hipmen were caught in a trap. It was more easy to climb down
the side of the gully than to get up again. The monster came rushing
towards them with open mouth. Willy this time determined not to fly,
but, flourishing his axe, stood on the defensive. The consequences
might have been serious had not the captain, getting sight of the animal
at that moment, fired. The bullet struck it on the head, and though it
did not stop its course altogether, Willy was enabled to spring out of
its way, and Tom and Dick, coming up, despatched it with their clubs.
As no seals had been killed for several days, the meat was very
acceptable.

"We may have some seal-steaks for dinner, at all events," said Peter, as
the men prepared to cut up the animal.

Having performed their task, they were directed to carry the remainder
of the seal's flesh to the village, while the captain and midshipmen,
with a good supply of steaks, made their way up the side of the
mountain. Following the seal-track, they at length found the doctor,
who was sitting down, waiting their return.

"See, our island produces one species of ferae which I did not expect to
find," he exclaimed, holding up an animal by the legs.

"Why, it's a cat," cried Willy.

"Exactly so," said the doctor. "Our feathered friends will be much
obliged to me for killing it. Should these creatures increase and
multiply, they will in time nearly depopulate the island of its most
attractive inhabitants."

The explorers now proceeded onwards for some way over very rough and
uneven ground. As they were anxious to obtain a view of the whole
island, they climbed to the highest point in sight, which the doctor
calculated was about a thousand feet above the sea. Hence they could
look around in all directions. On every side appeared rocky and barren
heights, thrown up into all possible variety of shapes, while beyond was
the ocean, now blue and calm, and shining in the rays of the bright sun.
The cold, however, was considerable, and all the places usually
rendered soft by springs were frozen hard. This enabled them to proceed
over spots they could not otherwise have crossed.

The scene was full of wild and rugged grandeur. Here and there
perpendicular precipices and chasms, several hundred feet in depth, were
visible, while the summit of the central mountain was crowned by a ridge
of rock, which, from its appearance at a distance, they called the
Giant's Coffin.

As the atmosphere wa