THE NEW BRUNSWICK SEA-LIONS. 233 I 



the whole herd was exterminated, and two lions only, ' 



out of the whole lot, had escaped. The prey was j 



divided between the hunters, according to the num- 

 ber that each had killed. After knocking over a seal, 

 the slayer set his mark upon it, making, at the same 

 time, another on his weapon, so as to check the tally. 

 Altogether, the number of seals massacred by the 

 party amounted to two hundred and twenty-nine 

 males and three hundred females, of all sizes. 



The chiefs canoe made several voyages that day 

 bearing the spoil homewards, and so also did the 

 boats of other inhabitants of Kamanatignia. That 

 evening, all the seals were heaped up in front of the 

 huts. Next day, they set to work to prepare the fat, 

 skins, and meat. The stench that prevailed during 

 these culinary operations, — which was more like the 

 cooking of the witches in " Macbeth " than any more 

 civilised proceedings, — never have I experienced a 

 more abominable stink. By way of escape from this 

 pestilential atmosphere, my companion and myself 

 threw our guns over our shoulders and climbed some 

 of the hills in the neighbourhood after grouse. After 

 a great deal of trouble, we succeeded in bagging two 

 brace of those birds, and they served us for a capital 

 supper. 



I may add, parenthetically, that the Esquimaux 

 do not use firearms to kill grouse. When the snow 

 covers the ground, they cut strong twigs of birch 

 and fasten them firmly in the earth. These twigs 



