ENORMOUS CARGOES. 449 



top of his head, being shot-proof, affords him great protec 

 tion. But the victory, in a combat between man and the 

 inferior animals, is always with the strong ; and however 

 gallant his resistance, he succumbs eventually to shots 

 and blows, unless he can make his escape through some 

 friendly hole in the ice. 



The female hood is less courageous than her companion ; 

 and as for the harp seals, both male and female are ab- 

 solutely harmless. 



When seals are plentiful, a vessel will soon complete 

 its cargo, as many as one hundred seals having been put 

 on board by a single man in one day. Such good fortune, 

 however, is exceptional. The mode of loading has under- 

 gone a change since steamers were introduced. Formerly, 

 it was usual to carry the seals on board as soon as killed ; 

 now the crew are divided into gangs, and work away at 

 different stations on the ice ; the steamer, as soon as the 

 different loads, or " bulks," are ready, calling in succes- 

 sion at each station. This plan, of course, secures the 

 least possible delay, but cannot be adopted by sailing- 

 vessels, from their inability to move freely amongst the 

 broken ice. 



Enormous cargoes are sometimes obtained, and the 

 vessels loaded until their decks are nearly flush with the 

 water. The following figures are borrowed from an 

 authority already quoted: In the spring of 1872, the 

 steamer Commodore, belonging to Messrs. Panton and 

 Mann, brought in 31,314 seals, weighing 655 tons, and 

 valued in all at 23,731, 16s. 9d. This is the largest 

 and most valuable cargo on record. The Commodore was 

 only 290 tons, and as she sailed into port was very deep, 



