swell
dashed against the perpendicular face of the cliff beneath with a force
that would have instantly destroyed any vessel unfortunate enough to get
within its influence.

Slowly, slowly we forged past the danger; but the moment we opened out
the extremity of the island, a fresh breeze, like a saving hand, swept
across the bows, filling the head-sails and swinging the old vessel
away from the island in grand style. Another minute, and the other sails
filled also. We were safe, all hands breathing freely once more.

Now the wind hung far round to the eastward--far enough to frustrate
any design we might have had of going up the Straits again. The old
man, however, was too deeply impressed with the paramount necessity
of shelter to lightly give up the idea of getting in somewhere; so he
pointed her for Preservation Inlet, which was only some thirty miles
under her lee. We crowded all sail upon her in the endeavour to get in
before nightfall, this unusual proceeding bringing our two friends up
from to leeward with a run to see what we were after. Burdened as
we were, they sailed nearly two knots to our one, and consequently
intercepted us some while before we neared our port. Great was their
surprise to find we had a whale, and very anxious their queries as to
where the rest of the school had gone. Reassured that they had lost
nothing by not being nearer, it being a "lone" whale, off they went
again.

With all our efforts, evening was fast closing in when we entered the
majestic portals of Preservation Inlet, and gazed with deepest interest
upon its heavily wooded shores.

CHAPTER XXVI. PADDY'S LATEST EXPLOIT

New Zealand is pre-eminently a country of grand harbours; but I think
those that are least used easily bear the palm for grandeur of scenery
and facility of access. The wonderful harbour, or rather series of
harbours, into which we were now entering for the first time, greatly
resembled in appearance a Norwegian fjord, not only in the character of
its scenery, but from the interesting, if disconcerting, fact that
the cliffs were so steep-to that in some places no anchorage is found
alongside the very land itself. There are, however, many places where
the best possible anchorage can be obtained, so securely sheltered that
a howling south-wester may be tearing the sea up by the roots outside,
and you will know nothing of it within, except what may be surmised from
the motion of the clouds overhead. It