Meantime the engineer-in-chief at Edinburgh had heard of the incident. He had given strict instructions that the men should be brought off on August 20, and when the intelligence was communicated to him that his order had been disobeyed, and that his men were in serious straits, he became distracted. He knew only too well how the waves bombard Dhu-Heartach. Mr. David Stevenson related to me how his father paced the offices during the day, and his own home at night, unable to drown his thoughts in work or sleep. His worry was intensified as the true character of the gale came to his ears. He had planned everything with such care that neither life nor limb of a single workman need be jeopardized, and here he was confronted with the possibility of losing fourteen men at one stroke! The iron barrack, although staunchly constructed, was just as likely as not to succumb to the full brunt of a very vicious sou’-wester, so there was every excuse for his anxiety. He gave orders that the steam-tender was to stand by with steam raised, so as to make a dash for the rock upon the first opportunity. No one had a moment’s peace until at last the news came through that the steam-tender had been out to the rock, and with much difficulty had got hold of the fourteen men and brought them ashore, somewhat scared and bearing evidences of their experience, but unharmed. Mr. Stevenson told me that he could not quite say which was worse--the distracted wanderings of his father, or the expression of his pent-up feelings when he met the unfortunate resident a few days later, who was taken severely to task for his flagrant breach of orders, whereby the lives of the workmen had been imperilled so unnecessarily.