th the whirr of swift pinions, and the ceaseless murmur of the
mating myriads, rested from their long northward journey, a host such as
mortal eye hath seldom beheld, and which it hath fallen to the lot of
few sportsmen to witness and enjoy.

"I kill many birds on _h_ice, in _quetan_, among sedge out on the bay,
but I never see such sight. I never think so many birds in the world
before," said Peter, as he loaded his double-barrel.

"I been up Ivuctoke Inlet, on Greenland coast; down Disco saw great many
bird, but nothing like this," muttered Regnar.

"It is almost too bad to kill any of these lovely creatures," said
George, whose loving nature drank in the full beauty of the scene;
"can't we do without them?"

"We have only six birds, and some seal fat, meat, and liver. If it
closes the ice again we shall soon be short of food. So we'll get out
our floating decoys to leeward, and see what we can do to replenish our
larder."

La Salle's plan was duly carried out. A couple of flocks of floating
decoys were anchored to a protruding spur of ice, and for an hour or so
the four had their fill of slaughter. Each was limited to three
cartridges apiece, and no one would fire except at an unusually large
flock. Peter brought down a goose with each barrel, and six brent with
his third shot; Regnar killed nine black duck with one barrel, five
velvet ducks with another, and six teal with the third. Waring
unexpectedly had a shot at a flock of Phalapores, and secured twelve of
these curious birds; but his third shot at a solitary goose failed,
owing to a defective cap. La Salle, after a single shot which killed a
brace of brent, was about to reload, and had just poured in a charge of
powder, when he suddenly crouched behind a hummock, and motioned to the
others to follow his example; then, pointing to a small lead just
opening between two bergs about two hundred yards away, he called the
attention of his companions to an enormous seal, even larger than their
victim of the day before.

The new-comer was a prodigious "hooded" seal, and the loose skin which
enveloped his head was distended with air, and gave forth a hollow,
barrel-like sound, whenever, raising himself above the waves, he came
down with a heavy splash upon the surface. His aspect was savage and
ferocious, and he seemed looking for some object on which to wreak his
rancor; for from time to time he sent forth a savage cry, far hoarser
and prolonged than the whining