BOOBY AND MAN-O'-WAR BIRD 203 



once, rounding the key, and making out into the open wa- 

 ters to the westward ; but no sooner was our anchor raised 

 than, in spite of our engine, the boat was flung toward the 

 key. Fortunately her head swung about and before a sec- 

 ond sea could throw us on the rocks, the boat, obeying her 

 helm, veered to the eastward and, after grounding twice, 

 barely missed the southeast extremity of the reef and was 

 in open water. It was a case of what Dr. Mayer aptly de- 

 scribed as ' * touch and go ' ' and extremely bewildering to the 

 mind of a landsman. But, as predicted by my always cheer- 

 ful friend, Mr. Shiras, "the worst was yet to come." 



In order to secure an offing whence we might run before 

 the storm without bringing us up on the line of keys to the 

 eastward for it was now dark it was necessary to run 

 some distance to the westward. This brought us into the 

 trough of the sea, where we rolled so violently that the small 

 boat in the leeward davits, dipped enough water to exert a 

 leverage which threatened to place us on our beam ends ; 

 fortunately, a wave knocked the boat from its fastenings 

 and it was drawn aboard. 



The ' ' Physalia ' ' was now swept by wave after wave, and 

 I recall the expression of one of unusual size which I looked 

 squarely in the face, for what seemed an interminable per- 

 iod. Whether it was of the traditional "mast-head" height 

 I am not prepared to say ; for the moment, I was more than 

 content to observe that it was very much higher than my 

 head and beyond that I was concerned wholly with its 

 further movements was it going or coming? With evident 

 consideration for the Museum's bird groups, it went ! 



It may be placed to the credit of the " Physalia" and her 

 commander that she finally reached a point where we could 

 turn to the southward ; then, stopping the engine, we raised 

 a hand 's-breadth of jigger and staysail and ran before the 

 storm. Beyond the not too vague possibility of bringing up 

 on one of the reefs, shoals and keys which lay ahead, we 

 were for the time in no immediate danger ; but as the wind 



