penguins--he knows better what
has done it. Not birds, but beasts, or "fish," as he would call them--
the _amphibia_ in the chasing, killing, and skinning of which he has
spent many years of his life. Even with his eyes shut he could have
told it was they, by a peculiar odour unpleasant to others, though not
to him. To his olfactories it is the perfume of Araby.

"Them fur-seals hev been up hyar," he says, glancing up the gorge.
"They kin climb like cats, spite o' thar lubberly look, and they delight
in baskin' on high ground. I've know'd 'em to go up a hill steeper an'
higher 'n this. They've made it as smooth as ice, and we'll hev to hold
on keerfully. I guess ye'd better all stay hyar till I give it a
trial."

"Oh, it's nothing, Chips," says young Gancy, "we can easily swarm up."

He would willingly take the lead himself, but is lending a hand to his
mother; while, in like manner, Henry Chester is entrusted with the care
of Leoline--a duty he would be loth to transfer to another.

The older sealer makes no more delay, but, leaning forward and clutching
the grass, draws himself up the steep slope. In the same way the
Captain follows; then Ned, carefully assisting his mother; and lastly,
but with no less alacrity, the young Englishman helping Leoline.

Seagriff, still vigorous--for he has not much passed manhood's prime--
and unhampered, reaches the head of the gorge long before the others.

But as soon as his eyes are above it, and he has a view of the summit
level, he sees there something to astonish him: the whole surface,
nearly an acre in extent, is covered with fur-seals, lying close
together like pigs in a stye.

This sight, under other circumstances, he would have hailed with a shout
of joy; but now it elicits from him a cry of apprehension, for the seals
have taken the alarm, too, and are coming on in a rush toward the
ravine, knowing that it is their only way to the water.

"Thunder an' airthquakes!" he exclaims, in highest pitch of voice.
"Look out thar, below!"

They do look out, or rather up, and with no little alarm. But the cause
of it none can as yet tell. But they see Seagriff spring to one side of
the gorge and catch hold of a rock to steady himself, while he shouts to
them to do the same. Of course, they obey; but they barely have time to
get out of the ravine's bed before a stream, a torrent, a very cataract
of living forms comes pouring down it--very monsters in appearance, all