WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 275 



You may not think it, but such a small attempt at an 

 amusing drawing caused laughter on board. You see a little 

 joke goes a long way in the ice-pack, as for instance the 

 drawing below. 



The only mild excitement to-day, 2nd August, was a boat 

 expedition, with los senores, two rifles in the bow, and two 

 pairs of oars, against a large harp-seal, with a splendid white 

 skin and large black spots, suggestive of an Al carriage- 

 rug. Fire opened at a hundred yards (the first shot was 

 accidental), but several struck the water quite close and in 

 front of the seal, which made it take up a very indignant 

 attitude, and for an instant it seemed to hesitate as if it 

 thought a retreat on to the floe would be its safest course. 

 But a bullet finally hit it in the back and it acted on its first 

 intention and dived off the floe. The two Don Joses were 

 rather disconsolate, for certainly it had a very beautiful skin. 

 We hoped to get quite a lot of these large harp-seal skins 

 and their blubber to fill our casks. 



The harp blows his nose up in a remarkable way, so hard 

 that it inflates the fore part of its head. Naturalists assure 

 us that, like the shark's fin, this has an awe-inspiring effect 

 on their opponents. We accept this cum grano salis. This 

 is what I remember of the harp's attitude and expression 

 ( 1) before he was actually fired at, (2) its attitude of astonish- 

 ment, and we may call the next his adieu. These designs 

 are executed, you observe, with a certain chaste economy of 

 lines. (See p. 274.) 



An Incident from " Bearing Straights." 



