s he is going to develop
tonight, too."

I started for the shore about two o'clock. Ernest was sitting on the
woodpile as I passed through the yard, with his arms about Laddie's
neck and his face buried in Laddie's curly hair. Laddie was a handsome
and intelligent black-and-white Newfoundland, with a magnificent coat.
He and Ernest were great chums. I felt sorry for the boy who was to
lose his pet.

"Don't take it so hard, Ern," I said, trying to comfort him. "Uncle
will likely get another pup."

"I don't want any other pup!" Ernest blurted out. "Oh, Ned, won't you
try and coax your uncle not to sell him? Perhaps he'd listen to you."

I shook my head. I knew Uncle Richard too well to hope that.

"Not in this case, Ern," I said. "He would say it did not concern me,
and you know nothing moves him when he determines on a thing. You'll
have to reconcile yourself to losing Laddie, I'm afraid."

Ernest's tow-coloured head went down on Laddie's neck again, and I,
deciding that there was no use in saying anything more, proceeded
towards the shore, which was about a mile from Uncle Richard's house.
The beach along his farm and for several farms along shore was a
lonely, untenanted one, for the fisher-folk all lived two miles
further down, at Rowley's Cove. About three hundred yards from the
shore was the peculiar formation known as Island Rock. This was a
large rock that stood abruptly up out of the water. Below, about the
usual water-line, it was seamed and fissured, but its summit rose up
in a narrow, flat-topped peak. At low tide twenty feet of it was above
water, but at high tide it was six feet and often more under water.

I pushed Uncle Richard's small flat down the rough path and rowed out
to Island Rock. Arriving there, I thrust the painter deep into a
narrow cleft. This was the usual way of mooring it, and no doubt of
its safety occurred to me.

I scrambled up the rock and around to the eastern end, where there was
a broader space for standing and from which some capital views could
be obtained. The sea about the rock was calm, but there was quite a
swell on and an off-shore breeze was blowing. There were no boats
visible. The tide was low, leaving bare the curious caves and
headlands along shore, and I secured a number of excellent snapshots.
It was now three o'clock. I must wait another hour yet before I could
get the best view of the "Hole in the Wall"--a huge, arch-like opening
through a jutting headland t