ily ploughed her way along the rock-bound
Alaskan coast until, at noon of the second day, she nosed her way into
the entrance of that great indentation of the coast known as
Resurrection Bay, and finally concluded her own northbound journey at
the docks of the town of Seward, which lies at the head of that harbor.
Here the voyagers were to change to a smaller vessel, the sturdy little
craft called the _Nora_, which was to carry them still farther northward
and westward. The young travellers, although before this they had known
Alaska to be a great country, now began to think that they had not
dreamed how large it really was, for Uncle Dick advised them that they
would need to steam almost a week yet farther before they could arrive
at Kadiak harbor.

Once out of Resurrection Bay on their journey to the farther north, they
began to see sights strange even to them, long as they had been used to
Alaska. Hundreds of sea-lions crowded some lofty rocks not far beyond
the entrance to the bay, roaring and barking at the ship as she steamed
close in to the rocks, and plunging off in scores as the whistles of the
boat aroused and frightened them from their basking in the sun.

Rob's eyes proved keener than those of his friend, and he was always
looking out across the sea in search of some strange object.

"What's that, Mr. Dick?" he exclaimed, after he had been gazing steadily
at the far horizon for some moments.

Uncle Dick hastened to his state-room and returned with a pair of
field-glasses.

"That," said he, "is a whale--in fact, more than one; indeed, I think
there is a big school of whales on ahead. We'll run almost square into
them at this rate."

Sure enough, within the hour they came within plain sight of a number of
great black objects which at first seemed like giant logs rolling on the
water. All at once there appeared splashes of white water among the
whales, and the latter seemed to be much agitated, hastening hither and
thither as though in fear. Captain Zim Jones, of the _Nora_, leaned
down from his place on the bridge.

"School of killers in there!" he sang out.

"That's right," exclaimed Uncle Dick, handing the glasses to Rob. "Watch
close now! Don't you see those smaller black things swimming along, with
tall, upright fins? Those are killers, and they are fighting the whales
right now!"

Eagerly the boys took turns with the glasses, watching the strange
combat of the sea now going on. Evidently some o