rayne's pigeons."

"Are we going ashore here?" said Max eagerly, as they neared the point,
about which the swift tide foamed and leaped furiously, the waves
causing a deep, low roar to rise as they fretted among the tumbled chaos
of rocks.

"I hope not. Eh, Scood?"

"Hope not! Why?"

"Because the sea would knock the boat to pieces. That's all."

"Hah!"

Max drew his breath with a low hiss, and gazed sharply from Kenneth to
the foaming water they were approaching so swiftly, and now, with the
little knowledge he had gained, the lowering mass of rock began to look
terribly forbidding, and the birds which flew shrieking away seemed to
be uttering cries of warning.

"Hadn't you better pull the left rein--I mean steer away, if it's so
dangerous?"

"No; I'm going in between those two rocks, close in. Plenty of water
now, isn't there, Scood?"

"Not plenty; enough to clear the rock," was the reply.

"Sit fast, and you'll see what a rush through we shall go. Hold tight."

Max set his teeth, and his eyes showed a complete circle of white about
the iris as the boat careened over, and, feeling now the current which
raced foaming around the point, he had a strange catching of the breath,
while his hands clung spasmodically to the thwart and side.

The huge mass of frowning rock seemed to be coming to meet them; the
grey-winged birds flew hither and thither; the water, that had been dark
blue flecked with white, suddenly became one wild race of foam, such as
he had seen behind the paddle-boxes of the steamers during his run up
from Glasgow. There was the perpendicular wall on his right, and a
cluster of black crags on his left, and toward these the boat was
rushing at what seemed to him a terrific rate. It was like running
wildly to their death; but Kenneth was seated calmly holding the tiller,
and Scood half lay back, letting one hand hang over and splash amongst
the foam.

Hiss, roar, rush, and a spray of spattering drops of the beaten waves
splashed over them as they raced on, passing through the opening at a
rate which made Max Blande feel dizzy. Then, just as the boat careened
over till the bellying sail almost touched the low crags on their left,
it made quite a leap, rose upright, the pressure on the sail ceased, the
rush of wind seemed to be suddenly cut off, and they were gliding
rapidly along in an almost waveless bay, with a deep, loud, thunderous
roar booming into their ears.

"What do you think