to rebound--as if from
indiarubber--with such violence that it swung the man to one side. So
far this was well, as it saved him from a blow of the dog-hood's flipper
that would probably have stunned him. As it was, it grazed his
shoulder, tore a great hole in his strong canvas jacket and wounded his
arm.

Experience usually teaches caution. When the seal turned with increased
fury to renew the assault Swinton stood on the defensive, and as soon as
it came within reach brought his club down a second time on its head
with, if possible, greater force than before; but again the blow was
broken by the hood, though not again was the man struck by the flipper,
for he was agile as a panther and evaded the expected blow. His foot
slipped on the ice, however, and he fell so close to the seal that it
tumbled over him and almost crushed him with its weight. At the same
time the club flew from his hand.

Though much shaken by the fall, the seaman scrambled to his feet in time
to escape another onslaught, but, do what he would, he could make no
impression on the creature's head, because of that marvellous hood, and
body blows were, of course, useless. Still Big Swinton was not the man
to give in easily to a seal! Although he slipped on the ice and fell
several times, he returned again and again to the encounter until he
began to feel his strength going. As muscular power was his sole
dependence, a sensation of fear now tended to make matters worse; at
last he tripped over a piece of ice, and the seal fell upon him.

It was at this critical point that Grummidge came in sight of the
combatants, and ran at full speed to the rescue. But he was still at a
considerable distance, and had to cross the tongue of ice before he
could reach the floe.

Meanwhile the seal opened its well-armed jaws to seize its victim by the
throat. Swinton felt that death stared him in the face. Desperation
sharpened his ingenuity. He thrust his left hand as far as possible
down the throat of his adversary, and, seizing it with the other arm
round the neck, held on in a tight though not loving embrace!

The struggle that ensued was brief. The seal shook off the man as if he
had been but a child, and was on the point of renewing the attack when
it caught sight of Grummidge, and reared itself to meet this new enemy.

Grummidge possessed a fair-sized clasp-knife. Armed with this, he
rushed boldly in and made a powerful stab at the creature's hea