HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 71 



a heavy sea began to set into the bay, followed by a stiff 

 south-easterly wind, which soon raised such a commotion in 

 the water that we were compelled to return, the sea 

 becoming dangerous. On our way back we boarded 

 another schooner, the Ltzzie, Captain Cole, which had 

 anchored alongside during our absence in the boats. 

 Eighteen skins had rewarded the efforts of her crew. In the 

 afternoon we got under way, intending to run down the 

 coast, an example soon followed by the Lizzie, but we found 

 the wind had freshened so much that we were both glad to 

 run back again. The sun shining brightly all day greatly 

 tempered the cold, besides melting the snow, and the scene 

 wore in consequence a less wintry aspect. The following 

 day we started early in the boats, as the wind had died 

 away during the night. Huge glassy rollers, mountains of 

 water, were still coming into the bay, and breaking in a roar 

 like thunder on the beach. We struck across to the big 

 bluff on the other side, round whose boulder-strewn 

 declivities four eagles were hovering, one of which, bolder 

 than the rest, gave a long and unsuccessful shot. A 

 number of fur seals were seen, and five great whales were 

 swimming and diving about in all directions. We saw 

 several otters, but, as usual, the wind sprang 'up again and, 

 many of the rollers beginning to break far from the shore, 

 made it very risky work, and we were glad to get back safe 

 to the ship. 



May 3oth, the succeeding day, was destined, fortunately, 

 to put an end to our bad luck ; we left the schooner at five 

 o'clock in the morning, after a hasty breakfast of porridge 

 and molasses, coffee and biscuit ; and, rounding the reef, 

 pulled southwards down the coast. The air was clear and 

 warm, and the sea much quieter. 



We had not proceeded far when Snow, whose boat was 

 in advance and who, it may be mentioned here, had, on 

 account of his former experience, been unanimously elected 

 leader in all the hunting arrangements, raised his paddle 

 aloft as a sign that he had " viewed." Sitting down 



