X.] THE SEA-HORSEMAN. 159 



as usual, upside down, and hisses something into the 

 Doctor's ear. Ever since the famous dialogue which had 

 taken place between them on the subject of sea-sickness, 

 Wilson had got to look upon Fitz as in some sort his 

 legitimate prey ; and whenever the burden of his own mis- 

 givings became greater than he could bear, it was to the 

 Doctor that he unbosomed himself. On this occasion, I 

 guessed, by the look of gloomy triumph in his eyes, that 

 some great calamity had occurred, and it turned out that 

 the following was the agreeable announcement he had been 

 in such haste to make: "Do you know, Sir?" — This was 

 always the preface to tidings unusually doleful. " No — 

 what ? " said the Doctor, breathless. " Oh nothing, Sir ; 

 only two sloops have just arrived, Sir, from Spitzbergen, 

 Sir — where they couldn't get, Sir ; — such a precious lot of 

 ice — two hundred miles from the land — and, oh, Sir — 

 they've come back with all their bows stove in ! " Now, 

 immediately on arriving at Hammerfest, my first care had 

 been to inquire how the ice was lying this year to the 

 northward, and I had certainly been told that the season 

 was a very bad one, and that most of the sloops that go 

 every summer to kill sea-horses (i.e., walrus) at Spitzbergen, 

 being unable to reach the land, had returned empty-handed : 

 but as three weeks of better weather had intervened since 

 their discomfiture, I had quite reassured myself with the 

 hope, that in the meantime the advance of the season might 

 have opened for us a passage to the island. 



This news of Wilson's quite threw me on my back again. 

 The only consolation was, that probably it was not true; so 

 immediately after dinner we boarded the honest Sea-horse- 

 man who was reported to have brought the dismal in- 

 telligence. He turned out to be a very cheery intelligent 

 fellow of about five-and-thirty, six feet high, with a dashing 

 " devil-may-care " manner that completely imposed upon 

 me. Charts were got out, and the whole state of the case 

 laid before me in the clearest manner. Nothing could be 

 more unpromising. The sloop had quitted the ice but 



