The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-03-09
Seals and Sealing.

By the natives of the higher wastes of
Norway, and the wild, barren, rugged
shores of Greenland. the sea is looked
upon in the shape of a harvest; for the
Greenlander feeds on him, dresses out of
him, supplies himself with ropes, window
glass, candles, and many of the other
necessaries to make his chilly life bear
able, and generally utilities the amphibi-
Gus creature which Nature has been kind
enough to send in no slight abundance.
In these parts of the world the capture
of seal is not accomp lished without con-
siderable danger, AMI the hunter who
pursues the creatures in his small native
canoe stands no small chance of having
his arm, or even his neck, caught in the
line attached To his weapon-in the lat
ter case being sometimes strangled and
drowned before he can extricate himself.
At other times, when the fisherman,
thinking the animal dead, approaches to
take possession of his prey, it will dash
at his arm, or even at his face, and bite
viciously. They are particularly danger
Gus when they have young ones to defend /;
on such occasions they will rush at the
trail boats Of their pursuers, and actually
tear holes in them with their teeth, when
the canoes quickly fill and 90 to the bot
tom, taking with them their occupants,
who are securely fastened to the skins
which form the covering of the canoes to
make them water-nght.
In the autumn, when the seals enter
the tiords in large quantities, the natives
assemble in force to drive them towards
the shore, and kill them with lances.
When the animals try to take refuge on
banks, they are attacked by the women
and children, who are provided with
lances for throwing, and the work is fin
ished by the men with their heavier har-
poems.
In winter holes are made in the ice.
that the animals may come and breathe
and as soon as one makes his appear
ance, he is almost sure to fall an easy prey
to the watchful native. The greater num-
Der, though, are caught in the open water,
the inhabitants of these northern regions
following them, in some of the small
canoes already mentioned, into one of the
tiords which are so numerous upon the
coasts, and in which bays and roads are
almost surrounded by barren granite
rocks. Here the paddles of the rowers
shine in the sun, but cause scarcely a
sound In the water, silence being an in
dispensable aid to success. They then
quietly search for their game, following
closely the indentations of the coast,
nothing probably being visible but few
seabirds flying over their heads, and ut
tering cries OF alarm or warning. All at
once, though, dark object appears on
the horizon, when the fishermen separate,
and place themselves at regular intervals,
so as to form a semicircle, the two ex-
tremities of which point in the direction
of the shore; for this black object is a
seal, and, as 1t comes nearer, the half
circle OF canoes contracts more and more
Then two of them dart rapidly forward,
gliding along as though their boats were
passing over ice. The first man is then
seen to lean over the edge of his light
craft, and suddenly throwing himself for
ward, he hurls the harpoon with which
he is armed, and the instrument flies like
an arrow, drawing out after it the line of
hide to which it is fastened.
Pierced with this well-barbed lance. as
it is almost certain to be, the seal imme-
diately dives, and soon nothing is seen
but the great bladder, which is attached
to an end of the line, and which neces-
sarily remains on the surface of the sea.
A patch of reddened water shows the
place where the animal was struck.
A few moments after, it reappears, and
seems to beg for mercy, opening its great
hmpid eyes. The appeal, if appeal it be,
is, however, thrown away upon the stolid
fisher, and in few minutes the poor
brute is despatched by blows on the nose
from a paddle, another lance, or even
from the clenched fist of the captor.
The seal is then hauled between two
canoes, fastened together, moored to
them by two leather straps passing under
the fins, and is left in this position, while
he whose daring has secured the prey
now takes it in tow.
The blow aimed at the seals by the har-
pooner seldom misses its aim. The wound
greatly resembles the one produced by a
bullet; but the bullet would have killed
the animal without capturing it, whereas,
by the use of the harpoon, with a line
and bladder attached, it can always be
easily recovered.
The inhabitants Of the north coast of
Scotland hunt the seal in manner that
is equally peculiar and dangerous; for,
knowing that they retire occasionally
with their young into the caves along the