ter, springing into the boat
with dripping feet as she slid out clear of the shore. They placed the
heavy oars between the wooden thole pins and steadied the boat while
Una shipped the rudder. The wind was off shore and the sea, save for the
long heave of the Atlantic, was still. The brown sail was hoisted and
stretched with the sprit. Then, sailing and rowing, they swept past
Carrighdubh, the Black Rock, which guarded the entrance of the little
bay, and passed into the shadow of the mighty cliffs.

A silence fell on them. The laughter and gay talk ceased. The sense
of holiday joyfulness was overwhelmed by a vague awe of the ocean's
greatness, the oppression of its strength, and the black towering rocks
which hung over the boat, casting a gloom across the sea. The feeling of
this solemnity abides through life with the men and women who have been
bred as children on this north Antrim coast. If they live their lives
out among its rugged harbours and stern ways they become, as the
fishermen are, people of slow thoughts, long memories, and simple
outlook upon life. The fear of the Lord is over their lives. If they
wander elsewhere, making homes for themselves among the southern or
western Irish, or, further still, to England or America, they may
learn to be in appearance as other men are--may lose the harsh northern
intonation from their talk, but down in the bottom of their hearts will
be an awful affection for their sea, which is like no other sea, and the
dark overwhelming cliffs whose shadow never wholly leaves their souls.
In times of stress and hours of bitterness they will fall back upon the
stark, rigid strength of those who, seeing the mightiest of His works,
have learned to fear the Lord.

The boat lay off the entrance of the Pigeon Cave. The sportsman's sense
awoke in Maurice. He gave a brief order to Neal, laid his oar across
the boat, stood up and took in the sprit, letting the sail hang in loose
folds. He unstepped the mast and sat down again.

"You may unship the rudder, Brown-Eyes, You had better leave the boat to
Neal and me to bring up to the cave. Pass the gun forward to me and the
powder horn."

He loaded, ramming the charge down and pressing down the wad. Neal and
the girl sat silent. The solemn enchantment of the scene was on them
still. Then the two men took the oars again. Very cautiously they rowed
along the narrow channel which led to the opening of the cave. The rocks
lay low at first on each