A MISADVENTURE. 225 



and by the strength of their powerful beaks as they 

 pecked at us when we inserted our hands into their 

 retreats to pull them out. Dotting the cliff here and 

 there, and floating above our heads, with their long 

 tails, of but two cylindrical feathers each, fluttering 

 in the wind, they formed a graceful element in the 

 picture spread before us from the ridge. 



At the summit, where we had left our lunch, we 

 exerted ourselves to finish the contents of baskets and 

 bottles, and so successful were we that nothing was 

 left to burden our men down the slope but a few 

 chicken-bones and a little water. Then we hastened 

 down to the shore, anxious to join our friends on the 

 other island, and rejoicing in our good luck. 



As we turned the great rock which hid the little 

 cove in which the boat had been left, we were greeted 

 by a loud cry : " De boat done mash, sah ! " A fact 

 we verified a few minutes later ; for there floated the 

 boat, its rail just above water, thumping on the rocks. 



It was growing late, and there was no time to be 

 lost. Our men stripped and plunged into the water 

 and commenced bailing the boat, but it was labor 

 thrown away; then, by direction of Mr. C, they 

 hauled the boat up upon the pebbles of the narrow 

 beach at the base of the cliff, and turned her over 

 no easy work and we were all obliged to assist. As 

 the heavy boat came down, bottom up, it caught the 

 ankle of the manager and wedged it fast against a 

 rock. In releasing him, and hauling the boat into 

 position, we all got wet ; but this did not dampen our 

 spirits. Pieces of board were nailed on with nails 

 extracted from fragments of a wreck, pants and shirts 

 were torn up and calked into the seams, together with 



15 



