PANDION HALIyEETUS. 61 



would have been all up with me. However^ to my great satisfaction, 

 I saw them tying the thin rope to the end of the string. Then 

 striking off again, after floundering amongst the sunk rocks, to the 

 leeward of which, for the sake of the string, I took -care to keep 

 as much as possible, I reached the peak. It was nearly perjjendi- 

 cular both above and below water, and no landing-place appeared. 

 However, a bit of rock, twice as big as a walnut, projected; and 

 higher up I stuck my claws into some roots of Polypodium, as in 

 getting to an Eagle's nest on a former occasion [§ 27]. My arms 

 had hardly strength to hoist me up ; but at last I reached the top and 

 caught the cutting Avind. At once I saw an e^^, and in half a second 

 two more, a little removed from the first — all beautiful. To my 

 surprise, the basket held all three. I had a little difficulty in tying 

 the lid on, and even then one rolled out; the handle, too, became 

 loose. However, for my life I durst not lose time. I tried to 

 descend with my back to the rock, but it was no go, and I fell into 

 the water. The peak might be twelve or fourteen feet high. One 

 glance at the nest was all I could spare. It reminded me of a large 

 wood-ants', large and flat at the top, the sticks not nearly so big as 

 those of an Eagle's, but the upper part apparently very compact, where 

 it struck me as being composed entirely of moss — the interstices of the 

 sticks seeming to be filled up with soil or turf, so as to make an almost 

 solid mass. But I could not afford a second look. In tumbling off, 

 I did not strike against any sunk rock, so that my fall was easy. 

 Somehow (I cannot say exactly say how) the handle was quite off the 

 basket, and my only way of saving it was to carry it in my closed 

 fist, which very much increased the difficulty of swimming. As soon 

 as the men saw me fall into the water, they hauled hard upon the 

 string ; and I, coming across a sunk rock, disappeared beneath the 

 surface. This frightened them, and they hauled the harder. As 

 soon as I came to the top, I had just breath enough to shout 

 " Gently !" But on they dragged; and the wind blowing the water 

 into white streaks of foam, the waves washed over me, and the 

 quantity of water I swallowed was something considerable. The 

 pulling almost prevented my swimming, and as the string was 

 fastened low, it helped me very little through the water ; I had lono- 

 been afraid of its breaking, till at last I got sufficient breath to throw 

 my " Gently ! " to their ears. Fortunately, they took the hint and I 

 gradually reached the shore quite exhausted, when they found me all 

 scratched and bloody from the rocks. They had not guessed my 

 condition until I was very near them, and they did not understand 

 the danger of hauling too hard. All I could say for some time was 



