1 64 HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 



As the wind alternately whistled or screeched through 

 the rigging one could almost hear the swish of the great 

 two-handed swords, as with many a long forgotten war-cry 

 they hurled their shadowy hosts upon the invaders who 

 dared to violate the forbidden land with their presence. 

 The roaring of the wind as it rose and fell between the 

 blasts was the sounding of a thousand war gongs; while, 

 above all, the deep rolling thunder of the great Pacific 

 surges, as, curling their mountainous crests, they dashed 

 themselves to pieces on rock and sand, was a fitting music 

 for their onslaught. 



The shelterless, harbourless nature of the coast, with its 

 sudden and frequent storms, warring currents, and almost 

 continual fog, together with the great depth of water and 

 rocky bottom, was enough to banish all feeling of security 

 during our anchorage ; while the giant rollers sometimes 

 the precursors of a storm, or more often the effects of some 

 disturbance far beyond our ken would frequently set in 

 without a moment's warning, during even the calmest 

 weather. 



In the early morning the wind dropped as quickly as it 

 had come, leaving a big rolling sea, with a dense fog 

 which lasted all day. The boats left at five in the morning 

 and did not get back until after six that night. We only 

 succeeded in getting one otter, and that one rather curiously. 

 It was about three parts grown and one of the most active 

 we had yet come across. It tried every device to throw us 

 off, turning and doubling under water, always rising in some 

 unexpected direction, giving little time for a shot, howevei 

 hasty. Fortunately for us the dives were always short, for 

 it was very foggy, and a fairly long dive would inevitably 

 have shaken us off. As it was he kept us continually on the 

 qui vive for an hour. At length, he came up near one of the 

 boats, which he did not at once perceive, and, receiving a shot, 

 dived quickly, and came up the next moment quite dead. 



I, who claimed the shot, was much disgusted, when, on 

 skinning it that night, we failed to discover any sign of a 



