192 HUNTERS AND HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



We entered the boat and approached cautiously, 

 because the seal for which we were making was 

 upon moving ice, towards the centre of a floe, 

 and near a hole. There was a swell running, 

 which made rowing difficult. Nevertheless, 

 we reached the edge of the floe before the seal 

 moved. At that moment it raised its head and 

 shoulders to observe us, showing us its small 

 black face splashed with white bristling mous- 

 taches. Its head appeared very diminutive 

 indeed compared with its big body, round as a 

 pudding. 



Waiting until it presented its chest to me, 

 I shot it between the fins at the base of the 

 neck. The shot paralysed it ; its head fell on to 

 the ice. As, however, it still moved a little, 

 and it lay right at the edge of its hole, I fired a 

 second time and killed it. 



We stepped on to the ice, and for the first 

 time I had the pleasure of being able to inspect 

 one of those blue seals of which the Norwegians 

 had often spoken to me. The animal's fine 

 skin was blue, very different from that of the 

 barbata seal which is found to the north of 

 Spitzbergen. Its head appeared very small, 

 and was quite out of proportion with its body ; 

 its moustache was whiter and more silky than 

 that of the barbata, each hair curling towards 



