blow-hole! It had a long tail, and was deep under the water!'

'It was no porpoise,' said another; 'it was a seal; but it had a long
tail! It came out of the seal cave!' The other children bore various
testimony, but on two points they were unanimous--it, whatever 'it' was,
had come through the blow-hole deep under the water, and had a long,
thin tail--a tail so long that they could not see the end of it. There
was much unmerciful chaffing of the children by the men on this point,
but as it was evident that they had seen something, quite a number of
persons, young and old, male and female, went along the high paths on
either side of the harbour mouth to catch a glimpse of this new addition
to the fauna of the sea, a long-tailed porpoise or seal. The tide was
now coming in. There was a slight breeze, and the surface of the water
was rippled so that it was only at moments that anyone could see clearly
into the deep water. After a spell of watching a woman called out that
she saw something moving up the channel, just below where she was
standing. There was a stampede to the spot, but by the time the crowd
had gathered the breeze had freshened, and it was impossible to see with
any distinctness below the surface of the water. On being questioned the
woman described what she had seen, but in such an incoherent way that
the whole thing was put down as an effect of imagination; had it not
been for the children's report she would not have been credited at all.
Her semi-hysterical statement that what she saw was 'like a pig with the
entrails out' was only thought anything of by an old coastguard, who
shook his head but did not make any remark. For the remainder of the
daylight this man was seen always on the bank, looking into the water,
but always with disappointment manifest on his face.

Eric arose early on the next morning--he had not slept all night, and it
was a relief to him to move about in the light. He shaved himself with a