202 A NATURALIST ON DESERT ISLANDS, 



of creamy white foam. A little more of this, and it would 

 be folly to attempt it ; still one does not like to get up 

 early in the morning and row two miles across an adgry 

 sea for nothing : so presently we fix upon our spot and 

 decide to make the attempt. The swell is not quite 

 so bad here, and there is a nice little shelf of rock all 

 ready for us to jump on to, as the boat rises level 

 with it. 



" Pull her round, lads, and back her in stern first " 

 says Gillam. " That's it ; easy now ; gently does it." 



But there has been a momentary and deceptive lull 

 in the surging waters, which had given us a feeling of 

 false security; and before we were aware of it we had 

 nearly come to grief. 



" Look out ! — look out ! — here she comes ! — give way 



boys — give way like ." " Nearly on 'em then, sir, 



by G-d we were." 



For the great surging wave comes rolling in, lifts us 

 like a cork, passes under us at a giddy pace, and goes 

 thundering, with a hollow whoof and resounding " Ker- 

 plunk," smack against the rocks. 



Down sinks the water again, carrying us willy-nilly 

 with it — down, down, till we think to see the very founda- 

 tions of the island, till indeed, the rocks below the water- 

 line shew up pink and clean as any fresh run salmon, 

 and of quite a different colour from that, where the 

 chitons and limpets are chnging like grim death 

 " betwixt wind and water." 



As we pull away like mad, and wait for a better chance, 

 the water comes pouring back over the shelf, in a small 

 cataract of spume and milky froth. 



" All right, boys ! — that was onlj'* big Ben — he's not 

 due again for a bit," cries Fuller. 



So gingerly and warily we back her in once more. 

 All four men are ready at a moment's notice to give 

 way at the word ; and with the boat rising and falling, 

 and swinging this way and that, we carefully watch for 

 our chance. " Now for it — steady now — easy there — 



