Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen Life on the Isle of Jonah

Jona Island was gradually revealed. The island was formerly known as the Isle of Waves. Mount Abbe on the island was only four hundred feet above sea level. The steamboat quickly approached the small island.Near noon, the "Pioneer" moored along the stone embankment made of square stones. These stones were dyed green by the water.Some of the passengers disembarked, a large number of them, to cross the Strait of Mull back to Oban in an hour, others, a small number, also disembarked, and they wanted to stay at the Isle of Jona, needless to say Also know who these people are. There are no ports in the strict sense of the word on the island.A stone pier shielding the bay from the waves of the open sea, that's all.In the pleasant season, there are a few yachts or small fishing boats docked there, which come to develop these coastal waters.

According to the schedule, the tourists can only have two hours to see the island, and Miss Campbell and her companions, leaving the tourists behind, are busy looking for a suitable accommodation. One cannot expect to find on Jonah the comforts of a good English seaside town. Yona Island is only three miles long and one mile wide, and has only 500 inhabitants.The Duke of Argyll, the owner of the island, can only collect a few hundred catties from there.There are no cities in the strict sense at all on the island, nor towns, nor even villages.There are only a few houses scattered around.Most of them are simple thatched huts, which can be said to be beautiful, but they are too simple, with almost no windows, only some light comes in through the door, no chimney, just a hole dug in the roof, only grass and stones The wall, the thatched roof of reeds and carnations in the south, are connected with the coarse fibers of seaweed.

And who would believe that, early in Scandinavian history, the island of Jonah was the birthplace of the Druidic religion?Who would have imagined that after them, in the sixth century AD, the Irishman St. Colaban, the island was also named after him. In order to teach the new Christianity, he established the first monastery in Scotland, the monks of Cluny We lived there until the Reformation!Where are the magnificent buildings now to be found where the bishops and the great priests of England taught?In the midst of these remnants, where can you find the Great Library?It once housed a wealth of archival material and romance-related manuscripts, where the elite of the day distilled the best for their own use.But!There are only ruins now, and the civilization that has profoundly changed Northern Europe was born here.What remained of St. Colaban in the past, is today's Jona Island, with only a few farm families who struggled to harvest such a pitiful little barley, potatoes and wheat from the sandy soil.There are also a few rare fishermen on the island, and their fishing boats survive on the fishy waters of the small Hebrides.

"Miss Campbell," said Aristobulus Urseyklaus in a haughty tone, "as far as first impressions are concerned, do you think this is comparable to Oban Island?" "Much better than that," replied Miss Campbell, though she might feel that the island was overpopulated. As there were no clubs or restaurants, Melville found an inn, which was passable.Tourists live there.They were dissatisfied with the timing of the boat's stop at Jonas, which was inappropriate for visiting the island's Druidic priesthood and Christian ruins.So they just settled down in Almaddan that day.Oliver and Aristobulus will each live in the fisherman's hut.

But Miss Campbell is in good spirits.In her little room, standing by the west sea-facing window, she felt as if she were standing on the platform of Helensburgh Tower, and certainly better than in the lobby of the Caledonian Hotel.From there, the sky unfolded, with no islands blocking the circle.With a little imagination, she seemed to see the other side of the Atlantic Ocean three thousand nautical miles away—the coast of America.Indeed, on a beautiful stage there, the sun at sunset shows all its splendor. Communal living was arranged easily and simply, and everyone dined together in the hotel's ground-floor hall, where Mrs Beth and Partridge sat at the host's table, according to the old custom.Aristobulus felt a little strange, but Oliver felt blameless.He had grown fond of the two servants, and they loved him as well.

