tsmen, were to have a boat left us, and we were to
land, while the schooner ran on to a station some way further. We had
one dog with us, Old Surley by name, belonging to Mr Kilby--as brave an
animal as ever flew at a bull's neck, for he feared neither bull nor
beast of any sort. With our guns, plenty of ammunition, and a stock of
provisions, we pulled up a creek where we could leave the boat in
safety, and landed. We first climbed a rock on the shore, whence we
could look about us and take a survey of the island. It was of
considerable size. We saw that we should have no difficulty in
penetrating across it, through the high tussac grass which almost
entirely covered the ground. We first advanced together. We soon came
to some curious green mounds, covered with a velvety moss, about two
feet high and nine in circumference. I happened to sit down on one to
tie my shoe, and it made a most comfortable seat.

"Do you know what that is?" said Mr Burkett, giving it a blow with the
butt end of his gun, which broke the moss to pieces as if it had been a
huge toadstool. The mossy coat was an inch and a half in thickness, and
the whole interior appeared filled with wide-spreading miniature
fir-trees. Every stalk, of which there were a great number, was edged
with diminutive leaves like those of the fir; and the tops were
sprinkled with little pieces of resin, brown outside and white within,
some not larger than a pin's-head, and others half the size of a
filbert. We afterwards came to some mounds where the plants had pushed
through the green moss, and their leaves having slightly expanded, they
looked like miniature myrtles. Instead of going directly inland, we
made our way along the shore among the penguin grass. This grows to the
height of ten feet, on the top of clumps of decayed vegetable matter,
forming large hillocks, which made the shore look as if it had been
covered with a coppice of underwood. We took our way through it, often
being hid from each other by the high grass, and had not gone far when a
loud roar saluted our ears. Jerry and I were together, but we had lost
sight of the rest of the party. I instinctively drew back, and he
looked very much as if he would have run away, had he known where to run
to. He says he felt very brave though.

"What's that?" I exclaimed.

"A lion!" replied Jerry, looking uncomfortable.

"A wild boar," said I; "there are no lions here."

"A big bull, perhaps," crie