METHODS OF CAPTURE NEWFOUNDLAND SEALING. 537 



perse about on the ice, and whenever they find a seal strike it 

 a heavy blow in the head, which either stuns the animal or kills 

 it outright. Having killed or at least stunned all they see 

 within a short distance, they skin, or, as they call it, 'sculp' 

 them with a broad clasp-knife, called a sculping-knife, and 

 making two holes along the edge of each side of the skin they 

 lay them one over another, passing the rope through the nose 

 of each pelt and lacing it through the side holes, in such a man- 

 ner that when i)ulled tight it draws them into a compact bun- 

 dle. Fastening the gaff in this bundle, they then put the rope 

 over the shoulder, and haul it away over the ice to the vessel. 

 In this way they bring in bundles of pelts, three, six, or even 

 seven at a time, and sometimes from a distance of two miles. 

 Six pelts, however, is reckoned a very heavy load to drag over 

 the rough and broken ice, leaping from pan to pan, and they 

 generally contrive to keep two or three together to assist each 

 other at bad places, or to pull those out who fall into the water. 

 The ice to-day was in places very slippery and in others broken 

 and treacherous, and as I had not got my boots properly fitted 

 with 'sparable' and ' chisels' I stayed on board and helped the 

 captain and the cook in managing the vessel and whipping in 

 the pelts as they were brought alongside. By twelve o'clock, 

 however, my arms were aching with the work, and on the 

 leeside of the vessel we stood more than knee-deep in warm 

 seal- skins, all blood and fat. Some of the men brought in as 

 many as sixty each in the course of the day, and by night the 

 decks were covered, in many places the full height of the rail. 

 As the men came on board they occasionally snatched a hasty 

 moment to drink a bowl of tea, or eat a piece of biscuit and 

 butter ; and as the sweat was dripping from their faces, and 

 their hands and bodies were reeking with blood and fat, and 

 they often spread the butter with their thumbs, and wiped their 

 faces with the backs of their hands, they took both the liquids 

 and the solids mingled with the blood. The deck, of course, 

 when the deck could be seen, was almost as slippery with gore 

 as if it had been ice. Still there was a bustle and excitement 

 in the scene that did not permit the fancy to dweU on the disa- 

 greeables, and after a hearty refreshment the men would snatch 

 up their gaffs and hauling ropes, and hurry off in search of new 

 victims: besides, every pelt was worth a dollar! During this 

 time hundreds of old seals were popping up their heads in the 

 small lakes of water and holes among the ice, anxiously look- 



