ed some time on our oars to observe them, when
at last they took to a hill, on the ridge of which we saw a flock
of goats drawn up for their reception. There was a very narrow path
leading to the ridge, skirted on each side by precipices; and here
the master he-goat of the flock posted himself fronting the enemy, the
rest of the goats being all behind him, on more open ground. As the
ridge was inaccessible by any other path, except where this champion
stood, though the dogs ran up the hill with great alacrity, yet, when
they came within twenty yards, not daring to encounter him, as he
would infallibly have driven them down the precipice, they gave over
the chase, and lay down at that distance, panting at a great rate.

These dogs, which are masters of all the accessible parts of the
island, are of various kinds, some of them very large, and have
multiplied to a prodigious degree. They sometimes came down to our
habitations under night, and stole our provisions; and once or twice
they set upon single persons, but, assistance being at hand, they were
driven away, without doing any mischief. As it is now rare for any
goats to fall in their way, we conceived that they lived principally
on young seals; and some of our people, having the curiosity to kill
dogs sometimes, and dress them, seemed to agree that they had a fishy
taste.

Goats-flesh being scarce, as we were rarely able to kill above one in
a day, and our people growing tired of fish, which abounded at this
place, they at last condescended to eat seals, which they came by
degrees to relish, calling it _lamb_. As the seal, of which numbers
haunt this island, has been often mentioned by former writers, it
seems unnecessary to say any thing particular respecting that animal
in this place. There is, however, another amphibious animal to be met
with here, called the _sea-lion_, having some resemblance to a seal,
but much larger, which I conceive may merit a particular description.
This too we eat, under the denomination of beef. When arrived at full
size, the sea-lion is between twelve and twenty feet in length, and
from eight to fifteen feet in circumference. They are extremely fat,
so that, below the skin, which is an inch thick, there is at least
a foot deep of fat, before coming to the lean or bones, and we
experienced more than once, that the fat of some of the largest
afforded us a butt of oil. They are also very full of blood; for, if
deeply wounded in a dozen p