ing, "is a case in pint, to
illustrate yer saying about lettin' folks be. I'm afeard me and Missis
Meejur is unkimmon like the mouse and the cat!"

"Speak for yourself, please," interposed the lady, thinking that he
meant to designate her as the feline animal. "If you've a mind to liken
yourself to one of those dreadful creatures that are always nibbling, I
don't choose to be called a cat."

"I aren't a bit pertickler what you call me, ma'rm," replied the
American very good-humouredly, "although I confess I am a bit partial to
nibblin' when thar's anything good to eat!"

"That's you all over," said Mrs Major with much satisfaction; when, as
she appeared pleased, Mr Lathrope allowed the conversation to rest
there, which satisfied Mr Meldrum also, as he did not like these
continual bickerings going on before the younger members of the party,
besides their being, as has been said, especially distasteful to
himself.

The next day it stopped snowing altogether; consequently a vegetable-
hunting expedition was organised, a small party which started up the
valley managing to bring back with some difficulty a few heads of
cabbage, which with the dried rabbits alone now constituted their daily
fare--both the beef and pork getting so low that Mr Meldrum had to stop
their issue, although the men were not so hard pressed yet as to take to
the salted sea-elephant.

Had the cabbage not been out of the line of drift, in a more secluded
portion of the creek, the vegetable-seekers would have been unable to
find it; for, the entire landscape was covered with a deep snow that was
evenly distributed over hollow and hill alike--the lower lying land and
the higher eminences so running into one another that they could not be
distinguished. The tops of the loftiest peaks, indeed, seemed to be
dwarfed down to the monotonous level of the plain; and, where elevated
at all, they resembled more a cluster of little round mounds like sugar-
loaves than anything else!

During the cessation of the snow-storm, the castaways contrived to
secure another sea-elephant which visited the bay, Karl Ericksen
harpooning him in the water. This time the men did not despise the
flesh, but appeared to relish it very much when Snowball fried it
fresh--a considerable portion of it being eaten in this way; while all
the fat and blubber was melted down, and the remainder of the meat
salted and packed in the cask with the other seal beef which was as yet
unto