d their mouths and showed their fangs,
emitting the while terrific roars; and, as they waddled in a crowd into
the water, they rolled down the brothers with their impetus as if they
had been ninepins.

"I don't mind the bruises," said Fritz, picking himself up again with a
laugh. "Not when I have such a sound salve for them as the thought of
the oil we'll get out of all the carcases!"

"Nor I," chimed in Eric, rubbing his nose ruefully though all the same.
"Think of fifteen--no, seventeen sealskins, counting in the two we shot
first on the rocks! They ought to fetch something handsome when we send
them to the States, eh?"

"Yes," said Fritz; "but now, out with your knife, laddie! Let us set to
work, taking off the pelts while they are still warm."

"Right you are," replied Eric; and the two were soon at work, skinning
the animals and taking off the layer of blubber which lay immediately
beneath the inner lining of the skin--rolling up the greasy and reeking
mass of skin and fat together in bundles and placing them in the boat as
soon as each seal had his toilet thus attended to.

It was very dirty work and neither was sorry when all the blubber and
skins were stowed in the whale-boat; their last care being to roll the
poor bodies of the seals now bereft of those coveted coats which had
caused their destruction, into the sea. This was done in order that the
remains might not scare away others of the herd from such inhospitable
shores. The task was soon accomplished, for the rocks shelved down
abruptly into the water; and, when the place was made tidy again, the
brothers set sail for home with their cargo, going back the contrary way
they came, so as to have the advantage of the wind and save the labour
of rowing.

Since their onslaught, not another live seal was to be seen in the
vicinity, the first to make off before the boat was pulled into the
beach after Fritz and Eric had fired being the couple of sea elephants
which they had noticed amongst the mass of animals, clustered together
on the rocks; and these, consequently, they were unable to secure.

However, they consoled themselves on their way back to the bay with the
reflection that they had done a very good day's work. They were by no
means dissatisfied with the result of their sport--seventeen seals at
one haul were not to be despised!

For some time after reaching the hut they were busily engaged, cleaning
the skins and salting them down for prese