but , to his astonishment , he found that some change must have passed over him . instead of being choked by the water , he could breathe quite easily . he and his companion , who was still close at his side , seemed to be sinking as quickly down through the sea as they had flown through the air . down and down they went , nobody knows how far , till at last they came to a huge arched door , which appeared to be made of pink coral , studded over with cockle - shells . it opened , of its own accord , and when they entered they found themselves in a huge hall , the walls of which were formed of mother - of - pearl , and the floor of which was of sea - sand , smooth , and firm , and yellow . the hall was crowded with occupants , but they were seals , not men . when the seal catcher turned to his companion to ask him what it all meant , he was aghast to find that he , too , had assumed the form of a seal . he was still more aghast when he caught sight of himself in a large mirror that hung on the wall , and saw that he also no longer bore the likeness of a man , but was transformed into a nice , hairy , brown seal .
he had   assumed the form of a seal .
what happened after the seal catcher turned to his companion ?
what happened after the seal catcher turned to his companion ?