166 BIRD STUDIES WITH A CAMERA 



stroke of the oars brought us nearer I felt a sense 

 of exultation, such perhajjs as a miner experiences 

 when he discovers that his claim promises an as- 

 sured fortune. The boat was beached with a rush, 

 and landing at the base of the cliff/^ which rose like 

 a wall somewhat over one hundred feet above us 

 one could realize the danger attending an attempt 

 to land here in anything but the calmest weather. 

 We were now introduced to the car or basket in 

 which we were to make actually the final stage of 

 our journey. It seemed a frail, cratelike ailair of 

 light strips of wood, and measured about two and a 

 half feet square and three feet liigh. After our 

 cameras, plates, gun, ammunition, etc., had been 

 snugly stowed, we obeyed the direction to enter the 

 crate and take seats on bits of board placed across 

 opposite corners. The end of the long, dangling 

 roi^e was attached, in response to Captain Bourque's 

 roaring " Hoist away ! " a faint reply came from the 

 tiny figure which in a sickening way had been lean- 

 ing over the edge of the rock above, watching our 

 proceedings, and a moment later the rope tightened, 

 strained, and we were clear of the ground and slowly 

 rising. A long experience in elevators had made me 

 anticipate this part of the Bird Rock journey with- 

 out concern, but the instant after the ascent began I 

 discovered that we were not only going up but 

 around as well, and the twisting motion was so 

 novel, so unlike anything to which I had previously 

 been accustomed, that I confess to a feeling of sur- 

 prise, to say the least. The sudden jars, as the rope 

 in winding slipped off' the preceding coil and dropped 

 suddenly, perhaps an inch, gave us a sufficiently 



