. Day
and night were alike to him; he seemed indifferent to the piercing wind
and tremendous storms of sleet and hail we encountered. Twice we
sighted Cape Horn, but each time, before many hours had passed, were
again to the eastward of it. The captain thought he could endure
anything, and certainly did not expose others more than he did himself.
We saw numerous sea birds--albatrosses, Cape pigeons, stormy-petrels (or
Mother Carey's chickens, as they are called), and many more. The
albatross appeared to me a truly noble bird when on the wing; no matter
how rough the weather or how heavy the sea, he sat on the water
perfectly at ease, seeming to defy the very elements.

One of the mates having got a strong line with a large hook at the end
of it, a piece of meat as bait, and a cork to float it, let it drop
astern. In an instant a huge albatross pounced down on the tempting
bait, and was hooked. It required two men, however, to draw him on
board over the taffrail. Even when brought on deck he attacked everyone
who came near him. The doctor advised us to stand clear of his wings
and beak, but Horner thoughtlessly held out his hat, when the bird,
seizing hold of it, bit the crown clean out in a moment. Not until he
had had several blows on the head with a handspike did he drop dead. He
measured seventeen feet from tip to tip of the wings. The feathers
under his wings and breast were as white as snow, and as they glanced in
the sunlight, shone like silver.

In contrast with the albatross was the stormy-petrel, a black bird
scarcely larger than a sparrow, and, of course, web-footed. Vast
numbers flew about the ship, but they were more difficult to catch than
the albatrosses.

Again we sighted Cape Horn, standing out solitary and grand into the
Southern Ocean. The wind had moderated and become more in our favour,
although the vast billows rolled on like moving mountains of water. Now
the ship forced her way to the summit of one, the next instant to glide
down rapidly into the vale below, performing the same course again and
again.

At length even the billows subsided, and we began to look forward to
having fine weather. About noon one day the look-out from the masthead
shouted--

"There she spouts! There she spouts!"

A school of whales was in sight.

"Lower two boats," cried the captain.

No sooner was the order given than their crews, hurrying aft, jumped
into them, and very few minutes were suffic