The cockswain kept his eye on the rock, and, every now and then, hinted to me the course I should steer; for I had taken the tiller.
"Port a little, your Honour," he said, in a voice hardly above a whisper. The gig obeyed her helm instantly. We gradually came near to the rock; and passing abreast of it, we could see the gulls basking in the hot sun; some, standing on one leg, having the other drawn up under the wing, and looking apathetically at us, while others arranged the feathers of their tails, or breasts, with their bills, much after the same fashion as ducks do, when they have been swimming in ponds, or dabbling in puddles.
"Put your helm to starboard, your Honour," said the cockswain to me in a quiet voice, "and bring her head right round."
I did as desired; and the men pulling noiselessly, the boat glided towards the rock, like a needle to a magnet. The gulls had all clustered to windward, and not one could be seen to leeward.
"I have no shot," I observed to R——, who sat just before me; "but only balls."
"Never mind—they will do," R—— replied; "more credit to you if you kill any."
Letting the tiller ropes loose, I allowed the boat to choose its own course, and began to ram down my bullets. I tried two at a time. With a slight grating, the keel of the gig touched a sunken piece of land, and almost at the same time, its weigh was stopped entirely by the stem coming in gentle contact with the main rock.
Like so many cats, we now crawled, without a sound, from the boat; and P—— being the first to step on the rock, slipped back into the water. The gurgling of the water as it ran over the tops of his jack-boots, and the floundering P—— made to recover himself, alarmed two gulls, and they flew, screaming, into the air. We crouched to the bare rock; and these two sentinels, not distinguishing us from the colour of their roosting place, took a few gyrations, and then re-perched themselves on the rock. Aided by R—— and me, and the two sailors, P—— was got out of the water; but it was no easy matter to accomplish this, for his jack-boots had filled, to the brim, with water, and added considerably to his natural weight.
We now stood fairly on the rock, prepared to encounter any given, or ungiven quantity of birds or beasts.
"I say," observed R—— to me, in a low tone, "take a stone, or piece of moss, or mud, or anything, and shy it amongst them—just for a start."