34 MY RETURN FROM SCHOOL 



kept a cow for the needs of the family, and as 

 there was very little grass in the vicinity, the 

 house being on a rocky point, she would some- 

 times stray quite a distance either in the woods 

 or along the beach. Simard being a stranger with 

 no experience in the woods, the task of hunting 

 her up devolved upon me. On that particular 

 morning I found her tracks led along the beach 

 where there were some small coves and good feed. 

 I was going along carelessly when, on jumping 

 down from a small cliff, I nearly did so on top 

 of a huge seal that was lying alongside the rock. 

 It reared at me and let out an awful bellow that 

 made me jump out of its way. I had no gun 

 with me or any other weapon, but there were lots 

 of small stones near, with which I began to pelt 

 it. I kept this up for some minutes without any 

 perceptible effect other than irritating it, and 

 causing it to attempt to move down towards the 

 sea. The tide was nearly low and the rocks dry 

 for about a hundred yards out, and I noticed that 

 it seemed to move with difficulty over them. I 

 was not very far from the house, so I thought I 

 had better run for the gun. To my sorrow I 

 found it was not there. My father, having had 

 occasion to go out with my brother and Simard, 

 had taken it with him. Answering my mother's 

 questions as to the cause of this hurry, I rushed to 

 the wood pile for an axe and hurried back. The 

 seal had moved down about half way to the water, 



