234 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



giving the skiff a little shove off, to prevent her 

 rubbing against the sharp and limpet-covered rock. 

 "With sails flapping in the "light breeze, she fell off to 

 leeward. I fixed the kedge in a little crevice; but 

 turning to see that the boat was swinging clear and 

 safe, to my horror I observed the other end of the 

 rope running over the bows and dropping into the sea. 

 In some way never accounted for, but most probably 

 by some idle meddling hand, it had been unloosed from 

 the ring-bolt, and in my hurry and excitement I had 

 not observed it. My boat was adrift and I was a 

 prisoner ! In an instant I knew and felt the peril of 

 the situation. It was low- water at the time ; but the 

 tide had already turned, the flood was coming in, and 

 at high-water the low-lying rocks of Skarta Skerry, I 

 was well aware, would be covered some feet. Had I 

 been a good swimmer, I should doubtless instantly 

 have stripped, and swum to and regained my boat, or 

 at anyrate could easily enough have reached the shore ; 

 but unfortunately, at that time I could not swim at 

 all. The Skarta Skerry was barely fifty yards from a 

 steep smooth precipice of several hundred feet in height, 

 and the nearest landing-place in a little creek where 

 the shore was sloping, was at least a hundred and fifty 

 yards distant. To me, in the circumstances, this was 

 an impassable gulf. 



" I sat down, and tried to think. For a few terrible 

 moments, no hope of rescue or means of escape pre- 

 sented itself to my mind. I daresay some audible ex- 

 pressions of despair burst from me, for I was roused 



