ong with me; I trotted all the way on purpose to fetch
you."

We took up our guns to show that we were about to follow; and on this he
began to jump, and frisk about, and bark, to exhibit his satisfaction,
and then he stopped and went on a little, and then stopped again to see
that we were following. In great hopes that he was leading us to our
friends, we went on as fast as we could walk. Our path led us under
some cliffs which were literally crowded with penguins and young
albatrosses, or mollimauks. There was a regular encampment or rookery
of them, extending for five or six hundred yards in length, and from one
to two dozen in breadth. The nests of the albatrosses were nearly a
foot high, and of a cup-like form. Feathers were just beginning to
spread on the backs and wings of the young birds, and to take the place
of the down with which they had originally been covered. Old Surley
passed by without taking any notice of them. When we approached the
spot they set up a loud gabbling, and spouted out an oily substance at
us. The penguins were much more dignified, and looked at us with silent
contempt. The surface of the sea near at hand was covered with the
parent birds, and the air was alive with them as they flew backward and
forward to carry food to their young; but as, following old Surley's
example, we did not attempt to molest their broods, they took no notice
of us. The penguins were the most numerous, and appeared to be the
original inhabitants of the spot. They were arranged with great
regularity, those having just broken the shell being together, as were
those with their feathers appearing, and also those expecting soon to
fly. Never had I seen so many birds together. However, we were too
anxious about our friends to stop, so we hurried on after old Surley.
From the steady way in which he proceeded, we felt sure that he was
leading us in the right direction. Nor were we deceived. Before long
we recognised the creek where we landed, and soon we reached the boat
drawn up on the shore. We rushed towards her to discover if our friends
had lately been there. We examined her thoroughly; but after all we
could not decide the point. Thus we remained as anxious as ever.
While, however, we were engaged in this manner, we had not watched old
Surley, and when we looked up he was gone. Just before we got into the
boat, Jerry's cap had tumbled off, and when he wanted to put it on
again, though we hunted a