The lantern is of special design, and is one of the most powerful around the Scottish coasts. It is of the revolving class, reaching its brightest state once every minute, and may be seen from the deck of a vessel eighteen miles away Six years were occupied in the completion of the work, and, as may be imagined, the final touches were welcomed with thankfulness by all those who had been concerned in the enterprise. The tower contains 4,308 tons of granite, and the total cost was £86,977, or $434,885, rendering it one of the costliest in the world. This sum, however, included the purchase of the steam-vessel which now attends the lighthouse, and the construction of the little harbour at Hynish. The lighthouse-keepers live on the island of Tyree, where are provided substantial, spacious, single-floor, masonry dwellings with gardens attached. This is practically a small colony in itself, inasmuch as the accommodation includes, not only that for the keepers of the Skerryvore, but for the guardians of the Dhu-Heartach light as well. CHAPTER VIII THE LONELY LIGHTS OF SCOTLAND Barren ruggedness, ragged reefs, and towering cliffs form an apt description of the north and west coasts of Scotland, and he is a prudent navigator who acknowledges the respect which these shores demand, by giving them a wide berth. The Norwegian coast is serrated, the island of Newfoundland may be likened to the battered edge of a saw, but Scotland is unique in its formation. The coastline is torn and tattered by bays and firths, with scattered outlying ramparts. The captain of a “tramp” who has sailed the seven seas once confessed to me that no stretch of coastline ever gave him the shivers so badly as the stretch of shore between Duncansby Head and the Mull of Kintyre.