Compulsory ^ Sport ' 85 



considering the high southern latitude, the place is 

 almost habitable for an Anglo-Saxon in fair comfort 

 But the weather is vile when the storm-fiend is abroad, 

 which is about every other day. Such is the force 

 with which those mighty southern waves strike these 

 lonely mountain-peaks rising from the sea right in the 

 track of their world-engirdling sweep, that the whole 

 atmosphere is full of spray, and walking abroad, one's 

 hair and beard become encrusted with salt. Also 

 much of the land-surface is bog, exceedingly dangerous 

 to traverse, and, with the frequent dense fogs which 

 prevail, almost impossible to avoid. 



These islands b^ing a favourite haunt of the Sea 

 Elephant, we went there in search of them, and set 

 up our try- works on the promising spot. Provisions 

 and materials for building huts having been landed, 

 the ship sailed away ; it was no place for a vessel to 

 linger at anchor. Better by far face the utmost fury 

 of the open sea. We watched her departure with a 

 pang, for now we felt desolate indeed ; but our thoughts 

 were rudely interrupted by the curt orders of our 

 officers, who wanted to know if we thought we had 

 come there for a picnic. So we plunged into work of 

 the hardest in order to get things a bit ship-shape ; 

 but before we had been toiling an hour we were all 

 suddenly startled stiff by a most tremendous roaring, 

 as of a troop of lions newly landed. Our hesitation 

 was but momentary, for our two officers, recognising 

 the sound, bade us grasp our clubs, sheath our knives, 

 and follow them. We did so, and presently, coming 

 across a ridge of rock into view of a little exposed bay, 

 we saw at least a hundred of these huge seals emerging 

 from the broken water and lumbering shorewards. 



We watched them with intensest interest, feeling 

 grateful for the rest, and also (I speak for myself) most 



