ew floating blocks of no consequence; and
there are more openings farther on."

"That's right. Now look out, both of you, for a good deep inlet. That
is what we want next."

Johannes held the glass at this time, and he said to Steve, as the
captain turned away:

"There are two fiords that appear to be just right if we can reach them;
but I cannot make out anything for certain yet. Have a try, sir?"

Steve took the glass, rested his arms on the rail, and began to try and
make out the inlets by following the course of the open water from just
ahead right up to the piled-up mountainous land.

"It looks like a bit of my own country," said Johannes, "and does not
seem to be an island, for there is high ground as far as I can see."

"More seals," said Steve; "good big ones, too!"

"Where?"

"Away to the left of that big ice-field, right on its edge. Why, there
must be fifty of them. See 'em?"

"Yes," said Johannes gravely; "more likely a hundred, sir; and, as you
say, very fine ones indeed. The captain will not have any difficulty in
loading up with oil to take back."

"Not if we can catch the seals," said Steve, with his eyes glued to the
glass. "There, I think I can make out one of the fiords now. I say,
isn't it rather funny that west coasts should be so much alike?"

"I don't understand you, sir."

"Why, all broken-up into fiords, as you call them. Ireland is, and
Scotland, and Norway; then Spitzbergen was, and now this place seems to
be the same."

"Yes, sir; I suppose it's the beating and washing of the sea."

"But places like Spitzbergen and this can't be much beaten by the sea,
because they are so much frozen-in. Yes, I can see the inlet now, and
the other one, too. North of it, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir; those are the two, and there is plenty of open water."

"Plenty. Shall we tell the captain now?"

"He's forward talking to the men," replied Johannes.

"Then we'll wait. But, I say, about these seals? We shall have to
shoot them, I suppose?"

"No, sir, harpoon them; but they are not seals."

"Nonsense! I saw them myself quite plainly; one of them was dragging
itself out of the water."

"Yes, I saw several do that. It is quite a large herd; but these are
walrus--our sea-horses, sir."

"Oh!" cried Steve, turning the glass in the direction of the herd.
"Why, so they are. I can see the big tusks."

"Yes, sir; there are some very fine ones among them. I thought they
must have a