Although it was early summer in these southern latitudes, the weather was chilly and desolate. Great, cold, green waves came rolling from the west, their crests breaking in hissing spray and the bark drove on under shortened canvas beneath a sullen, leaden sky. From time to time, driving squalls of snow and sleet screeched through the rigging, leaving every rope, shroud and stay ice-coated, and each time the Hector buried her bluff bows beneath the mountainous seas, she rose with ice-sheeted decks. Bundled in heavy pea-jackets, hip-boots and oilskins, with sou’westers jammed upon their heads, the crew stood about, sheltering themselves behind masts, deck houses and try-works, and on the poop the officers and the two boys paced back and forth, stamping their feet and beating their arms to keep warm, while ever and anon the captain stopped to peer anxiously into the murk ahead. For several days it had been impossible to take an observation and the ship was plunging southward, navigated by dead reckoning only, while lookouts were ever at the mastheads straining their eyes for bergs or ice or even possible land. Each day, too, the bird convoy of the bark increased in numbers. Dozens of albatrosses of several kinds skimmed the breaking waves on tireless wings. Giant, white fulmars or “Molly Mokes,” snowy sheathbills, and a dozen other species of sea birds were everywhere, and often the boys caught sight of distant icebergs or vast, floating fields of pack-ice, shimmering like burnished steel against the gray-green sea.

Then one day, came the cry of “Land ho!” from the masthead and peering ahead the boys caught sight of a shadowy, gray mass looming above the low-hung clouds against the southern horizon. Presently, as they watched, Tom uttered an exclamation and grasped Jim’s arm. Close to the bark, a huge dark body rose suddenly from the sea, a long-snouted head reared up and with a coughing, snarling bark and a flash of great, white teeth, the creature disappeared beneath the sea.

“A sea elephant!” cried Jim, and intently the two scanned the surface of the water for its reappearance. Soon they were rewarded. Again the giant seal flung itself upward from the curving crest of a wave and then another and another appeared until, all about the speeding ship, the sea was dotted with the monsters, seemingly unafraid of the vessel and playing about like enormous porpoises.

Soon, however, the boys’ attentions were diverted from the sea elephants, for ahead they caught sight of thousands of bobbing black and white forms floating upon the waves, now leaping several feet in the air, anon ducking beneath the sea, at times standing upright and apparently clapping hands or again tumbling over and over like playful puppies.

“What in the world are they?” asked Jim as Cap’n Pem approached.

“Penguins,” replied the old whaleman. “Ye’ll see ’em by tens o’ thousan’s on shore.”

In a few moments more, the bark was in the midst of the flock of the strange fishlike birds, and on every side, ahead and astern, the water was alive with them and both boys were fascinated watching their droll antics. Then they were interrupted by orders to shorten sail still further, and as the bark rolled along over the rapidly smoothing sea, the boys’ interests were centered on the distant island they were approaching. Desolate, forbidding and bleak, it appeared, a vast, uprising, towering mass of dull-colored rock, flanked by stony hills and rimmed by pebbly beaches and outstanding cliffs against which the long Antarctic swells broke in great sheets of thundering surf.

Nearer and nearer drew the Hector. Forward a man was steadily heaving the lead; at the catheads stood the second mate with his men ready at any instant to let go the anchor; ready at the braces stood the men waiting for the word to back the yards, while on the poop stood the captain and the chief mate, the one, studying the island through his glasses, the other, scanning the ship and sails and all on the alert to bring the bark to and anchor her in safety off the forbidding shores of Elephant Island. Now, upon the hillsides, the boys could see patches of dried and dead herbage among the rocks. Here and there were sheets of ice and snow still lingering in the shadows of cliffs and ledges. Upon the beach were scattered masses of rotten ice, and everywhere among them, a moving, dark mass that covered the shingle from end to end, were hundreds of mighty sea elephants whose sharp, incessant barking was borne plainly to those on the ship. Scattered upon the hillsides and on the rising ground back of the beach were countless flecks of white which at first the boys had mistaken for snow, but now, as the ship drew near, they saw that they were moving, that they were alive, and suddenly it dawned upon them that they were birds—thousands of albatrosses—while vast areas of gray and white which the boys had thought were ice now resolved themselves into tens of thousands of penguins, standing upright with white breasts towards the oncoming bark and looking like an army of tiny men.

