for the rough footing of mussels and acorn barnacles that 
gave a lesser chance of slipping. To her great dismay when 
Mary landed she forgot directions and ran along the ledge, 
and, in an instant, the whole Pacific ocean seemed to wrap 
itself about her, almost waist deep. Gallantly she held her- 
self against three big waves, and as the water receded, 
reached a safer place, without one touch of her dripping 
_ skirts. 
As breath was caught Mary out rid of some of the water 
and then they began to climb the single side where the 
ascent was possible. With feet and hands clinging to the 
projections, pushed and pulled by the natives, panting, and 
~ amost-sobbing, they finally managed to reach the sloping 
top of the islet, one hundred or more feet above the boat, 
which one of the men was holding in the smoother water 
some distance away. 
They found the first baby gull, a young Cage 
on a shelf of granite, toddling along much as any human 
baby walks, not at all sure of its balance. At their approach 
it scuttled into a crevice, where it was almost unseen, be- 
cause it was so splendidly protected by the grayish-white © 
and sooty-black colors of the soft down that covered its 
body, which melted into the background except when it 
moved. The youngsters did not mind being picked up for 
they cuddled down into the hollow of the friendly arms, 
paying no attention to the protest of their parents that were 
flying about their heads. The women were afraid to put 
the first one down, after trying to take its picture, as it 
waddled about so much that Sey feared it might fall over 
_ the cliff and be drowned. | 
The top of the islet, on which a ston. was probably 
not more than an acre in extent, and was covered with a 
rather dense growth of sawgrass, salal, and dwarf salmon- 
berry, but wherever the black earth could be seen, it was 
pitted with small holes. The inspector, kneeling, put his 
hands into one of these holes and began to turn back the 
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