60 SHOOTING SEALS IN THE WATEE. 



fire unless the boat's head is directed towards 

 the seal and distant not more than thirty- 

 yards ; then, if the men all give way instantly 

 and vigorously, you may be in time to thrust 

 or dart the harpoon into the seal before he 

 sinks, but more likely you will only be in 

 time to see him sinking far down in the clear 

 water with his tail downwards. Some people 

 compute that " one-half of the seals shot in 

 the water, even with skilful management, are 

 lost;" others say "two-thirds," and from 

 our own experience, I am inclined to think 

 it is two to one on the seal or thereabouts. 

 I have several times lost six consecutively, 

 and a most tantalising proceeding it was ; 

 but bad luck as that may seem, it is nothing, 

 for our head harpooner. Christian, a very 

 smart fellow, told me that one day he shot 

 dead eighteen immense seals and lost every 

 one of them ! If you merely ivound a seal 

 in the water there is a much better chance 

 of getting him than if he is killed outright, as 

 he sometimes flounders on the surface till 

 he is harpooned. I have often thought that 

 it would answer to use small shot when they 

 come so close, and I regret never having made 

 the experiment. 



