HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 117 



element and the life of what she loved so well would be 

 taken. And now she is free, at liberty to test her speed 

 against the hunter's skill : but one short mile, only three 

 powerful dives, between her and security. The breeze that 

 brings yon fog-bank down, moving over the waters like a 

 wall of snow, bears to her ear the tide-rip's roar, within 

 the range of whose tumultuous waves experience tells her 

 there is refuge sure. Such might be a temptation of selfish 

 humanity, but her instincts are of nobler order. Hanging 

 on the outskirts of the boats, she seeks, with a boldness 

 foreign to her nature, to lure the hunters from her young ; 

 and when at length she deems her ruse successful, back she 

 dives with caution to her nursling's side. The exigencies 

 of our situation and the excitement of the chase might 

 check for a time those feelings of pity which would other- 

 wise have been uppermost, but such unselfish devotion 

 could not but raise within us the strongest admiration. 



The night closed in with a clear, bright air and red 

 sunset, the* almost certain harbinger of coming fine 

 weather ; and the prognostications were not belied when 

 morning broke. As we left the vessel's side a little before 

 four, air and sky were cheering ; indeed, we had never been 

 so favoured since our cruise began. 



The outlines of the coast were bold but less regular than 

 usual, being broken with deep ravines and rugged gorges ; 

 but very different from the aspect of a month ago, 

 when, unrelieved by any trace of vegetation, save the 

 gnarled and twisted branches of dwarf oak, birch, and 

 alder, the mountain slopes, furrowed by dark fissures and 

 gloomy chasms, looked cold and lifeless : now from a carpet 

 of greenery sprang bush and tree, one mass of leaf, 

 forming a charming setting to the dark mountain back- 

 ground. 



About midday we witnessed an exciting spectacle the 

 attack of several " killers" (Orca Gladiator] upon a whale. 

 The sea being perfectly still and the air clear, we had a 

 capital view of the unequal combat. Some of the "killers," 



