204 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



they fight with one another they let us alone, and we are able to pass by nnmolested. 

 If two fight against one, another comes to his aid, for they can not bear to see an 

 unequal combat. When there is fighting going on, others who are swimming in the 

 sea lift up their heads to see the outcome of the contest, and finally they are worked 

 into such a rage themselves that they come on shore and mix in crowds with the 

 combatants and make the sight more awful. I often went with my Cossack and 

 attacked one on purpose and knocked out his eyes ; and when I had done that I pelted 

 four or five others with stones. When these pursued me I took refuge near the one I 

 had blinded. As he could not see but heard his brothers in pursuit and did hot know 

 whether they were fleeing before us or pursuing us, he would attack his fellows. 

 Meanwhile, quite at my ease, 1 would sit down in some high place and watch them 

 fighting together for some hours. The blind one would attack all that came near, 

 whether enemies or friends, and was pursued by all as a common foe. If he fled 

 to the sea he was pulled out again, and on land was torn by their constant blows until 

 he lost all his strength, and falling down breathed out his angry soul amid constant 

 groans, and became a prey to the hungry droves of blue foxes which attacked him 

 with their teeth as he lay there still breathing. 



While two often fight for an hour, they make a truce, and both lie down near one 

 another, panting to get their breath. When they are recovered they both get up and 

 in gladiatorial fashion take a certain place and refuse to leave it as long as the fighting 

 continues. They duck their Leads and strike back, and one tries to ward off the blows 

 of the other. As long as they are evenly matched they strike only with tlieir front 

 flippers, but as soon as one gets the advantage of his adversary he tears him with 

 his teeth and jaws, shakes him, and throws him down. Then the others, who have 

 meantime been mere sjjectators, seeing this, hurry up to assist the weaker one, as if 

 they were umpires in the fight. With their teeth tbey inflict wounds as large and 

 cruel as if they were made with a saber. At the end of July a sea bear is seldom seen 

 that is not marked with a wound. After a battle the first thing they do is to go into 

 the water and bathe their bodies. 



They fight mostly for one of three reasons: (1) The most bitter warfare is about 

 their wives; trouble begins when one steals those of another, or even tries to take the 

 grown daughters from the father's family. But the females get up at once and follow 

 the one that comes out ahead. (2) They fight for their place if one takes the place of 

 another, or if the space is too small and another, out of lust, gets too near and excites 

 his suspicion. (3) They fight for right and justice, to settle disputes. 



They are very fond of their wives and their young, and are much feared by both. 

 They get in a towering rage with their young for the most trivial causes and practice 

 a tyrant's right. 



Often we entered the harem and stole the pups. In these cases, when flight was 

 possible, if the mother through fear left her pups and did not snatch them up in her 

 mouth and take them with her, but left them where we could get them, the male 

 without entering into any quarrel with us snatched the female up in his teeth, lifted 

 her up high, and threw her in a rage two or three times against the rocks with such 

 violence that she lay still as if dead. But when her strength returned she would^crawl 

 like a worm as a suppliant to his feet, and kiss him, and shed tears iu such quantities 

 that tliey ran down on her breast as from an alembic and made it all wet. For a time 

 he would walk back and forth roaring and rolhng his eyes terribly, and would shake 

 his head from side to side like a bear ; but at length when he saw that we were going 



