On his last bird-nesting excursion he happened, fortunately or
unfortunately, to shove a half-hatched egg down his throat; and, the
embryo bird nearly choking him, his poultry-fancying propensity was
transformed into an inveterate dislike towards the entire penguin
tribe--a slightly lucky mistake for the creatures in question, as
thereby the list of their enemies became decreased by one.
Time thus slipped by with the inhabitants of the house on the creek.
Melting by degrees, the vast piles of snow began to vanish from the
valleys and low-lying lands, although still clothing the distant hill-
sides and mountain-peaks, from the loftier ones of which it probably
never entirely cleared away even in the height of summer; but, the
ground around was naturally so damp and marshy, and had become so
soddened now with moisture, that it was almost as impracticable for Mr
Meldrum or any other of the party to get away from the vicinity of the
hut, as it had been during the heavy storms of August when the snow had
drifted up the gullies and levelled the country.
In fact it was more so, for, the accumulated water, proceeding from the
thaw and the rain, which came every now and then to aid it, had swelled
the fresh-water tarn near them so greatly that it had overflowed its
banks, which now extended on the right to the base of the furthest hills
at the head of the valley that penetrated the creek; while, to the left,
the water was pouring down, a foaming torrent, into the sea--the house
being almost surrounded and separated by the newly-made river from the
little building in which the jolly-boat had been housed on the beach.
They were thus threatened with a flood, for the water was rising every
moment and slowly creeping up to their feet, narrowing the little
peninsula on which their habitation stood.
That was not the worst either!
While they were pondering as to the best means for extricating
themselves from the danger of being washed away, a new one arose.
Through the melting of the snow on the mountains above, a sparkling
cascade commenced all at once to leap down the face of the cliff at the
back of the house, right on to the roof over their heads.
This was serious; for, should this peril not be guarded against and some
sort of pent-house put up as a shield, the slight timber work of the
roof would soon be crushed in and swept away by the ever-increasing
weight of the falling water.
In the midst of these imminent dangers, a phenomenon occurred which for
the moment appalled everybody, not even excepting Mr Meldrum--it was so
strange, so awe-inspiring!
It commenced snowing again; but there was nothing unusual in that. What
was unusual was, that the flakes which fell, instead of being white,
were as black as ink!
What could the awful portent foretell?
It was inexplicable.