Suddenly, above the roar of the surf, the barking of the sea elephants and the cries of the birds, came the sharp order “Let go!” and as the huge yards were swung and the cable roared out and the anchor struck the water with a mighty splash, pandemonium seemed to be let loose upon the island. Like a vast, white cloud the albatrosses and sea birds rose with a roar of wings like thunder, while the air was filled with their sharp cries, and as with one accord every sea elephant raised high his head, bared his long teeth and roared forth a barking howl of defiance at the intruders.

Rapidly the sails were furled and the men prepared to lower the boats and go ashore, for Captain Edwards was to continue on with the Hector to the other islands after leaving a shore party here to kill sea elephants and boil down their oil. There was much to be accomplished. Lumber and supplies had to be sent ashore for building shacks for the men. Thousands of barrel shooks had to be placed on the land for use in stowing the oil. Clothing, provisions, fuel and a hundred and one other articles had to be transported from the bark to the island. There were tools, rope, canvas, forges, arms, ammunition, medicines, spades, irons, lances and many other utensils which were essential to the men and time was limited, if the captain were to get a full ship and sail north before the short Antarctic summer was over.

The first boat lowered was to go ashore to select sites for the men’s quarters and for the try-works while the other boats were being loaded, and Cap’n Pem, who was in charge, called to the two boys to jump in.

“Gosh!” cried Jim as the boat neared the shore and was surrounded by scores of swimming sea elephants, “you’re not going to land among all those beasts are you?”

“Sure as is!” laughed old Pem. “Them critters won’t hurt a fly. Jes’ shuffle out o’ the way an’ bark a bit. Well, we’ll have fresh meat fer dinner to-night, anyway. We’ll jes’ knock a few o’ them over the snout an’ have biled tongue an’ roast flipper an’ fried liver. Finest eatin’ ye ever see, boys.”

Despite Cap’n Pem’s assurances that the creatures would not harm them, the boys were very nervous as the boat grated on the beach within a few yards of the vast herd of giant seals, and they had no desire to be the first to leap ashore among the growling, barking horde of animals which wrinkled their snouts and bared their huge tusks as the boat drew near. But the men appeared not to give the sea elephants a thought, and jumping from the boat ran it far up the shingle. As they did so, the nearest elephants wriggled and dragged themselves to one side and the boys, taking courage at this, fought down their fears and followed Cap’n Pem up the beach. Here, when seen at close quarters, the sea elephants seemed stupendous.

In fact, they were. Many were forty feet in length and their backs were as high as the boys’ shoulders, while their savage-looking jaws seemed big enough to crush one’s head to bits at a single bite. Much to the boys’ surprise, the men merely shoved or kicked such of the creatures as were in their way, and selecting the small-sized and apparently young animals, they killed several by hitting them over their heads with clubs. To the boys, it seemed very cruel and brutal, but, as Tom remarked, it really was no worse than killing oxen or sheep. Even when their comrades had been killed and lay bleeding among them, the other elephants showed no signs of alarm and the boys decided they must, indeed, be very stupid creatures.

Leaving some of the men to secure the titbits of the animals for their dinner, Cap’n Pem led the boys and the other men across the beach beyond the elephant herd. Here the boys had plenty to interest them, for everywhere they were surrounded by the quaint penguins, hopping about on their queer flat feet, peering curiously at the men and shuffling out of the way in funny, jerky jumps. So fascinated were the boys with these odd birds that they seated themselves on a rock and watched them for some time, while the others busied themselves hunting for a likely spot for the camp. By the time this had been selected, the other boats were on the way to the shore and in a few minutes were being unloaded and the goods they had brought were being stacked far above reach of the waves.