And so the family lived the most simple life of the old Scots, and walked about the island, and talked of some manners of past ages, while Aristobulus never missed a chance to add some modern notes, out of season, Then everyone gathers for lunch and supper at 8pm.Then came the sunset, which Miss Campbell watched in all weather, even cloudy.who knows!Below the cloud there may be a gap, a gap or fissure through which the last light can pass. What a meal!Walter Scott and the Caledonian guests found the dinners at Fercourt, the suppers at Aldec Landigale and the old Scotch dishes impeccable, and Lady Bess and Partridge was brought back a century ago.They are very happy.It's like living in the age of our ancestors.Sam and Sebb could be seen to welcome the new way of cooking, which combined the old Melvilles' methods with old Scottish ones.On the ground floor of the ready-made restaurant can be heard:

"A little oatmeal snack, softer than Glasgow. With beans, the hill people in the Scottish Highlands still enjoy this delicacy." "And haggis pudding. Our great poet Burns aptly extols it as the first, best and most national of Scottish puddings." "And this chicken soup with leeks! If the chicken is a bit tough, the shallots in the topping are wonderful." "The chowder for the third time was more successful than any soup the cooks in Helensburgh have made." "Ah, Almoddangan eats well, just go to the Steamboat Office once every two days, and the steamboats serve the isles of the Hebrides. Drinks well, too."

Look at the Melville brothers, glass in hand, wishing each other health with a pint of the English.Foaming in the glass, this is a good domestic beer, or the best brewed just for them.And whiskey, distilled from barley, whose fermentation seems to go on in the stomachs of those who drink it, who would not have wanted wheat wine if they hadn't had stout.Either way, it could always be garnished with a small glass of gin, and it never occurred to them to regret not having the sherry and port from the cellars of Helensburgh and Glasgow. Aristobulus, accustomed to the comforts of modern life, complained incessantly, a little too often, but no one heeded his complaints.

If time on the island seemed long to him and time passed quickly to others, Miss Campbell no longer complained of the fog that clouded the sky every night.It is true that Yona Island is not very big, but for those who love to walk in the fresh air, is such a wide area used?Can't the vast Royal Park be concentrated in one corner of the garden? Everyone went for a walk like this, Oliver Sinclair looked around for sights.Miss Campbell watched him paint.The days went by like this.On August 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th, four days passed without worry.This primitive life befits this wild island, where the sea is constantly beating against the desolate rocks.

Miss Campbell, delighted to have escaped the curious and gossiping world of the seaside city, where people were put on trial, came out for a walk, dressed as in Helensburgh Park, wearing a tulle which was wrapped like a hood. Her head was tied with only a hair tie.This hair tie was very suitable for a young Scotch girl, and Sinclair could not help admiring her grace and charm. The girl's infinite charm had a certain influence on him, and he himself was clearly aware of this influence. The two of them often walked and chatted, watched and thought.Unknowingly, I walked to the end of the beach on the island, walking on the last piece of silted seaweed in the sea, and groups of Scotch squirrels flew up in front of them, and they disturbed the tranquility of the birds.Also, watching the small fish brought by the backwash of the surf, and the boobies of Basang, black plumage, white wing tips, yellow head and yellow neck, webbed feet in the ornithology of the Hebrides represent.

How wonderful it was to Miss Campbell and her companions when they spent the first hours of the night together on some deserted beach after sunset, which was always somewhat misty, as night fell!The stars rose in the night sky, and they awakened all memories of Ossion's verses. In the deep silence, Miss Campbell, Oliver listened as the two brothers took turns reciting Finger's unfortunate son. "Star, companion of the night, whose shining head emerges from the clouds of the setting sun, who imprints your solemn steps on the sky, what do you look into the plain?" "The violent wind of the day is silent, the subdued waves lie at the foot of the rock, and the little flying insects at night quickly fall in love with their light wings, and the silence of the sky is filled with humming." "Shining star, what are you looking at in the plain? I've seen you smiling and sliding towards the edge of the horizon, goodbye, goodbye, silent star." After that, brothers Sam and Seb were silent, and everyone went back to the small room in the hotel together. Yet, despite their insensitivity, the Melville brothers understand that what Aristoboulos has lost in Miss Campbell's mind is exactly what Oliver has won.The two young men were very different. The two uncles were busy bringing the little world together and creating opportunities for proximity, which took a lot of effort, and which might trigger the whims of the niece, and indeed, they saw Ulsey Krauss and Sheen Clay was glad that they wished to befriend each other, they no longer wanted to avoid each other, they no longer maintained a haughty cautious attitude towards each other. Finally, they achieved their goal in an ingenious way, and everyone agreed to visit the ruins of churches, monasteries and cemeteries together on August 30th, which are located in the northeast and south of Mount Abbe.What are you looking at?

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