538 FAMILY PHOCID^E. 



ing for their young. Occasionally one would hurry across a 

 pan in search of the snow-white darling she had left, and which 

 she could not recognize in the bloody and broken carcass, 

 stripped of its warm covering, that alone remained of it. I 

 fired several times at these old ones in the afternoon with my 

 rifle from the deck, but without success, as unless the ball hits 

 them on the head, it is a great chance whether it touch any 

 vital part, the body being so thickly clothed with fat. In the 

 evening, however, Captain Furneaux went out on the ice and 

 killed two with his sealing-gun loaded with seal shot. The 

 wind had now sunk to a light air, and the sun set most glori- 

 ously, glancing from the golden west across the bright expanse 

 of snow now stained with many a bloody spot and the ensan- 

 guined trail which marked the footsteps of the intruders on the 

 peacefulness of the scene. Several vessels came up near us 

 from the south, in the afternoon ; but notwithstanding all the 

 slaughter the air as night closed in resounded with the cries of 

 the young seals on every side of us. As the sunlight faded in 

 the west, the quiet moon looked down from the zenith, and a 

 brilliant arch of aurora crossed the heavens nearly from east to 

 west, in a long waving line of glancing light, slowly moving 

 backwards and forwards from north to south across the face of 

 the moon. ... 



" Early in the morning [of the next day, March 14] the crew 

 were out on the ice, and brought in 350 seals. The number 

 hauled in yesterday was 1,380, making the total number now 

 on board upwards of 2,000. After suffering the pelts to lie open 

 on deck for a few hours, in order to get cool, they are stowed 

 away in the hold, being laid one over the other in pairs, each 

 pair having the hair outwards. The hold is divided by stout 

 partitions into several compartments or i pounds' to prevent too 

 much motion among the seal- skins and keep each in its place. 

 The ballast is heaved entirely out as the pelts are stowed away, 

 and the cargo is trusted to ballast the vessel. In consequence 

 of neglecting to divide the hold into pounds in one of his earlier 

 voyages, Captain Furneaux told us he once lost his vessel. He 

 was detained on his return with 5,000 seals on board, by strong 

 contrary gales which kept him at sea, till by the continued mo- 

 tion and friction his seals began to run to oil. The skins then 

 dashed about from one side of the hold to the other with every 

 roll of the vessel, and he was obliged to run before the wind, 

 which was then blowing from the northwest. The oil spread 



