3IO THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



themselves in somewhat similar circumstances, viz., to 

 extemporise a species of half-floating anchor. At each 

 of two comers of the sail I tied a stone of no great 

 weight, but together sufficient to sink it under water, 

 and pitched it overboard, the sheets and halyards 

 serving for cable. The result was highly gratifying. 

 The bows of our skiff at once headed the wind, and 

 the weighted sail, a couple of fathoms or so under 

 water, acted as a most efficient drag upon the boat, 

 and greatly retarded her drifting. Still we knew 

 of course that we were drifting, although, now slowly, 

 seaward. But we also knew that such summer breezes 

 from the west, not amounting to gales, were commonly 

 of brief duration and almost always fell with the 

 approach of evening, so we did not a bit lose heart ; 

 we were in no danger as things were. 



By this time we had got exceedingly hungry, but as 

 the afternoon advanced we became ravenously so. At 

 last Magnie — who was a bright smart lad about my 

 own age, and a great clmm of mine, always ready to 

 take part in any expedition or adventure that might 

 be proposed — gave expression to his sensations : "I wish 

 we had something to eat. I'm just famishing — I do 

 believe I could eat some of those piltacks raw." 

 " Surely we can do better than that," I answered ; 

 " let us try to get up a fire and roast some : we have 

 got nothing else to do in the meantime." No sooner 

 said than done. "Necessity is the mother of 

 invention," says the proverb. At once we set to 

 work. A foot of our painter rope was cut off and 



