{}06 TEE CRUISE OF THE " CACnALOT.'' 



swiinmer was, of course, well known to me, but I must 

 confess I trembled for his life in such a weltering whirl 

 of rock-torn sea as boiled among the crags at the base 

 of that precipice. He, however, evidently knew what 

 he was going to do, and, though taking risks which 

 would have certainly been fatal to an ordinary swimmer, 

 was quite unafraid of the result. 



We all watched him breathlessly as he apparently 

 headed straight for the biggest outlying rock — a square, 

 black boulder about the size of an ordinary railway car. 

 He came up to it an the summit of a foaming wave ; but 

 just as I looked for him to be dashed to pieces against 

 its adamantine sides, he threw his legs into the air and 

 disappeared. A stealthy, satisfied smile glowed upon 

 Samuela's rugged visage, and, as he caught my eye, he 

 said jauntily, " Polly savee too much. Lookee him come 

 ontop one time ! " I looked, and sure enough there was 

 the daring villain crawling up among the kelp far out 

 of reach of the hungry rollers. It was a marvellous 

 exhibition of coolness and skill. 



Without waiting an instant, he began to stalk the 

 goat, dodging amongst the bushes with feet that clung to 

 the steep sides of the cliff as well as the animal's. Before 

 he could reach her, she had winded him, and was off up 

 the track. He followed, without further attempt to 

 hide himself ; but, despite his vigour and ability, would, 

 I fancy, have stood a microscopic chance of catching her 

 had she not been heavy with kid. As it was, he had all 

 his work cut out for him. When he did catch her, 

 she made so fierce a struggle for life and liberty that, 

 in the endeavour to hold her, he missed his insecure 

 foothold, and the pair came tumbling over and over down 

 the cliff in a miniature avalanche of stones and dust. 

 At the bottom they both lay quiet for a time ; while I 



