"There were hundreds of small ones, while some were big monsters that had long noses and seemed to be double the size of the others!" "Ah, those were probably sea elephants," said Fritz.

"I should like to catch one.

The fur, they say, is not so good as that of the common seal, but they yield an immense lot of oil from their blubber--from eight to ten barrels, I have been told." "Really ?" observed Eric.

"Why, one or two of those gentlemen would soon fill up our casks!" "Yes, and I shouldn't regret it," said Fritz.

"We should then have a good stock ready against the time Captain Brown returns to visit us with the _Pilot's Bride_!" "Aye, I should like that," replied the other; and then, as both rowing and sailing--for the wind was light--the boat neared the rock caves of the western coast, the brothers grew too excited to talk any more.
Presently, they hove in sight of their hunting-ground; whereupon, they at once stopped the way of the boat in order to map out their campaign.
It did not take long for them to do this; and the gist of the plan could be seen in the arrangements they made for battle.
Fritz and Eric both put their rifles ready on the thwarts of the boat, and the harpoons were also placed handy in the bows along with the boat- hook; then, lowering the lugsail which the little craft carried, they muffled their oars with some rags they had prepared and pulled in steadily towards the beach.
As they got nearer, the seals could be seen swarming on the rocks, while the noise they made--something like the bleating of sheep mingled with a hoarse growling roar, not dissimilar to that of an angry bull in the distance--could be heard plainly while the brothers were yet more than a mile off.
Some of the seals were swimming about in the water, but the majority were basking on the huge slabs of rocks that had been broken off from the face of the cliff by the onslaught of the waves and which now lay on the beach at its base, partly in and partly out of the sea.
"Now, Eric, be ready!" called out Fritz in a hoarse whisper.