tree broke
and fell into the water, the serpent falling with it. Then all the
fishes acknowledged that the crocodile was superior, for he had got
the serpent into the water, and made him dive in it, and kept him
under water half-an-hour. The serpent, however, survived it, and
repented of what he had done. "Oh! that I had never opposed you;
only let me go, and I will never attack you again."--"Ah!" said the
crocodile; "but as often as I pursued the dog, I was pursued by you;
so you must suffer in your turn." Thus the crocodile made him
heartily repent before he let him go. "Then," said the serpent, "if
ever I touch you again, may I be conquered." After that, the
crocodile let him go. He was glad to get off; but he had been
beaten, and took an oath not to renew the attack when the crocodile
went to look out for prey. The crocodile, however, owed the dog a
grudge, because he had attacked him, and so laid all his family
under a curse to devour the dog whenever opportunity offered.
"Unless you do that," said he, "may you die without posterity; for
yonder dog took part with the serpent against me."

MR. STANLEY. "Well, George, are you like the serpent? Have you had
enough of the water?"

GEORGE. "Oh! no! I shall be very sorry when the voyages are over."

MR. STANLEY. "You have been on the ocean a weary while. Have you,
like Sir James Ross, reached either of the Poles?"

GEORGE. "No, sir; but we have been very near the North Pole; have we
not, Charles?"

CHARLES. "Yes; in the Arctic Ocean we have been as high as 80 deg.
parallel of north latitude to Spitzbergen; and in the Antarctic as
high as the 66 deg. parallel of south latitude, to the New South
Shetland Isles."

MR. STANLEY. "Well done! You will not then start any objections on
the score of cold, to accompany me to Kerguelan's Land?"

"Oh dear, no!" exclaimed the boys. "We do not mind the cold."

MR. STANLEY. "Kerguelan's land was discovered in 1772 by Monsieur de
Kerguelan, a French navigator, who took it for a continent, and so
reported it to his government. He was sent back the following year
to make critical examination. Three years after this, Captain Cook
fell in with the island, and, not finding it of any importance,
called it Isle of Desolation. But, despite its name, it is not a bad
place by any means. It is a safe and commodious harbor, and
abundance of fresh water. However, considering its latitude, it is
exceedingly bare of vegetation; and there is