They had sixteen-foot oars and rowed for twelve days, four men on and four off, taking turns. One day the old cook cried out “Land.” Nobody believed him at first but soon they could make out a dim cloud-like object on the far horizon. They realized it was really land and pulled hard on the oars till they came to a small beach to land on. They fairly ran up the beach to try to find water for they were all suffering from thirst. After a short time they were attracted by the old cook crying out and waving his hands. But they ran about licking up the brackish water from puddles in the rocks. The rain had left some, but the surf had thrown spray up into the pools. However, they drank up the surface, for the salt was at the bottom. When they looked back for the cook, they saw him alone on the beach. It was too late to help him; their boat had smashed to pieces on the rocks. They were on a small island ten miles from another big one. The captain said, “Now we are all just men together, not captain and crew. And we will try to reach the other side of the island.” They started out to cross over, but the way was terribly rough, they were exhausted and weakened by long suffering, and after a short distance they had to come back. They walked around the island later and in one cove they discovered some sea lions, and two of the men who were good swimmers went out and chased them to shore. Once ashore, the rest of the men stoned them to death, skinned them for shoe leather, ate the meat, and drank the blood. All were sick as a result, but later they found turtles and after killing them, sucked the blood and ate the meat. After two months of living like this, with very hard going, they found a small beach with fresh water. Here they buried a lot of gold in a crack in the rocks. And one day after living on that one beach for three or more months, they were rescued by a chance ship sailing by. When Christianson heard that Uncle Will was coming on this trip again, he wanted to come back here, mostly to find the gold. But he could not afford to leave his job, and he would not tell just where it was buried. HOOD ISLAND After cruising around to the south of the Galápagos Islands for two days, doing deep dredging and hauling, we turned back to Hood, the most southerly of all the islands. It is low-lying with two or three rather higher hills and at the south end an albatross rookery which shows way out at sea, a high rocky headland, with the birds showing white against the black rocks. Compared to the other islands there is little known about Hood. There are lots of sea lions on the beaches and in the coves around the rocks. You may get almost close enough to touch them. Isabel Cooper, who is not afraid of anything, crept near enough to pat one old bull on the flipper. When she laughed aloud he gave a curious grunt and slid into the water.