Part 25 (1/2)

Raft, taking the girl by the ar It seeone wrong with the sche keyed up was the voice of soether, stretched to its utmost and sure to snap

Then it snapped

The whole of Kerguelen seeht shewing islands and sea

Then again it seee

The boom of the rain on the sea caiant on the hills seeht so intense that now and again through broken walls of rain the islands could be seen like far white ghosts wreathed in mist

They sat down on the floor of the cave and the irl as if to protect her; then so at theot astray and scared by the work outside had crept in for shelter and coirl rested her hand on it and it lay still

It seemed to her now that she could hear the Gods of the stor and traiant in full ar to earth, knee, shoulder and hel blow,” ca her to him like a child whilst she held to her the little sea elephant, and so they re to tear Kerguelen froan to pause like a spent an to work his apparatusits vast work away out at sea and all sounds becaed in the enormous, continuous sound of the rain

The little sea elephant seee co out to find its ht ca praise that the worst was over

”The old sea cows know it's done,” said Raft, ”now you'd better get under your blankets,--you aren't afraid to be alone?”

”I'm not afraid a bit now,” said she She patted his hand as a childat the rain as he made for his hole in the cliff

She re of ould have happened had she and Raft started on their expedition yesterday or the day before That wind, which sent rocks flying on to the beach, would have blown the as they stood watching the sea The sea orth watching The due-south wind had stirred the heart of the ocean fro a vast flood that split on Heard Island only to re-foruelen

They could hear the vague far-off roar of it all those leagues away beyond thea full gale, and beyond the shelter of the land they could see the islands getting it, bombarded by the waves and up to their shoulders in sea-smoke and foa shot dead, the wind ceased, and in the silence the roar of the beaches far and near arose like a fu out of the west, piling up a cross sea that leapt like the water in a boiling pot

”I' when this blow is over we may have a spell of fine weather,” said Raft, ”and it will be just as well for us to be s ready so's on't be behind hand when the fine spell comes”

”I think so too,” said she, ”ill have to take food with us--how h for a month,” said he, ”who knoe may have to come back, and there's not ht for a h for there's birds and rabbits to be got, and gulls' eggs Theuins let you screw their necks as if it co a load”

Then they found thee to take a fortnight's food, but how much did that mean?

They deterh calculation, based on ietables and the reht have carried but not very far

”We've overshot it,” said Raft

”We'll never be able to carry all that,” said the girl, ”or if we did ould have to go so slowly that the journey would be er--it cuts both ways”

They reduced the load by nearly a half