ALBATROSSES 107 



the early part of the evening we could see nothing 

 in pursuit, no hint of enemies, yet the flyingfish 

 dashed frantically about within the blaze of light, 

 quite heedless of where they were headed. We had 

 to be on our guard, for they would strike with ter- 

 rific force against our bodies and the side of the 

 Arcturus. Often such a blow against the ship 

 would knock them senseless. Several rose and 

 passed between the fourth and fifth steps of the 

 gangway, so high were they able to rise from the 

 water. Now and then there materialized a real 

 reason for their terror, as a sea-lion shot into view, 

 seized a fish and vanished. Far down we could see 

 the forms of sharks — ghostly pale in the dim light 

 — but none came close, except once, when I saw a 

 shark rise and engulf one of the disabled flyingfish. 

 These flopped by twos and threes into the small 

 boats and in the morning we picked up over a 

 hundi'ed. It was an astonishing and a memorable 

 sight, few of the fish being under a foot in length, 

 and in such endless numbers. 



Early next morning we started in the Pawnee 

 launch eastward along the coast between Hood and 

 Gardner Islands. We passed close to wonderful 

 sea caves and could hear the swells booming into 

 spray far within. At the entrance blue-footed 

 boobies and pelicans perched motionless like guard- 

 ian gargoyles and every available niche and ledge 

 was filled with nesting noddy terns. 



Our course took us head-on into the great rollers 

 and as I lay flat on the forward deck, the walls of 

 water ahead looked like solid jade, — the early 



