122 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZ BERGEN. 
prepare to liarpoon him if he offers ns the chance, but 
being too far off for this attempt, we wound him 
again, and again he disappears. The sailor gives way 
with a will, and on his again presenting himself we 
lunged at him with the harpoon. Owing to some awk¬ 
wardness the head became detached, and he was 
struck with the harpoon staff instead; seizing the 
staff in his formidable jaws, he smashed it in half. 
We hasten to adjust another harpoon, and are deter¬ 
mined not to fail should he appear once more. We 
stand waiting impatiently for him ; as his great head 
appears over the water he stares wildly at us, and 
it is impossible to imagine a more ugly looking 
brute. The nose is puffed out, his teeth showing, 
his eyes glaring on us, blood streams down his fore¬ 
head and over his cat-like whiskers, as he disputes 
with us every inch of the way. He comes steadily 
down upon us, but we are equally resolute, and 
this time the harpoon is driven home with all our 
force; and it passes right through the clumsy body 
of the seal. Of the six bullets fired at him, two we 
found had actually grazed his skull, and these wounds 
did not certainly add to his beauty. Dragging his 
great and unwieldy body on to the ice, we flenced him, 
and soon had the hide on board our boat—the skin 
spread like a mat beneath our feet. We turned towards 
