d much tamer already. I threw some of the insides of the fish to
the birds, who were now become of very inferior interest to me. Having
fed my animals, I then thought of myself, and, as I took my meal, I
arranged that the next morning I would go over to the other side of the
island, skin the two seals, and spread out the skins on the rocks to
dry, and would leave them there till I had a better opportunity of
bringing them to the cabin; at present I could not be away from my new
acquaintance, which I wished to make tame and fond of me. Having fed
him again in the morning, I put down the lid of the chest, and then
started for the lee side of the island.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

I arrived early, skinned both the seals, and dragged the skins up from
the water side, though with difficulty, especially that of the large
one, to the rock where I had taken up my quarters the night before.
Here I spread them out to dry, putting large pieces of rock upon the
edges, that they might not be blown away. It was nearly dusk when I had
finished, but I set off, and an hour after dark arrived at the cabin;
for now that I knew my way so well, I got over the ground twice as fast
as I did before. I crawled into my bed-place in the dark, and slept
soundly after my fatigue. I awoke the next morning with the plaintive
cry of my seal in the chest, and I hastened to get some fish to feed him
with. I took him out and fed him; and was astonished how tame the
little animal had become already. He remained very quietly with me
after he had been fed, nestling close to my side, as if I had been his
mother, and even making a half attempt to follow me when I left him.

My birds appeared very dull and stupid, and I observed also that they
were very dirty, and always rushed to the kid when it was full of water,
trying to get into it. This made me think that they required bathing in
salt-water, and I took one down to the bathing-pool, with a long line to
its leg, and put it in. The manner in which the poor creature
floundered, and dipped and washed itself, for several minutes, proved my
supposition correct; so, after allowing it half an hour for its
recreation, I took it back, and went down with the others until they had
all indulged in the luxury of a bath; and from that time, as I took them
down almost every day, it was astonishing how much brighter and sleeker
their plumage became.

I remained a week in the cabin, taming my seal, who now was q