a to
a certainty, and then he'll turn round and gobble me up--he will. I
know he will."

As the beast approached the beach, lest the joke might be carried too
far, we lent him a hand to dismount, while his steed crawled on as
sedately as before into the water, and, as he swam off, turned round his
head, as much as to say, "Hillo, master, are you not coming too? Just
try it, and see how you like a swim with me." Mr Kilby told us that
this animal had probably been sick, and had remained behind while his
companions had taken to the sea, which they always do on the approach of
summer. In autumn they come on shore, and live in large herds in marshy
places by the sides of rivers, eating grass like cattle. The females,
which are without the snout, suckle their young, of which they have
generally two at a time. As they are very slow in their movements, to
afford themselves time to escape they have sentinels posted while they
are feeding, whose duty is to give notice of approaching danger. They
are very good tempered and inoffensive, though the mothers will attack
those who molest their young. Mr Kilby told us of a man who had his
leg bitten off by a female, while he was attempting to carry away her
cub. We now once more took to the boat. We had not been long under
weigh before I saw Mr Burkett looking up anxiously at the sky.

"I don't quite like the look of the weather," he remarked. He had been
a sailor, and had long been cruising about the islands. He was
therefore our pilot on the present occasion. "Brand, can you make out
the schooner anywhere?" Cousin Silas replied that he could nowhere see
her. "Then something has delayed her at the station," observed Burkett.
"As the tide is making in that direction, and the wind is fair, we'll
run down there instead of crossing the channel to the point proposed."

This plan was agreed to, though it might have been wiser had we kept to
our original purpose. For some time we made fine weather of it, but
getting into another channel, we found the wind first scant, and then
directly against us. We had consequently no choice but to attempt to
beat up to the station. This delayed us much beyond the time we
expected to get there. We of course kept a bright look-out for the
schooner, lest she should pass us; but evening was closing in apace, and
still we had a long way to go. However, Mr Burkett said he knew
exactly where we were, and that we should be able before long to