A MISADVENTURE. 225 
and by the strength of their powerful beaks as they 
pecked at us when we inserted our hands into their 
retreats to pull them out. Dotting the cliff here and 
there, and floating above our heads, with their long 
tails, of but two cylindrical feathers each, fluttering 
in the wind, they formed a graceful element in the 
picture spread before us from the ridge. 
At the summit, where we had left our lunch, we 
exerted ourselves to finish the contents of baskets and 
bottles, and so successful were we that nothing was 
left to burden our men down the slope but a few 
chicken-bones and a little water. Then we hastened 
down to the shore, anxious to join our friends omthe 
other island, and rejoicing in our good luck. 
As we turned the great rock which hid the little 
cove in whith the boat had been left, we were greeted 
by a loud cry: “De boat done mash, sah!” A fact 
we verified a few minutes later; for there floated the 
boat, its rail just above water, thumping on the rocks. 
It was growing late, and there was no time to be 
lost. Our men stripped and plunged into the water 
and commenced bailing the boat, but it was labor 
thrown away; then, by direction of Mr. C., they 
hauled the boat up upon the pebbles of the narrow 
beach at the base of the cliff, and turned her over — 
no easy work — and we were all obliged to assist. As 
the heavy boat came down, bottom up, it caught the 
ankle of the manager and wedged it fast against a 
rock. In releasing him, and hauling the boat into 
position, we all got wet; but this did not dampen our 
spirits. Pieces of board were nailed.on with nails 
extracted from fragments of a wreck, pants and shirts 
were torn up and calked into the seams, together with 
15 
