40 HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 



These islands during the summer are the haunt of large 

 numbers of the plover kind and other waders, which no 

 doubt frequent them for the purpose of breeding; but it 

 was probably early yet, as none of their weird cries 

 disturbed the perfect stillness of the night, nor during the 

 next day did we either see or hear any signs of them. Very 

 few seals had been observed since passing Cape Yerimo, 

 but there were evidently some here, for during the night 

 Snow and I, who had come quickly upon deck to observe 

 the weather, were startled by a number of splashes in the 

 water close alongside, caused doubtless by some of these 

 animals, either attracted by curiosity, or, more probably, 

 passing with the strong Arctic current through the channel 

 to a more southerly and warmer latitude. But the moon 

 had gone down, and it was too dark to see anything even 

 the " flash-light." Morning dawned with a gentle breeze, 

 a bright sun soon dispelled the early mists which hung over 

 the waters. Making short tacks, running as close in 

 shore as we dared, and taking advantage of every little 

 promontory which checked the powerful current, we con- 

 tinued gradually to make up the way lost on the preceding 

 evening; fortunately, the sea was quite calm, the wind 

 being so light as scarcely to ruffle its surface, and so long 

 as it kept clear we made some progress, but presently a 

 dense fog rolled down from the north, causing the wind to 

 become lighter, and introducing an element of danger that 

 seriously interfered with our sailing and tacking. Our 

 misgiving was soon justified, for about eleven, when we 

 were all on deck, Snow happened to say, " I wonder 

 whether there are any barnacles on the ship's bottom ? " 

 A remark elicited by our slow progress. In consequence 

 of his remark all eyes were directed over the gunwale, and 

 to our horror we discovered ourselves over a mass of 

 sunken rocks. There was just enough wind to put the ship 

 about, and at that moment the fog suddenly lifted and we 

 became aware of our position, which was within two hundred 

 vards of the shore. Not ten feet from us were pointed 



