like your friends the penguins; their bark is worse than their bite!"

"Ha, ha!" laughed Eric good-temperedly; "you will continue to chaff me
about those wretched birds I suppose! Never mind, though, I've got the
joke about the billy-goat frightening you as a set-off, eh, brother?"

"That's nothing--nothing!" said Fritz in an off-hand way. "We'd better
see about starting round after the seals, I think."

"Ah, it's all very well your trying to get out of it like that!"
retorted Eric, going off, laughing, to haul the whale-boat down into the
bay; when, as soon as she was afloat and all their preparations made,
they set off again round the headland for the sealing ground.

They noticed, as they approached, that the animals were much more wary
now than at the time of their first visit, many plunging into the water
from off the outlying rocks on the boat nearing the shore; consequently,
they had to use their rifles at once to secure any seals at all, without
trusting to their harpoons.

Fritz fired six shots rapidly from the Remington he carried, Eric, who
was not so handy in the use of the weapon, managing about half the
number; and then, seeing that some of the animals which were only
wounded were endeavouring to wriggle down the beach into the sea, the
two dashed in at them with the harpoons and boat-hook--Master Eric
selecting the latter weapon from his being more accustomed to its use.

They had a great scrimmage amongst the struggling seals, which roared
and bellowed like so many bull calves, looking when they opened their
mouths as if they would swallow up the brothers at one gulp; but, it was
all bravado, for the poor things had not an ounce of fight in them.
They suffered themselves to be knocked on the head without the slightest
resistance, only bleating piteously when they received their death-blow
and dropping down in their tracks at once.

One enormous sea elephant Fritz made for, just as he was on the point of
sliding off into the sea from a little rocky jetty where he had
ensconced himself.

The animal reared itself on its fore flappers and seemed to tower over
the young German; but, on Fritz pluckily piercing it with his harpoon
right through the chest, the warm blood gushed over him in a torrent and
the portentous sea elephant sank down lifeless.

The creature was upwards of eighteen feet long, from the point of his
queer-looking nose or snout, which was elongated like an elephant's
trunk--hence