A Sealer's Yarn. 113 



blow failed to take effect, as he had just time to duck his head 

 under the boom of the mainsail which was secured amidships over 

 the hatchway. He now retreated to his cabin, snatched up a 

 revolver which was lying ready loaded, and returning to the hatch 

 quietly shot the native who was waiting to strike another blow at 

 his head. Two others now followed up the attack, armed with 

 heavy stones, but they were shot in quick succession, one of them 

 falling overboard and capsizing the canoe. As Stole now raised 

 himself through the hatch, a fourth native attacked him from 

 behind, but he turned half round, rested the barrel of the revolver 

 on his left arm, and fired into his assailant's eye, the entire charge 

 passing through the wretched creature's head. In the meantime 

 the crew were successful in expelling the four natives who had 

 attacked the fore part of the vessel, and all of whom were killed. 

 The two women in the boat had been passing up stones as ammuni- 

 tion for their male companions, and when the canoe capsized one 

 of them was drowned. When the fight was over, the deck pre- 

 sented a ghastly sight, being sloppy all over with blood in which 

 were lying the bodies of the dead and dying savages, as well as 

 quantities of stones which before the attack began had been passed 

 up from the canoe to be expended in storming the hold of the 

 vessel. Of the ten natives, eight men had been killed, and one 

 woman drowned, the surviving woman being taken prisoner. The 

 sealers now got under way, and proceeded to the mission of Ushuwia, 

 where they reported the matter to Mr. Bridges, the manager of the 

 station. He investigated the case, and on finding that the account 

 given by the sealers was corroborated by the evidence of the 

 surviving woman, exonerated the former of any misconduct in the 

 energetic measures which they had taken to defend their lives, and 

 to defeat the object of the natives, which of course was to obtain 

 the possession of the schooner. 



The first of the small sealing fleet to arrive at Sandy Point 

 this season was the Felts, of Stanley, a small rakish schooner, 

 commanded by an Irishman named Buckley. He had a cargo of 



8 



