342 The Albatross 



But when the moment came that she called me 

 to come, and the great outside world broke upon 

 my astonished gaze, I instinctively obeyed her, feeling 

 in every muscle of my body a summons to action. 

 It was a rugged way we traversed, bestrewn with 

 youngsters like myself, many of whom were bound 

 on the same errand, but it all seemed in some curious 

 way familiar. When, however, we reached the sea's 

 margin and my mother fondly led me in, the water 

 greeted me with a roar and a dash of white foam that 

 flung me gasping and kicking back upon the sand. 

 Yet I felt quite unable to quit the attempt and wait 

 for a more propitious occasion. Again and again 

 I made a trial, encouraged by the easy way in which 

 my mother rode over those insolent breakers in absolute 

 supremacy. 



And of course at last I succeeded. A smaller 

 breaker than usual let me pass, and I found myself 

 in the midst of a wide blue heaving plain, my mother 

 by my side, drinking the salt water with great relish. 

 And then to my horror she spread her great wings 

 and ran along the water away from me. Suddenly 

 she bounded into the blue above and circled over me 

 with infinite grace, gently wooing me to join her with 

 softest sounds of love. But I dared not. The imi- 

 tative instinct within me was very strong, but I could 

 not for some time obey it. When at last I did try 

 to run along the water after my mother, I only collapsed 

 in a draggled heap. But that experience, instead 

 of daunting me, seemed to string up my nerves, and 

 I tried again almost immediately. Indeed, I could 

 not help doing so, for there was within me a power 

 pushing me forward irresistibly. At last with one 

 great effort I soared into the air. Ah ! the delight 

 of it, the unspeakable joy of finding oneself master 



