We were a curious-looking party on that bright morning, but we were feeling happy.

We even broke into song, and, but for our Robinson Crusoe appearance, a casual observer might have taken us for a picnic party sailing in a Norwegian fiord or one of the beautiful sounds of the west coast of New Zealand.

The wind blew fresh and strong, and a small sea broke on the coast as we advanced.

The surf was sufficient to have endangered the boat if we had attempted to land where the carcass of the sea-elephant was lying, so we decided to go on to the head of the bay without risking anything, particularly as we were likely to find sea-elephants on the upper beaches.

The big creatures have a habit of seeking peaceful quarters protected from the waves.