112 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



seal and within thirty yards of him, still I had the 

 perverse bad luck to lose twelve out of the fifteen, 

 and generally had the additional vexation of seeing 

 them sinking out of reach of the harpoon just a 

 second of time too late. We managed to get hold 

 of three immense fellows. My harpooner most 

 culpably missed his stroke at another, as the boat 

 shot past Him while he lay floating on the surface, 

 and the iron "drew 11 out of a fifth after he was 

 fairly struck ; three of them sank in water so shal- 

 low that we easily felt the bottom with the harpoon, 

 but it was so muddy that we groped for them un- 

 availingly for some time. 



This was very annoying, and I felt so vexed and 

 disgusted at thus uselessly butchering these poor 

 animals, and strewing the muddy bottom of Deeva 

 Bay with their obese carcasses, that I was on the 

 point of giving it up, when Christian suggested 

 that if I would take in hand to harpoon as well as 

 shoot, and let him add his strength to the rowing 

 power, we might do better, as the boat was so 

 heavy that it took the remaining men three or four 

 vigorous tugs before they got "way" on her. This 

 change was attended with the happiest effects ; the 

 additional pair of oars made the boat start much 

 more readily, and I harpooned and secured every 

 seal — four in number — which I shot after we 

 adopted the new arrangement. I found it much 

 easier to use the harpoon than I had expected, and 

 henceforward I always harpooned seals for myself. 



