HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 65 



animals frequenting the kelp bed which grows in the small 

 bay on its inland side. Longing for the chase, from which 

 we had been so long debarred by unlooked-for difficulties 

 and adverse weather, we were all eagerly scanning the 

 water when Snow sang out : " An otter, boys. There he 

 is ! " Another moment and we all saw a bullet-like head 

 appear on the crest of a large wave. "Out boats" was 

 now the cry, and in a very short space of time, considering 

 the roughness of the sea and the unhandiness of the men, 

 the boats were lowered and cast off ; and, though the 

 otter had by that time disappeared, we pulled gaily through 

 the nasty cross sea for the island about four miles distant. 

 As we approached the land we left the tide-rip behind, 

 getting into smoother water. Snow, who was in advance, 

 had no sooner turned the corner of the rock than we heard 

 the report of his rifle, and were pressing on to join him 

 when, without a moment's warning, one of those terrible 

 gusts of wind which make this particular part of the coast 

 so peculiarly dangerous tore with a scream of fury down the 

 one solitary ravine that here breaks the continuity of the 

 rugged coast, churning the sea into foam and drenching us 

 in a few minutes with sheets of spray. Short as the 

 distance was, it took us a hard pull, all hands rowing or 

 paddling, to reach the friendly shelter of the island. Several 

 otters passed close to us, but, unaccustomed as we were to 

 keep our feet much less shoot in such weather, the few 

 shots fired proved abortive. Nor was Snow more success- 

 ful, though he had come quite suddenly upon no fewer than 

 seventeen lying in the kelp, to the long fronds of which we 

 soon made fast until the violence of the storm should subside, 

 and when it did abate it was only to blow hard upon us 

 from the opposite quarter, leaving the schooner too lightly 

 manned on a lee shore. We saw at once that to save 

 the vessel Baker would have to clear off as sharp as 

 possible, but she had already as much sail on her as 

 she could carry ; while reefing with only the cook and 

 boy to help, neither of whom could be trusted in such 



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