“Found any eggs?” asked Cap’n Pem, as he returned to where the boys were watching the penguins.

“Why, no,” replied Tom. “Where are their nests?”

The old man chuckled. “Ain’t got none,” he replied. “Jes’ lay their eggs ’mongst the rocks.”

“Well, it’s funny we haven’t seen any, then,” said Jim. “We’ve been walking about watching the birds and none of them acted as if they were sitting.”

“Wall, that’s where they fooled ye,” laughed Cap’n Pem. “Ye may think they’re mighty stupid-lookin’ critters, but they ain’t. Jes’ look here.”

With a quick dash, the old whaleman seized two of the penguins, and to the boys’ astonishment, held up two big blue-green eggs.

“Well, of all things,” exclaimed Tom. “Where on earth did you get those eggs?”

“Jes’ ketch one o’ ’em an’ I’ll show ye,” replied the old whaleman.

Following his tactics, the two boys managed to capture three of the birds.

“Now jes’ look at their feet,” said Pem. “See how they’re a-holdin’ of ’em up against their bellies?”

Wonderingly the boys forced apart the birds’ big, flat, webbed feet, and to their surprise, discovered that each bird was holding an egg between its feet and the thick feathers of a loose fold of skin on the abdomen.

“That’s the funniest thing I ever saw,” declared Jim. “Why, these birds must go hopping about holding their eggs all the time.”

“Not eggzac’ly,” replied the mate. “Onc’t in a while they sets ’em down ’mong the rocks, but jes’ as soon as they get scared or thinks the’s danger erbout they grabs their eggs an’ carries ’em erbout like ye seen.”

“An’ I’ll tell ye another queer thing erbout ’em,” he continued. “When the hen’s a-luggin’ of her egg erbout the ol’ man gits mighty jealous an’ if he can’t wheedle his mate into lettin’ him tote the egg part o’ the time, he jes’ picks out a nice round stone an’ carries that ’round as proud as a peacock. Queer chaps, the Penguins, and no fools, even ef we whalers does call ’em Jackasses.”

“Are the eggs good to eat?” asked Tom.

“Wall, I can’t say as they’re good,” replied the other, “thet is, ’longside o’ hens’ eggs. Jes’ the same they ain’t so bad an’ a heap better’n albatrosses’ or Molly Mokes’ eggs. We’ll fetch along them we’ve got, an’ ye can try ’em an’ see how ye like ’em, though I reckon if ye stays here fer a spell ye’ll have more than enough of ’em.”

“Oh, are we going to stay here?” cried Tom.

“Dunno,” replied Cap’n Pem, “Reckon ye’d have more fun here than stayin’ aboard the Hector an’ cruisin’ ’long over to t’other islan’s. Ain’t nothin’ to int’rest ye over there an’ the bark’s goin’ to take a run over to Punta Arenas like as not, an’ it ain’t no picnic beatin’ ’round the Horn an’ nothin’ much to see over to Punta Arenas. ’Sides your dad’s counted on me ter look after ye, an’ I dunno ’bout lettin’ ye go off without me.”

“Then you’re going to stay here!” cried Jim. “Of course, we’ll stay, too.”

“Wall, I reckon we’d better be gittin’ back aboard the ship and gittin’ a bit ter eat,” declared the whaleman. “The’s a heap to do an’ not too much time to do it in, even if we can work all night.”

As they walked towards the boat, the boys noticed that the herd of sea elephants had withdrawn for some distance from the men and that many of them had disappeared.

“Won’t all the elephants be frightened away by the men?” asked Tom.

“No,” replied the old man, “they’ll keep a mite out o’ the way and mebbe some on ’em’ll take to water fer a spell; but they’ll all haul out again an’ when we git ready ter kill ’em they’ll all be on hand.”

