I never touch them, unless they are guilty of witchcraft. I only eat the small things,--so just let _me_ alone." When the serpent heard that, he replied, "There _is_ no God; for if there were, I should have had both hands and feet: there is no God at all. But I will have your carcass to-day." Then the dog and the serpent together made an attack on the crocodile; the crocodile got weaker, and dived in the water; when all the little fish came again, and expressed their astonishment, as before, that he should be conquered by that little serpent, "Wait a little," said the crocodile, "and you will see I am not conquered by him." The serpent got up the tree as usual; the crocodile watched,--bored the hole completely,--then looked up, and saw the serpent sound asleep on a branch overhanging the water; then, cutting what remained of the root, the tree broke and fell into the water, the serpent falling with it. Then all the fishes acknowledged that the crocodile was superior, for he had got the serpent into the water, and made him dive in it, and kept him under water half-an-hour. The serpent, however, survived it, and repented of what he had done. "Oh! that I had never opposed you; only let me go, and I will never attack you again."--"Ah!" said the crocodile; "but as often as I pursued the dog, I was pursued by you; so you must suffer in your turn." Thus the crocodile made him heartily repent before he let him go. "Then," said the serpent, "if ever I touch you again, may I be conquered." After that, the crocodile let him go. He was glad to get off; but he had been beaten, and took an oath not to renew the attack when the crocodile went to look out for prey. The crocodile, however, owed the dog a grudge, because he had attacked him, and so laid all his family under a curse to devour the dog whenever opportunity offered. "Unless you do that," said he, "may you die without posterity; for yonder dog took part with the serpent against me." MR. STANLEY. "Well, George, are you like the serpent? Have you had enough of the water?" GEORGE. "Oh! no! I shall be very sorry when the voyages are over." MR. STANLEY. "You have been on the ocean a weary while. Have you, like Sir James Ross, reached either of the Poles?" GEORGE. "No, sir; but we have been very near the North Pole; have we not, Charles?" CHARLES. "Yes; in the Arctic Ocean we have been as high as 80° parallel of north latitude to Spitzbergen; and in the Antarctic as high as the 66° parallel of south latitude, to the New South Shetland Isles." MR. STANLEY. "Well done! You will not then start any objections on the score of cold, to accompany me to Kerguelan's Land?" "Oh dear, no!" exclaimed the boys. "We do not mind the cold."