BIRD ISLAND AND SAINT CROIX 195 



old East Indiamen, was lately raised up from the sea 

 and placed in the position shown in the illustration, 

 where it stands near the lighthouse, like an aged 

 pensioner, proud of the charge entrusted to it in its 

 last years. 



There were a few Penguins on the island and a few 

 Gulls ; otherwise it was inhabited as to bird life by the 

 Gannets only. 



The captain now said he would row us between two 

 other islands, and so to Seal Island, in order that we 

 might obtain a closer view of the sea-lions, which are 

 here called seals ; the tug meanwhile would come round 

 and pick us up. We took our places in the boat, 

 exchanging for one of the lighthouse men a young son 

 of the captain's ; the boy seemed to be accustomed to 

 spending occasional months on Bird Island, and I asked 

 his father whether he would not be lonely there. He 

 laughed, saying that he had got the birds to look at, and 

 a bundle of "comics," and the time would soon go till 

 he came to fetch him. The captain steered us very 

 cleverly through a narrow strait between the two 

 islands, through which the sea was breaking with 

 considerable force, biding his time, and giving a sudden 

 order to the men to pull just after one long wave had 

 swept broadside across the narrow passage. We found 

 ourselves clear, and in the open water again only just 

 in time, followed by another long breaking wave ; the 

 skipper knew what he was about, but it looked rather 

 a bold stroke, with the rocks on either side of us. 



About twenty minutes further rowing brought us 

 alongside of Seal Island, and a wild sight it certainly was. 

 As far as I remember, the island was composed of two 



