THE SEAL CAVES 117 



coats, they entered — to find an otter already in 

 possession. The instant he raised his mask they 

 saw it was he of the scarred face, but before they 

 advanced a yard he had risen to his feet and was 

 in full flight towards another outlet. The in- 

 fluence of the fight was still on him, and he 

 preferred retreat, even by daylight, to risk of 

 another mauling. They never saw him again. 



The otters stayed in the neighbourhood of the 

 hamlet over a week, and during their sojourn 

 nothing disturbed them, nothing even made them 

 prick their ears, except the creaking of the oars 

 as the fishermen rowed past their quarters. On 

 leaving they moved westwards, and beyond two 

 wild headlands came at dawn to the beetling cliffs 

 where the seals have their dwelling in vast 

 caverns hollowed by the Atlantic. Swimming 

 through the turmoil of water at the narrow 

 mouth of the nearest cave, they landed half-way 

 in, climbed to a ledge, from that to another 

 higher still, and there lay down on the bare rock 

 and licked themselves, pausing now and again to 

 look at the seals reclining on the beach of white 

 sand that loomed in the darkness shrouding the 

 inmost part of the cave. When they had com- 

 pleted their toilet they curled up on the smooth 

 slab and, being weary after their long swim, fell 



