HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 35 



they felt perfectly secure, and had turned in after a hard 

 day's work when, without the least warning, a succession 

 of huge seas either the effect or precursors of some distant 

 storm set right into the bay ; and when the half-clad crew 

 had tumbled up to face the bitter cold of a December night 

 the cable had already parted. The wind soon followed the 

 seas in keen and cutting squalls; a rush was made to loosen 

 the sails, but they were frozen stiff as boards, each reef point 

 and gasket like a bar of iron, and before another anchor could 

 be got out they were in seven fathoms of water. The seas 

 had begun to break and they were clinging to the rigging ; 

 the night was dark and to its horror was added a blinding 

 snowstorm ; clouds of foam poured over the deck, drenching 

 them and presently to freeze on their half-naked bodies. 

 Few minutes elapsed, though each seemed an hour, ere, 

 borne along by resistless strength amidst a rush of seething 

 froth and spray, they were hurled half frozen and helpless 

 upon the desolate shore. Fortunately they had been heaved 

 upon a bight of the bay where there was nothing but sand, 

 so that as the litttle craft had been pitched well up, she did 

 not go to pieces. 



When daylight appeared they all got safely to land. 

 But in what a plight ! Most of their provisions were 

 spoiled ; the whole of the eastern shore of the island they 

 knew to be totally uninhabited ; nor was there the 

 remotest chance of being rescued before the following 

 spring. Remembering, however, that there was a good 

 house a few miles off, which was used as a fishing station 

 during the summer months by the small colony of Japanese 

 on the opposite coast, and, as nothing could be done until 

 the sea went down, they set out in a heavy snowstorm; and 

 having reached their destination, they broke open the door, 

 a good fire was started, and a meal off the dried salmon 

 which hung in abundance on the greasy rafters made them 

 forget, for a time at least, their awkward position. 



After about a week of this life, during which, the sea 

 having moderated, they stripped the vessel of as much as 



D 2 



