Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-02-15

OFF NEWFOUNDLAND.

OFF NEWFOUNDLAND.
Tho Steamer City OF HALIFAX Locked I'm
seventy Miles Of Ice.
Correspondence New York Herald.
On BOARD THE CRY OF HALIFAX,
January 28, 1872.
All our passengers were aroused at
IN early hour this morning by the re-
peated cries of "Ice off the starboard
bowl" and 'Ies dead aheadl" In q
dense fog off the coast of Newfound-
land these announcements are far
greater cause for fear than the raging
of the hurricane which threatens to tear
assunder the hull and spars that arc
battling against it.
AN OCEAN SCENE IN THE MORNING.
| Aoout breakfast time this morning
the fog began to clear off, and at nine
A. NJ sublime but monotonous scene
occupied all the visible space around us
from the ship to the horizon, in every
direction. Nothing save little lake
Of open water about the ships length
ahead separated us from an ocean OF
ice. Boulders, hillocks and plains of
heavy field ice, with IN occ asional bergh
towering above the huge excrescences
OF the frozen sea, blockaded us on all
sides.
DOWN THE SIDE AND HUNTING IN THE ICE.
We remained thus hemmed in for
ten hours, during which several of the
passengers ventured out on tho ice as q
desirable relief from the enuni of ship.
board. An additional inducement to
disembark arose from the rep6rt that
seals had been seen by the 'slookout, 1"
at the mast head. Armed with revolv-
ers and double barreled rifle q party
composed of four gentlemen left the
ship: Fearing to lose sight of the ship
we took direction in which the ice
was not obstructea by berghs and
boulders.
We had Travelled about quarter of q
mile through the rough field ice when
the surface became ominously soft and
slushy. It was, therefore, proposed by
the chief officer, who was one of our
party, that we would return to the ship,
but in different direction.
SIGHTING GAME AND TUMBLING TT.
Returning, we had not advanced
more than hundred feet when I saw
two dark moving objects on boulder
about the same distance ahead of US.
On examining them with my field glass
at once pronounced them to be old
seals. Our rifles and revolvers having
been tested we moved on toward the
game as quickly as it is possible to
move through broken clumpers and
over hillocks and boulders of field ice.
Being within gunshot of the two un-
fortunates we stood and cast lots for
the first shot OF the rifle, the winner to
bear the expense of wining tie party.
An elderly Scotch gentleman, whose
fame as an expert sportsman is Of no
mean degree, drew the longest lot and
then drew the first trigger. A splendid
old harp seal, oily and plump, tumbled
over the boulder to the level ice. The
other barrel being discharged, the com,
rade of the fallen phoca fell dead be-
side its mate, and then we all rushed
to witness the spoils of our romantic
tournament on the surface of the North
Atlantic, 400 miles from sight of land.
One of the victims lay quite dead, it's
dippers calmly folded on its breast and
its head hanging over q lump of ice.
The other was dying slowly from bull
let wound in the neck, but the chief
officer dispatched the suffering animal
by a shot from his revolver.
The skins of those animals was OF
the most delicate texture, and their
forms were large and beautifully sym
metrical
AS none of the party would undertake
to procure the valuable skins, We pro-
posed to hire the services of ono of the
seamen or the butcher for that pur-
pose.
A WONDERFUL AND AGREEABLE SURPRISE.
Having reached spot within rifle
range OF our steamer, we discovered
that there wece other hunters on the
ice besides ourselves, for we heard two
shots fred in rapid succession about
twenty yards on our right. Placing q
red necktie on q boulder of ice near by
as guide to the spot where the dead
seals lay, we started in what we Judged
to he the direction in which the shots
were fred. We had not advanced many
PAGES when we were extremely aston.
ished by the apparition of two ladies,
who were admiring the form of q dying
seal.
One of these ladies, well-known
Newfoundlander, Mrs. Warrington, is
ON excellent shot, and as lady sport is
generally proficient. It was Mrs. War
r1ngton who shot the seal, and she in
sisted upon having it's skin by assuring
us that the mode of removing it, az
practiced by her countrymen, was very
simple and in no way repulsive to the
most delicate nature. In our absence
Mrs. Warrington had seen this seal
from the deck of the steamer, and in.
stinctively she procured a six shooter and
sheathing knife, with the one to kill
her game and with the other to secure
it's skin.
FORMED. :.
The latter operation was performed
with skill that any young surgeon
might envy. Adroitly seizing the
sheathing knife Mrs. Warrington made
a rapid and deep inoision from the tor
of the head to the hinder aipper of the
seal. She then put on pair of coarse
gloves, and nearly removed the rict
garment of the seal. "Now," said Mrs
Warrington, looking triumphantly al
us, 81 shall get the butcher to take
away that fat, and then, when I get K
Canada, I shall have my beautiful seal
| olin oono worth fOrtv nrineoa -