A SEAL AND AN EEL. 75 
a very merman of the ancients—'twixt sea 
and racing cloud and flashing sun, as he 
surrendered himself to the elements, effort- 
Jess and unafraid. 
Then he was gone, and a father among 
waves, hoisting up to a mighty, flat slab of 
rock, retired again with a roar and a burst 
of spray, leaving the seal stranded there as if 
by magic. Quick ears had our seal, and a 
quicker nose; but his eyes were not so good, 
and although he had come ashore on the ‘lee’ 
side, it was really against his rule to land at 
all in wind. 
Still; he never had been disturbed here. 
Nevertheless, he had barely touched solid rock 
when he whipped round to face the sea with 
extraordinary agility—in case. A_ horrible, 
half-healed bullet-scar on his back made him 
careful. 
Then, before you could wink, came a lick 
of flame up among the rocks, a report, and 
the ‘phtt!’ of a bullet almost by his side, 
followed instantly by a rush, a report like that 
of a gun, and a burst of spray, as the great 
seal dived, and he was gone. 
And the ‘ sportsman’ who would have shot 
him—what are we to say of him? He could 
have done nothing with the great carcass, 
supposing he had not missed. 
