e if I win?" said Kotick. And a green light came
into his eye, for he was very angry at having to fight at all.

"Very good," said the young seal carelessly. "If you win, I'll come."

He had no time to change his mind, for Kotick's head was out and his
teeth sunk in the blubber of the young seal's neck. Then he threw
himself back on his haunches and hauled his enemy down the beach, shook
him, and knocked him over. Then Kotick roared to the seals: "I've done
my best for you these five seasons past. I've found you the island where
you'll be safe, but unless your heads are dragged off your silly necks
you won't believe. I'm going to teach you now. Look out for yourselves!"

Limmershin told me that never in his life--and Limmershin sees ten
thousand big seals fighting every year--never in all his little life
did he see anything like Kotick's charge into the nurseries. He flung
himself at the biggest sea catch he could find, caught him by the
throat, choked him and bumped him and banged him till he grunted for
mercy, and then threw him aside and attacked the next. You see, Kotick
had never fasted for four months as the big seals did every year, and
his deep-sea swimming trips kept him in perfect condition, and, best
of all, he had never fought before. His curly white mane stood up with
rage, and his eyes flamed, and his big dog teeth glistened, and he was
splendid to look at. Old Sea Catch, his father, saw him tearing past,
hauling the grizzled old seals about as though they had been halibut,
and upsetting the young bachelors in all directions; and Sea Catch gave
a roar and shouted: "He may be a fool, but he is the best fighter on the
beaches! Don't tackle your father, my son! He's with you!"

Kotick roared in answer, and old Sea Catch waddled in with his mustache
on end, blowing like a locomotive, while Matkah and the seal that was
going to marry Kotick cowered down and admired their men-folk. It was
a gorgeous fight, for the two fought as long as there was a seal that
dared lift up his head, and when there were none they paraded grandly up
and down the beach side by side, bellowing.

At night, just as the Northern Lights were winking and flashing through
the fog, Kotick climbed a bare rock and looked down on the scattered
nurseries and the torn and bleeding seals. "Now," he said, "I've taught
you your lesson."

"My wig!" said old Sea Catch, boosting himself up stiffly, for he was
fearfully mauled. "The Killer Whale hi