HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. gi 



peculiarity of revolving on what might be termed a fixed 

 axis. We were now, however, to be more successful, for, 

 coming close under the counter, round which the porpoise 

 had been playing for some time, he offered a good shot, 

 giving me an opportunity of lodging a bullet in its head, 

 killing it instantly. The impetus acquired as he sprang 

 forward and left his life in mid-air carried him some little 

 distance along the surface of the water before he turned 

 his white belly to the sky. He slowly sank, giving us a 

 chance for inspection of his form, and certainly a more 

 ridiculous resemblance to a pig it would be impossible to 

 imagine with his sharp snout and small eyes, while the long 1 

 pectorial fins placed close to the head supplied a pair of 

 ears to complete the likeness. The upper part of the body 

 was of a shiny black. 



A night of great anxiety was spent by all of us on deck, 

 for the roar of the surf was sufficiently distinct to create 

 much apprehension ; at any moment outlying rocks might 

 be struck ; nor did daylight bring any improvement in our 

 situation, but the reverse. The fog was as dense as ever, 

 while the tide-rip grew worse ; hitherto the waves had been 

 broken and pointed, as in a ground-swell ; now they became 

 higher, and as we sank in the dark green hollows their 

 attenuated crests raised above the inclined deck would 

 break into a mass of seething foam, which rushed towards 

 the low bulwark with an angry hiss, leaving in its track a 

 snow-white sheet fringed with lace-like spray, beautiful 

 enough to the sight in all truth, but under the circumstances 

 demanding only a passing glance. The rolling of the 

 vessel was so great and so rapid that every moment we 

 expected her to jerk the masts out of her ; the roar of the 

 surf, deadening the noise of the waves breaking around us, 

 grew louder and more terrible, and our drift towards the 

 ominous sounds more rapid. The lead was kept con- 

 tinually going by the skipper, whose face was more and 

 more eagerly scanned at each " heave," as the roar became 

 more distinct. The boats would have been swamped in such 



