he
loud roars they uttered, were enough to daunt any one not accustomed to
encounter them.

"I wish that I had remained on board," cried Dickey. "See, here comes a
fellow; he will knock us over to a certainty. What shall we do?"

The men, however, had brought heavy clubs, with which they struck right
and left as the monsters, with glistening fangs, rushed down on them,
snapping their jaws, powerful enough to bite off a limb in an instant.
The position of the party was dangerous in the extreme as the monsters
came rolling and sliding down the rocks. To avoid them, the men were
compelled to climb over the bodies of those which had been stunned; but
still more met them, and Harry would have been knocked over by a big
seal, and probably carried into the sea, had not Mr Champion, close to
whom he kept, struck the creature on the head and dragged Harry out of
the way. Old Tom saved Dickey in the same way.

Though most of the seals which had not been killed had made their
escape, a few remained on the higher ground, among which was an enormous
male seal. The monster seemed determined to give battle to his
assailants, and came down the rocks towards them shaking his mane and
extending wide his jaws armed with sharp tusks. Old Tom, who boldly
went forward to meet the creature, inflicted a tremendous blow with his
club on its head, but without stopping its career. Wishing to secure
it, he took a harpoon which one of the men, by his orders, had carried
with a line attached to it, and plunged it into the animal, trying to
make fast the line to a jutting point of rock. The seal, however,
rendered only more furious from its wounds, rushed into the midst of the
party, dragging the rope, which, as Mr Champion sprang forward to meet
it, became entangled around his leg. Before any one could rescue him,
he was carried away into the midst of the wild surf dashing up against
the rocks.

A cry of horror and dismay rose from all the party as they saw the young
mate buried beneath the waves. Old Tom and several of the men sprang
forward in a vain attempt to seize him, and were nearly swept away.

The boats were at too great a distance to render assistance. The next
instant Leonard Champion was seen struggling amid the curing crest of a
breaker; but, alas! much too far off to be reached.

"Oh, he is gone! he is gone!" cried Harry, wringing his hands.

Little did he think of the agony his gentle sister would have suffered
coul