Then he threw himself into a chair which was drawn up to a table.
Frank seated himself opposite.
Stanhope drew some papers from his pocket. He spread them out.
“You will see that this is a chart of the Pacific,” he said. “Here is a point westward from the Aleutian Isles which I have marked.”
Frank noted this.
“Now,” continued the great explorer, “I have a very strange story to tell you of this part of the sea.
“The story was given me by Captain Barclay, of the brig Helen, of San Francisco. It sounds like a fairy story.
“The Helen had left Calcutta six months previous and was in these waters through force of circumstances, having been blown thither by a terrific hurricane of a week’s duration.
“This had brought them into sealing waters. As the brig had run short of provisions, Captain Barclay decided to kill some seals for meat.
“Accordingly the boat was ordered out. The seals were quite plentiful, and it was easy to shoot them in the water, and by quick work secure them before they should sink.