there by the hands of man, remaining just as they had been left; but even these looked less cheering, more unavailable, than when last seen.  To the surprise of all, not a seal was visible.  From some cause unknown to the men, all of these animals had disappeared, thereby defeating one of Daggett’s secret calculations; this provident master having determined, in his own mind, to profit by his accident, and seize the occasion to fill up.  Some said that the creatures had gone north to winter; others asserted that they had been alarmed, and had taken refuge on one of the other islands; but all agreed in saying that they were gone.

It is known that a seal will occasionally wander a great distance from what may be considered his native waters; but we are not at all aware that they are to be considered as migratory animals.  The larger species usually take a wide range of climate to dwell in, and even the little fur-seal sometimes gets astray, and is found on coasts that do not usually come within his haunts.  As respects the animals that so lately abounded on Sealer’s Land, we shall hazard no theory, our business being principally with facts; but a conversation that took place between the two chief mates on this occasion may possibly assist some inquiring mind in its speculations.

“Well, Macy,” said Hazard, pointing along the deserted rocks, “what do you think of that?  Not an animal to be seen, where there were lately thousands!”

“What do I think of it?—­Why, I think they are off, and I’ve know’d such things to happen afore”—­The sealers of 1819 were not very particular about their English, even among their officers—­“Any man who watches for signs and symptoms, may know how to take this.”

“I should like to hear it explained; to me it is quite new.”

“The seals are off, and that is a sign we should be off, too.  There’s my explanation, and you may make what you please of it.  Natur’ gives such hints, and no prudent seaman ought to overlook ’em.  I say, that when the seale go, the sealers should go likewise.”

“And you set this down as a hint from natur’, as you call it?”

“I do; and a useful hint it is.  If we was in sailing trim, I’d ha’nt the old man, but I’d get him off this blessed night.  Now, mark my words, Hazard—­no good will come of that nip, and of this return into port ag’in; and of all this veering and hauling upon cargo.”

The other mate laughed; but a call from his commanding officer put a stop to the dialogue.  Hazard was wanted to help secure the schooner of Daggett in the berth in which she was now placed.  The tides do not appear to rise and fall in very high latitudes, by any means, as much as it does in about 50 deg..  In the antarctic sea they are reported to be but of medium elevation and force.  This fact our navigators had noted; and Daggett had, at once, carried his schooner on the only thing like a beach that was to be found on any part of that wild coast.  His craft was snug within the cove, and quite handy for discharging and taking in.  Beach, in a proper sense, it was not; being, with a very trifling exception, nothing but a shelf of rock that was a little inclined, and which admitted of a vessel’s being placed upon it, as on the floor of a dock.