THE BRITISH PELICAN 87 



and that was in South America, when a violent south- 

 west wind which had been blowing for many hours 

 dropped suddenly, and the air was a dead calm before 

 the loud noise of the gale in the trees was out of my 

 ears. The change was disastrous to the gannets ; in 

 that windless atmosphere in the sheltered bay and 

 with the sea in that state they could not rise. They 

 were seen struggling on the water and carried shore- 

 wards by the huge incoming waves ; but their fellows 

 flying to and fro above them, intent on their prey, 

 did not see or heed their distress ; they continued 

 dashing down into the sea, bird after bird, and every 

 one that hurled itself down remained down, until 

 they were all in the sea, all vainly flapping and 

 struggling to keep out and still being carried nearer 

 and nearer to the shore. Then the waves began to 

 fling them out on the flat sandy beach, and as wave 

 followed wave, bringing more and more of the birds, 

 the men and boys who were watching went mad with 

 excitement and set off at a run, every one as he went 

 snatching up a stick or an iron bar or whatever would 

 serve as a weapon. There was no escape for the 

 birds, for their wings could not lift them, and they 

 were slaughtered without mercy, even as shipwrecked 

 men on this dreadful coast in the ancient days had 

 been slaughtered, and the sands were covered with 

 their carcasses. The ancient wreckers got something 

 from the unhappy wretches they slew, but these 

 people got nothing from the gannets. I asked them 

 why they slew the birds, and they could only shrug 

 their shoulders or answer that they had the birds cast 



