SEALS ATTRACTED BY WHISTLING. 133 



totaler among them, and I think he is about the 

 hardest fellow of the lot — Abraham, the steersman 

 of my boat. 



The old she-bear is very lean and poor ; but the 

 three last killed, including her, yield altogether 

 about 600 lbs. of fat. Corpo di Baccof what a 

 thousand pities it is not worth 3s. Qd. a pot, as in 

 the Burlington Arcade ! 



It is impossible to dry skins here, so the bear 

 skins are thickly sprinkled inside with salt and 

 wood ashes, and then rolled up into bundles and 

 tightly corded. The seal and walrus hides are 

 stowed loosely on the top of the casks in the hold. 



We attempted to get through the passage be- 

 tween Halmanne (Half-moon) Island and the main 

 land, but finding the passage jammed with ice, we 

 were obliged to lose half the day going round out- 

 side the island. 



26th. Going on a wind under favorable circum- 

 stances, the u Anna Louisa" seems to gain about 

 half a mile an hour, or twelve miles a day ; with an 

 adverse current, or if there is too much or too little 

 wind, she gains nothing, or perhaps goes a little to 

 leeward. The way in which the beastly tub makes 

 leeway is perfectly incredible. 



When I went on deck before breakfast there 

 were four very large seals swimming about, not far 

 from the sloop. Lowered a boat and went after 

 them ; shot two of them dead, but lost them both 

 by sinking. When a seal is under water near the 



