subsequent　chapters；　but　I　must　still　remember　much　of　the　period　of　my　study　there　as　a　sojourn　in　the　Valley　of　the　Shadow。
  The　duty　of　the　engineer　is　twofold　…　to　design　the　work；　and　to　see　the　work　done。　　We　have　seen　already　something　of　the　vociferous　thoroughness　of　the　man；　upon　the　cleaning　of　lamps　and　the　polishing　of　reflectors。　　In　building；　in　road…　making；　in　the　construction　of　bridges；　in　every　detail　and　byway　of　his　employments；　he　pursued　the　same　ideal。　Perfection　（with　a　capital　P　and　violently　under…scored）　was　his　design。　　A　crack　for　a　penknife；　the　waste　of　‘six…and…　thirty　shillings；'　‘the　loss　of　a　day　or　a　tide；'　in　each　of　these　he　saw　and　was　revolted　by　the　finger　of　the　sloven；　and　to　spirits　intense　as　his；　and　immersed　in　vital　undertakings；　the　slovenly　is　the　dishonest；　and　wasted　time　is　instantly　translated　into　lives　endangered。　　On　this　consistent　idealism　there　is　but　one　thing　that　now　and　then　trenches　with　a　touch　of　incongruity；　and　that　is　his　love　of　the　picturesque。　　As　when　he　laid　out　a　road　on　Hogarth's　line　of　beauty；　bade　a　foreman　be　careful；　in　quarrying；　not　‘to　disfigure　the　island'；　or　regretted　in　a　report　that　‘the　great　stone；　called　the　DEVIL　IN　THE　HOLE；　was　blasted　or　broken　down　to　make　road…metal；　and　for　other　purposes　of　the　work。'
  CHAPTER　III　THE　BUILDING　OF　THE　BELL　ROCK
  OFF　the　mouths　of　the　Tay　and　the　Forth；　thirteen　miles　from　Fifeness；　eleven　from　Arbroath；　and　fourteen　from　the　Red　Head　of　Angus；　lies　the　Inchcape　or　Bell　Rock。　　It　extends　to　a　length　of　about　fourteen　hundred　feet；　but　the　part　of　it　discovered　at　low　water　to　not　more　than　four　hundred　and　twenty…seven。　　At　a　little　more　than　half…flood　in　fine　weather　the　seamless　ocean　joins　over　the　reef；　and　at　high…　water　springs　it　is　buried　sixteen　feet。　　As　the　tide　goes　down；　the　higher　reaches　of　the　rock　are　seen　to　be　clothed　by　CONFERVA　RUPESTRIS　as　by　a　sward　of　grass；　upon　the　more　exposed　edges；　where　the　currents　are　most　swift　and　the　breach　of　the　sea　heaviest；　Baderlock　or　Henware　flourishes；　and　the　great　Tangle　grows　at　the　depth　of　several　fathoms　with　luxuriance。　　Before　man　arrived；　and　introduced　into　the　silence　of　the　sea　the　smoke　and　clangour　of　a　blacksmith's　shop；　it　was　a　favourite　resting…place　of　seals。　　The　crab　and　lobster　haunt　in　the　crevices；　and　limpets；　mussels；　and　the　white　buckie　abound。
  According　to　a　tradition；　a　bell　had　been　once　hung　upon　this　rock　by　an　abbot　of　Arbroath；　（1）　‘and　being　taken　down　by　a　sea…pirate；　a　year　thereafter　he　perished　upon　the　same　rock；　with　ship　and　goods；　in　the　righteous　judgment　of　God。'　From　the　days　of　the　abbot　and　the　sea…pirate　no　man　had　set　foot　upon　the　Inchcape；　save　fishers　from　the　neighbouring　coast；　or　perhaps　…　for　a　moment；　before　the　surges　swallowed　them　…　the　unfortunate　victims　of　shipwreck。　　The　fishers　approached　the　rock　with　an　extreme　timidity；　but　their　harvest　appears　to　have　been　great；　and　the　adventure　no　more　perilous　than　lucrative。　　In　1800；　on　the　occasion　of　my　grandfather's　first　landing；　and　during　the　two　or　three　hours　which　the　ebb…tide　and　the　smooth　water　allowed　them　to　pass　upon　its　shelves；　his　crew　collected　upwards　of　two　hundredweight　of　old　metal：　pieces　of　a　kedge　anchor　and　a　cabin　stove；　crowbars；　a　hinge　and　lock　of　a　door；　a　ship's　marking…iron；　a　piece　of　a　ship's　caboose；　a　soldier's　bayonet；　a　cannon　ball；　several　pieces　of　money；　a　shoe…　buckle；　and　the　like。　　Such　were　the　spoils　of　the　Bell　Rock。
  （1）　This　is；　of　course；　the　tradition　commemorated　by　Southey　in　his　ballad　of　‘The　Inchcape　Bell。'　　Whether　true　or　not；　it　points　to　the　fact　that　from　the　infancy　of　Scottish　navigation；　the　seafaring　mind　had　been　fully　alive　to　the　perils　of　this　reef。　　Repeated　attempts　had　been　made　to　mark　the　place　with　beacons；　but　all　efforts　were　unavailing　（one　such　beacon　having　been　carried　away　within　eight　days　of　its　erection）　until　Robert　Stevenson　conceived　and　carried　out　the　idea　of　the　stone　tower。　　But　the　number　of　vessels　actually　lost　upon　the　reef　was　as　nothing　to　those　that　were　cast　away　in　fruitless　efforts　to　avoid　it。　　Placed　right　in　the　fairway　of　two　navigations；　and　one　of　these　the　entrance　to　the　only　harbour　of　refuge　between　the　Downs　and　the　Moray　Firth；　it　breathed　abroad　along　the　whole　coast　an　atmosphere　of　terror　and　perplexity；　and　no　ship　sailed　that　part　of　the　North　Sea　at　night；　but　what　the　ears　of　those　on　board　would　be　strained　to　catch　the　roaring　of　the　seas　on　the　Bell　Rock。
  From　1794　onward；　the　mind　of　my　grandfather　had　been　exercised　with　the　idea　of　a　light　upon　this　formidable　danger。　　To　build　a　tower　on　a　sea　rock；　eleven　miles　from　shore；　and　barely　uncovered　at　low　water　of　neaps；　appeared　a　fascinating　enterprise。　　It　was　something　yet　unattempted；　unessayed；　and　even　now；　after　it　has　been　lighted　for　more　than　eighty　years；　it　is　still　an　e