The task was soon accomplished, for the rocks shelved down abruptly into the water; and, when the place was made tidy again, the brothers set sail for home with their cargo, going back the contrary way they came, so as to have the advantage of the wind and save the labour of rowing.
Since their onslaught, not another live seal was to be seen in the vicinity, the first to make off before the boat was pulled into the beach after Fritz and Eric had fired being the couple of sea elephants which they had noticed amongst the mass of animals, clustered together on the rocks; and these, consequently, they were unable to secure.
However, they consoled themselves on their way back to the bay with the reflection that they had done a very good day's work.

They were by no means dissatisfied with the result of their sport--seventeen seals at one haul were not to be despised! For some time after reaching the hut they were busily engaged, cleaning the skins and salting them down for preservation.

They had both been instructed how to do this on board the whaler; although Eric, having had previous practical experience with all the details of the operation, now acted as superintendent.
They had also to boil the blubber in the iron cauldron, which they had brought from the States for the purpose of "trying out the oil," as whaling men technically term the procedure; and they found when they had finished that the result realised some ten barrels full.
This was a splendid start for them and it made them so contented that it was upwards of a fortnight before they undertook another expedition to the west beach.
But, apart, from the satisfactory results of their first venture, they thought it best to let the seals have a little interlude of calm before attacking them again.

Besides this, Eric's reports from his look-out station on the tableland were most unfavourable, as, for some days after their last foray, hardly a seal was to be seen in the neighbourhood of the scene of the fray.
However, one fine morning in December, Eric reported the arrival of a fresh batch of the fur-bearing animals on the west rocks; so, making their boat ready, the brothers soon sailed round thither once more.
They had turned the last projecting point of the headland, before opening the beach frequented by the seals, and Fritz had brought up the boat's head to the wind, preparatory to their lowering the sail and taking to their oars to pull into shore, when Eric, who had been looking out over the bows, arrested his brother's intention.
"Hullo, Fritz!" he exclaimed, "there's some one there before us.

I can see a boat, with a lot of men in it, close to the beach!" "Indeed!" said Fritz, quite as much astonished.