and
weak palmated talons, at the greasy, bloody carcasses, and above these
wheeled and fluttered a cloud of competitors for a share of the spoils.
Occasionally a bird bolder than the rest would swoop at an unprotected
baby-seal, whose mother was absent, or had possibly perished the day
before; but at once the older amphibia would roar in hideous concert,
and charge the birds, who seemed to understand that they must give up
the living prey, and confine themselves to their legitimate duties, as
scavengers of this grand camping-ground of the genus _Phocae_.

Returning rather hastily, the party reached their quarters just at dusk,
and lighting their lamp, made some weak, but very hot, coffee, the
greatest treat which their limited variety of comestibles afforded.
Peter busied himself with cleaning and inflating a number of the larger
entrails and membranous viscera of the hooded seal. These were for
life-preservers, and vessels for the preservation of water and oil in
their anticipated boat-voyage. Regnar cut out no less than three pairs
of moccason-boots, choosing the thickest skins, and then prepared them
with the brain-paste for curing in the mild warmth of the air around the
chimney. Waring cleansed the cooking utensils, and made up some bundles
of fir-twigs to cover the bottom of the boat, and La Salle wrote up his
diary, sharpened an axe, fitted a strip of pine board for a sprit to the
blanket sail, and as bedtime drew near, went out to take a last look at
the weather.

It was quite cold, and the wind, although light, was from the
north-west, as near as could be judged without a compass. As Peter had
noted a change of wind about midday, the pack had probably again changed
its course of drift from east to south-east, or, perhaps, a point
farther south, as the general course of the current in that part of the
Gulf ran from south-south-east to south.

Returning to his companions, he communicated these details, closing by
saying,--

"As I think, we are now about due west of the Magdalen group; and if
this wind holds, we shall probably pass Amherst Island during the next
twenty-four hours. If in sight, we must try to push through the ice to
land, for the whole shore is inhabited. As many sealers should now be in
this part of the Gulf, we should always be upon the watch for them."

"I think," said Waring, "that we ought to keep one man as a lookout on
the highest ice in the vicinity."

"Pity the great iceberg so far