Il6 WILD SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



Never was there a lovelier day or wilder scenery ; after 

 we had cleared the river and opened the bay, a view of 

 surpassing grandeur was presented. We were sur- 

 rounded on every side by an amphitheatre of bold and 

 endless hills, except where the opening to the Atlantic 

 showed us the dark waters of a boundless ocean — 

 the surface was clear and undisturbed — and the light 

 breeze rippled the long and measured undulations 

 from the sea, and bore us gently towards the island. 

 The bay was filled with mackerel, and consequently 

 it was crowded with sea-fowl. In clamorous groups 

 the gulls were darting on the fish below, and an endless 

 variety of puffins and cormorants were incessant in 

 pursuit of the smaller fry, which had attracted the 

 shoals of mackerel from the deep. But the wind was 

 too scanty, and the hooker's sailing not sufficiently fast, 

 to allow us to kill fish in any quantity. We occasionally, 

 however, caught a mackerel, and shot, among a number of 

 water-fowls, a beautiful specimen of the sea-hawk, 

 which I shall endeavour to preserve. 



We had gradually neared Dugurth, which is the only 

 spot on which, for many miles a boat, even in moderate 

 weather, can safely effect a landing, when a galley stood 

 out of Elly bay and bore down upon us. Our courses 

 nearly crossed : they were running off the wind, we 

 close-hauled as possible. Nothing could be more 

 picturesque than the light and elegant appearance of 

 this " fairy frigate." At a little distance she seemed 

 a cloud of canvas ffitting across the sea, for the long, 

 low hull was not visible until her close approach revealed 

 it. Her large lugs and top-sails were of the whitest 

 duck, and as all her sails drew^ light as the breeze was, 

 §he passed us with the velocity of a race-horse. Th^ 



