212 THE EASTERN SLEDGE JOURNEY 



appear as a fairyland made real, a land flowing with 

 milk and honey, where seals are to he found in quanti- 

 ties, and the difficulty of getting at them is reduced to 

 nil. The fact is that these animals have once for all 

 acquired the conviction that they are beyond the reach 

 of any danger so long as they keep on land or on the 

 ice. There they have never been attacked, and they 

 are quite incapable of grasping the possibihty of attack. 

 Their natural enemies are in the water, and these 

 enemies are not to be trifled with; that can clearly be 

 seen from the gaping wounds that are often found on 

 the seals' bodies. To avoid the attacks of these 

 enemies the seals have only to get on to the ice, where 

 for generations they have been accustomed to bask in 

 the sun undisturbed, without other neighbours than 

 the, to them, perfectly harmless penguins and skua 

 gulls. 



The sudden appearance of a man on the scene will 

 therefore at first have very little effect on an Antarctic 

 seal. One can go right up to it without its doing any- 

 thing but staring with eyes that reflect a perfectly hope- 

 less failure to comprehend the seriousness of the situation. 

 It is only when one touches them with a ski-pole or 

 something of the sort that they begin to fear danger. 

 If the stirring-up is continued in a rather more pointed 

 fashion, the seal soon shows the most manifest signs of 

 terror. It groans, roars, and at the same time makes 

 an attempt to get away from its unwelcome visitor; 



