330 THE OCEAN AND ITS INHABITANTS. 



poured into my eager and willing ears, and even 

 now a thrill of. delight is evoked when any of these 

 ' yarns ' rise to remembrance. Still, the truth must 

 be told: ever since I narrowly escaped drownin^ 

 by plumping into the water backwards, from leaning 

 against the unsnibbed-door of a bathing-machine, 

 and at another time from being in a boat that, to 

 my intense horror and dismay, had sprung a leak 

 I have enjoyed the sea best when my feet are on dry 

 land ; in other words, I like to view the ' world of 

 fluid matter/ in its various phases, from a distant 

 and perfectly safe point of view. Nay more, I can 

 always better appreciate certain of its beauties (at 

 all events during winter time) when seated by a 

 warm fireside. 



When lately in such a cosy position, my thoughts 

 reverted to the marvellous operations ever going on 

 within the liquid walls of the great deep. There 

 artifices and stratagems, robbery and murder, and 

 cannibalism in its worst forms continually occur. 

 On the other hand, there may be scenes of court- 

 ship, touching instances of maternal affection, such 

 as, were they chronicled, would make our hearts 

 bleed with truest sympathy. Still, the Eob Roy 

 maxim of 



1 They should take who have the power, 

 And they should keep who can,' 



seems therein to be carried out with a rigour that 

 would do honour to the ' bold outlaw Macgregor/ 



