“`Tis a strange place where I am going to land you,” the fisherman said; “such a place as nowhere else have my eyes beheld, though they say that at the Isle of Staffa, far north of Colonsay, a similar sight is to be seen.  The rocks, instead of being rugged or square, rise in close columns like the trunks of trees, or like the columns in the church of the priory of Colonsay.  Truly they seem as if wrought by the hands of men, or rather of giants, seeing that no men could carry out so vast a work.  The natives have legends that they are the work of giants of old times.  How this may be I know not, though why giants should have engaged in so useless a work passes my understanding.  However, there are the pillars, whosoever placed them there.  Some of them are down by the level of the sea.  Here their heads seem to be cut off so as to form a landing place, to which the natives give the name of the Giant’s Causeway.  Others in low rows stand on the face of the cliff itself, though how any could have stood there to work them, seeing that no human foot can reach the base, is more than I can say. `Tis a strange and wonderful sight, as you will say when the morning light suffers you to see it.”

It was fortunate that Duncan knew the coast so well, and was able by the light of the stars to find a landing place, for quiet as the sea appeared a swell rose as they neared the shore, and the waves beat heavily on the wild and rocky coast.  Duncan, however, steered his boat to the very foot of the Causeway, and then, watching his opportunity, Archie sprang ashore followed by Ronald.  A few words of adieu were spoken, and then the boat rowed out to sea again, while Archie and Ronald turned away from the landing place.

“It were best,” the young fisherman said, “to find a seat among the rocks, and there to await the dawn, when I can guide you to some caves hard by; but in the darkness we might well fall and break a limb did we try and make our way across the coast.’’

A niche was soon found, and Archie and his companion sat down for a while.  Archie, however, soon discovered that the sides and back of his seat were formed of the strange columns of which Duncan had spoken, and that he was sitting upon the tops of others which had broken off.  Eagerly he passed his hands over the surface of these strange pillars, and questioned his companion as to what he knew about them; but Ronald could tell him no more than his father had done, and Archie was forced to await the dawn to examine more closely the strange columns.  Daylight only added to his wonder.  On all sides of him stretched the columns, packed in a dense mass together, while range above range they stood on the face of the great cliffs above him.  The more he examined them the more his wonder grew.

“They can neither be the work of men nor giants,” he said, “but must have been called up by the fantastic freak of some powerful enchanter.  Hitherto I have not believed the tales of these mysterious beings of old times; but after seeing these wonderful pillars I can no longer doubt, for assuredly no mortal hand could have done this work.”