344 '^^^ Albatross 



for us to suppose that there will not be sufficient 

 for us. 



Presently I found that by no possibility could 

 I squeeze in one more delicious morsel, and after 

 ungratefully meditating awhile upon the curious 

 discovery that while I still desired to eat, I had no 

 storage room, I essayed to rise and fly homeward. 

 But that too I found out of the question. And my 

 mother was in a like condition. Do not think us 

 greedy — if we do eat voraciously, and grumble that 

 we can hold no more when food is so abundant, it 

 is because we know so well how often we must go 

 for days and days without anything at all to sustain 

 us but a sup or so of the bitter brine beneath us. I 

 did not know this experimentally, of course, but the 

 sense of its possibility was there, inherited from my 

 parents. 



As we sat gently rocking upon the smooth swell, 

 surrounded by struggling, shrieking birds of all sea- 

 kinds common to those isles, there was a sudden rushing 

 away of the nearest of our neighbours, a great shadow 

 came between us and the sun, and a mighty Albatross 

 of purest white descended gracefully by my side. 

 He made a careless lunge at me with his enormous 

 beak, which I only just evaded by a desperate effort, 

 for I could hardly move, and then leisurely folding 

 one vast wing after the other went on feeding, dis- 

 daining any notice of his fellows. None of them came 

 near, they seemed to have far too great a regard for 

 their safety to venture within his reach, so that he 

 had quite a large area of sea to himself. 



I was terribly alarmed, but helpless to get away 

 as the others had done, being so much overloaded 

 with food. But he took no further notice of me, 

 although I was so close, and I kept as still as possible 



