During this interrupted season, however, the barrack was completed. It was a massive structure, and resembled a huge iron barrel secured endwise upon an intricate arrangement of stilts which were heavily stayed and tied together by diagonals and cross-members. In the two previous instances where a similar arrangement had been adopted the temporary dwelling had been wrought in wood, but on this occasion the engineers decided to adopt iron, as they concluded that a wooden structure would not fare well against the heavy seas. This was a fortunate decision, because, as subsequent experience proved, a wooden barrack would have received very short shrift from the Atlantic breakers; in fact, probably it would have gone down with the first sou’-wester. The iron barrack, as the workmen narrated, was pounded and battered by the waves most unmercifully; but although it suffered at times, quivering and shaking under the terrific impacts, it weathered all the onslaughts. One interesting incident serves to illustrate the perils to which the workmen were exposed. A date had been set down when all the men were to be brought off the rock for the season, as the approach of the equinox rendered further toil extremely doubtful, and there was no intention of unduly imperilling them. The engineer’s resident representative, Mr. Alexander Brebner, went out to the rock on August 20, the day fixed for the suspension of operations, to inspect the progress that had been made and to have a last look round. At the time of his arrival the weather was beautifully calm, and held out every promise of remaining settled for several days. As the season had been so adverse, he decided, on his own responsibility, to delay the cessation of toil, so, with the thirteen men, he remained on the rock, determined to make up leeway somewhat while the weather held out. [Illustration: _By permission of the Lighthouse Literature Mission._ THE FLANNEN ISLANDS LIGHT STATION. One of Scotland’s lonely beacons. It marks a group of islets 15 miles off the Hebrides. In 1900 the three keepers mysteriously disappeared, and their fate remains unsolved to this day.]