Those dark masses, moving upon the hillocks of sand, or rolling on the surf, are sea-lions--the _phoca leonina,_ or lion-seal." Helen strained her eyes to distinguish the forms, but only descried the dingy objects.

While thus engaged, she allowed the cutter to fall off a little, and, ere Hazel had resumed his hold upon the tiller, they were fairly in the bay; the great palm-tree on their starboard bow.
"You seem determined to make the acquaintance of your nightmares," he remarked; "you perceive that we are embayed." Her consternation amused him; she saw that, if they held their present course, the cutter would take the beach about a mile ahead, where these animals were densely crowded.
At this moment, something dark bulged up close beside her in the sea, and the rounded back of a monster rolled over and disappeared.

Hazel let drop the sail, for they were now fairly in the smooth water of the bay, and close to the sandy spit; the gigantic stem of the palm-tree was on their quarter, about half a mile off.
He took to the oars, and rowed slowly toward the shore.

A small seal rose behind the boat and followed them, playing with the blade, its gambols resembling that of a kitten.

He pointed out to Helen the mild expression of the creature's face and assured her that all this tribe were harmless animals, and susceptible of domestication.