“It seems an awful shame to kill the poor, stupid things,” said Jim. “It’s almost like murder.”

“Wall, ’tain’t sport I’ll admit,” agreed Pem, “but jes’ the same it’s a heap better to kill ’em an’ have their ’ile doin’ some good to civ’lized folks ’stead o’ keepin’ these critters warm down in this ’ere God-forsaken place. ’Sides, ’tain’t no worse’n killin’ whales.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” agreed Jim. “Only they appear so harmless and helpless, it seems a pity.”

“Reckon ye’re right there, son,” conceded old Pem, “but jes’ the same we don’t hurt ’em. Reckon they don’t suffer a mite. ’Tain’t half as cruel as stickin’ pigs or shootin’ pa’tridges.”

The boys marveled at the vast number of goods which the boats had brought ashore, and already, the carpenter and his assistants were busy putting up the shacks of lumber and canvas while the cooper was setting up casks.

When they reached the bark, dinner was ready and the boys sat down to their first meal of sea elephants’ tongues, flippers and liver, which they declared delicious; but they could not say as much for the penguins’ eggs which were strong and rather fishy in flavor.

“I suppose I could eat them and not mind,” said Tom, “but I’d have to be pretty hungry to like them.”

“Good deal like the old fellow that had to eat a crow,” remarked Mr. Kemp. “Some one asked him how he liked it and he says, ‘Well, I kin eat a crow but I’ll be hanged if I hanker arter ’em.’”

In a wonderfully short time, the shelters were erected, the stores, provisions, supplies and casks were ashore and stowed, and everything was in readiness for the departure of the bark.

Ten men of the crew had been selected to remain upon the island, as well as the bo’sun, Mike, old Cap’n Pem, and the two boys, and while Pem growled and remarked that “one peg-leg is bad enough but what we’re a-goin’ fer to do with two, I don’t know,” yet the boys were immensely pleased to find the ex-man-o’-war’s-man was to be with them, for he was never tired of telling deep-sea yarns and the boys loved to hear him and old Pem argue on questions of seamanship and the navy.

Among the men, were one of the boat steerers, two of the Portuguese taken on the Hector at the Azores, and the one-eyed man, Ned, with a negro, who had been helping the cook on the bark, to look after the meals of the shore party.

Cap’n Pem, as commander of the party, had been allowed to select his own men and he had done so with considerable care, choosing those whom he knew were willing and hard workers or had shown unusual ability or skill, for the old whaleman was a keen observer and a fine judge of human nature. While he was apparently giving little heed to what went on about him, nothing escaped his sharp eyes.

The boys felt sorry at leaving the bark and as they shook hands with Captain Edwards and the second mate and said good-by, they almost regretted that they were to remain ashore.

“Don’t know how I’ll get on without my third and fourth mates!” exclaimed the skipper, “but you’ll have a lot more fun here than on the bark. Nothing but knocking about in heavy seas and cold winds. Enjoy yourselves, lads, and see that Cap’n Pem behaves himself. We’ll be back in about six or eight weeks and expect to find you with all casks full of oil.”

Stepping into the waiting boat, the boys were rowed towards the shore, and as the bark’s capstan pawls clanked and they heard the chantey of the men borne to them across the water, a lump rose in their throats, for the old Hector had been their home for many weeks. Then, clear and distinct came the rollicking chorus of:

Slowly the great sails rose and were sheeted home, the canvas billowed out to the offshore wind, the long yards swung, and as the crew tailed onto the braces, to the watchers on the beach came:

Slowly the Hector slipped away. Gracefully she heeled to the press of canvas on her lofty masts. About her cutwater rose a little plume of white, and, rapidly gathering headway, she made for the open sea. Long the boys stood watching her and when, at last, only her royal masts showed faint and dim above the tumbling green seas on the horizon, they turned away, feeling that the last tie that linked them with far-away Fair Haven was gone, that they were marooned upon a desert island scarcely fifteen hundred miles from the South Pole.