e capten said we mus' do somethin' else, or we
should founder.

"I stood in de fore-riggin' an' watched de big says as dey come down
upon us; an' I'll tell you one thing you'll do well to remember.
Whenever a big wave come dat I knew would sink us, if it broke upon us,
_I made de sign of de holy cross, an' de wave broke before it reached
us_."

"I've done de same ting often myself, an' nivir knew it to fail," said
the younger man, who, it appeared, was the son of the veteran sealer.

"But how did you get clear finally?" asked Regnar.

"De ould capten dat was drownded de oder day was mate den. He was a wild
young chap, but smart an' able. He tould de capten to rig one of de
pumps, and pump some of de oily water out of de hold. So de brakes was
rigged, but he an' de capten had to man dem at first, for all de rest
were afeard, an' I was in de fore-riggin' watchin' de says.

"Well, dey pumped a while, an' de oil an' water went overboard, an' as
we went driftin' away to leeward, I saw de slick of de ile spreadin'
over de waves. We kept a couple of men at de pumps till night, an' dere
wasn't another say broke over us."

* * * * *

"Swiles! Swiles! On deck, dere below!" cried some one on deck; and a
general rush up the steep ladder leading to the deck took place.

Following the others, our three friends soon found their companion, La
Salle, who had pressed through the crowded gangways to his party.

Again they lay below the Deadman's Berg, and around them were the floes,
crowded with living seals, as well as the one over which the ravenous
sea-birds fluttered, holding high carnival over the multitude of frozen
bodies. The crew, armed with guns and clubs, were lowering their light
boats, and the party dragging their own boat to the side, awaited the
lowering of a boat to use its falls for their own. Blake approached
them, and said, kindly,--

"I wouldn't land; you must be tired, and need rest. Just turn in, all of
you, in the cabin, for we shall be ashore all day."

"We would rather hunt with you, for we shall never probably have another
chance to see how a Newfoundland sealer kills his game. Only, if you
please, let us have some sheath-knives, and four of your clubs."

Merely saying, "We shall be very glad of your help, for we have to leave
two of our best men with the captain," Blake spoke to an under-officer,
who soon produced four sharp sheath-knives, and as many oaken clubs
abou