THE WHITE PELICAN 



377 



The lake is thirty miles long, and ten miles wide, oppo- 

 site our lodging. When we reached its shores, a storm which 

 had forced our one hundred and twenty-five foot steamer on 

 Lake Tahoe to abandon part of her trip, was still raging. 

 Long, curling, crested waves came rolling in, to break on the 

 beach in a manner creditable to the sea shore. We looked at 

 the troubled waters, at the roughly made, flat-bottomed 

 punts, the only available boats, and at Anahao, the assumed 

 island home of the Pelicans, seven miles from our shore 

 and decided to wait. 



Young Pelicans, Anahao Island 



The Indians assured us that if we did succeed in reach- 

 ing the island we would certainly be killed by rattlesnakes, 

 and the long anticipated meeting with Pelicans seemed 

 somehow to IOK-? much of its charm. Incidentally it may be 

 remarked that in the end we found abundant ground for the 

 Indians ' statement. But the next day, the wind had gone, 

 the lake smiled in the sunlight, our apprehension decreased, 

 our desires increased, and early the following morning, pro- 

 visioned for a stay if need be, we embarked in three boats 

 and, after nearly three hours rowing, reached the island. It 



