were caught, and we lost no time in commencing the pursuit of the Penguin.
There was certainly a hope of overtaking them, but it was a very forlorn one, for I knew what the vessel could do, even with a moderate breeze; and besides, they would very probably hurry in order to get through the ice before the end of the summer.
We did not, owing to the broken nature of the country, make the progress that we had anticipated. The timber was not dense, but the ground in many places was full of holes. There was no path, and numerous rocks and stones impeded our march. The animals became footsore, and more sluggish. This enforced us to make more frequent halts. At length, however, we reached the open sea, between the land and the ice, and seeing a high hill on one of the headlands in front, we made for it. On reaching the top, we scanned the horizon, and saw the Penguin, but she was some leagues off, and making for a great opening in the icefield. I looked towards Yondozi, but all he remarked was, "We are too late."
The Penguin was gone. Even gliding away in the distance she was a beautiful sight. I felt a choking sensation in my throat, and notwithstand-
