THE COMMON SEAL. 245 



Taking of seals a dangerous employment. 



families, exposing themselves to all the horrors of 

 the northern seas, having only a small fire which 

 they kindle on a sort of brick hearth, and living 

 on the flesh of the seals which they kill. The 

 extreme danger of this employment will appear 

 from the following narrative: 



O 



" Some years ago two Finlanders set out in a 

 boat together. Having discovered some seals 

 on a small floating island, they quitted their boat, 

 and mounted the ice, moving on their hands and 

 knees to get near them without being perceive: 1 . 

 They had previously fastened their boat to the 

 ice island which they disembarked upon: but 

 while they were busily engaged in the pursuit, a 

 gust of wind tore it away; and meeting with 

 other shoals, it was broken to pieces, and in a 

 few minutes entirely disappeared. The hunters 

 were now left without help, without any resource, 

 and without even a ray of hope, on their frail 

 and floating territory, where they remained about 

 a fortnight. The heat which diminished its bulk, 

 and also its prominent surface,, rendered their 

 situation more alarming every moment. In the 

 anguish of hunger they gnawed the flesh off their 

 arms. At length they embraced each other, re- 

 solved to plunge together into the sea, and thus 

 terminate their misery, as they had no prospect 

 of escaping. The fatal resolution was just made, 

 when they discovered a sail. One of them strip- 

 ped off his shirt, and suspended it on the muzzle 

 pf his gun. The signal was observed from the 



