ON SEALS AND SEALERS 163 



When another crew is also at work on the same 

 patch of seals the greatest expedition is naturally 

 used, and under these circumstances the seals will 

 often only be "batted" and stunned, not stabbed 

 to the heart as well, before being skinned. It is 

 this that has given rise to the charges of cruelty, 

 for the naked body has been seen to move around 

 after the operation. Otherwise there is no more 

 cruelty in killing seals than in killing cattle or 

 poultry, and any man who is humane in one will 

 naturally be humane in the other; nor do I think 

 you will find anywhere a more humane set of 

 men than you will among Newfoundland fisher- 

 men. 



Captain X. was once just forcing his way through 

 ice towards a pack of seals when he sighted a rival 

 vessel coming up under his lee. Backing out, he 

 at once altered his course away from the seals to 

 mislead the other, but was too late to prevent them 

 sighting his seals. The second vessel, being much 

 faster, now ran in between my friend and the ice, 

 and passing him on the starboard side gave the 

 order " hard a starboard " to force him out from his 

 own cutting. Incensed at this, Captain X. from the 

 barrel shouted " hard a port," and went straight for 

 his rival's stem. Fortunately an intervening pan of 

 ice prevented a fatal accident, but he ran his bow- 

 sprit well over the other's counter. All hands from 

 the foremost vessel were overboard and hard at work 

 killing and panning seals before Captain X. could 



