SEALS 187 



as our boat and proportionately large. The 

 skin was more like that of an otter than of a 

 seal, so fine was it. There were marks of several 

 old wounds on the neck, caused, Jonas told me, 

 by the claws of the white bears which had 

 attacked it and tried to kill it, in proof of which 

 there were fresh bear tracks on the snow at our 

 feet. Whilst we were examining the seal, I 

 signalled the Belgica to approach, because it 

 would have been madness to think of towing 

 the monster or of taking it into our small boat. 

 The Belgica drew alongside the ice as though it 

 were a quay. A rope was made fast around the 

 seal's body, passed through a foreyard block, 

 and the crew hauled it aboard. Merite watched 

 the operation, and found that the animal made 

 an admirable picture suspended as it was 

 between the mast and the shrouds, the head 

 hanging on one side. From the artistic point 

 of view it was a ' discovery/ he affirmed. I did 

 not share his admiration, however, and, fearing 

 that the weight of the body might burst the 

 skin, I had it swung on to the bridge, to our 

 artist's great despair. 



Between two and three o'clock I tried to 

 stalk several large seals, but circumstances were 

 not favourable. A swift current ran past the 

 spot on the ice-field where the seals were 



