HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 81 



its surroundings, which it was evident now had never been 

 finished. The immediate neighbourhood was carefully 

 examined for anything likely to throw light upon the 

 subject, without success. Subsequent inquiries of the 

 few natives we met, as already mentioned, failed also to 

 give us a clue to the mystery. Without regret, we 

 launched the boats and left the little bay to its ordinary 

 solitude. We found a number of otters swimming about 

 among the rocks, stretching their heads above the water, 

 with looks of astonishment, not yet mingled with alarm. 

 They afforded many a tempting shot, but the rifles were foul 

 and wet, and the caps only snapped ; so we left them, for 

 the present, in peace. At six o'clock, the cold rain ceased, 

 the morning fog lifted, and we sighted the schooner ; and 

 were very glad of the comforts it supplied. Under the 

 lightest of breezes, by ten o'clock we were anchored in 

 fifteen fathoms of water off Sandy Bay, our destination of 

 yesterday. A good feed partaken of, clothes changed, rifles 

 cleaned, and we were off again in the boats. Proceeding 

 a short distance up the coast without seeing anything, we 

 turned our heads in the opposite direction, in hopes of 

 meeting with some of those otters so numerous in the early 

 morning, but they were gone. Whether it was the want of 

 sleep or the want of better fortune that oppressed us, it 

 would be impossible to say, but without doubt a presenti- 

 ment of coming trouble brooded over us ; and, though 

 nothing was said about it at the time, a proposal made 

 by the hitherto enthusiastic Snow to return to the 

 schooner met with no objection from the rest. While 

 still some distance off, we were surprised to see a 

 steamer round the rocks and anchor a couple of hundred 

 yards from our vessel. Presently three boats put off 

 from her side, and, rowing up to us, took each of us in 

 tow, at the same time putting on board of us an armed 

 marine who, however graceful he might have been in his 

 native dress, looked ludicrously uncomfortable in his tight- 

 fitting uniform, for the day had turned out hot and close, 



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