The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-07-26
ARCTIC SEALING.
How The Newfoundland Hunt
ers Capture Their Prey.
Strengthening the Animals
Among the lCebergs.

the northern ice foes, a writer in the
New York Times says: As the morn
ing frightened out the seals could be
seen with the naked eye, scattered here
and there in little coveys and lying
quite still. How glorious the sight
was when the clear, bright sun arose
out of the distant east! Every where
stretched white cleaning field; the
SUBMITS of the bcrgs sentincling the
foe caught the sun first and fairly
quivered and scIntillated In fame.
The side turned to the east was burn
ing gold; the side away from the sun
was a steel blue. Binds which make
these icy peaks their home till they
reach their breeding haunts further in
The south rose and circled in swarms
about the top of the berg. But when
he sun rose about the smooth ice level
it sent long spears of yellow fire, so
numerous and so bright that you could
aot look at the pathway of scintillating
light.
1t needs no orders from the Captain
to get the men out on tho ice such
morning as this. Every man Of them,
except the regular crew, sailed forth,
his gait in his hand. The gaff is a
weapon with a stout wooden handle
and steel spear and gripping con-
trivance at tie end This is the hum
ter's weapon of slaughter. He carries
a coil of rope on his shoulder and his
great knife in his belt.
He has no fear on this foe, for all
the armies of the world and all their
horses may rest upon it with safety. 1t
consists of vast agglomeration of
pans or 'cakes, frozen together and
compact except when the foe begins to
break up. Ocean ice always folms in
this way, and never in great sheets, as
on rivers and still water. The wintry
ocean waves are forever in motion,
which would break up large areas of
thin ice. The bcrgs are regular ocean
wanderers and get impris oncd by the
fiat ice, but they break away as the
spring advances and have O fondless for
the track of ocean ships. OF all other
floating things they are, in foggy
weather, the most deadly menace to
ships.
The writer went out for slaughter
with great brawny hunter who soon
showed how the work was done. Here
and there on a broad ice pan was a
covey of three, four or five seals, all
summing themselves. and apparently
sucking the ice. They have no other
food in this wilderness so far as can be
seen. They go on the ice to bring
forth their young, and also perhaps to
get free ride down from Greenland to
Newfoundland and the shores of the
Canadian provinces.
They seldom make much effort to get
away as you come up to them, but the
hunters declare that there is look of
terror in their soft. dark eyes. and they
have, moreover, the firm belief that the
seal sheds tears. Lifting his heavy gaff
the hunter strikes the animal on the
head, strikes every one of them in the
group, then taking out his knife he
strips off the pelt by opening the ami
NAL back and front down to the lean
neat. The skin, which is gray, goes
With the blubber or fat, and the carcass
is left on the ice. These pelts are left
where they are till all the animals in a
convenient radius have been secured,
Then, ty ing several of the pelts together
the hunter proceeds to collect them.
putting them all together, and marking
them with a miniature flag from his
ship.
Here is the advantage of the steamer;
she can work her way up. following the
lead of the men from day to day pick
ing up the pclts. The sailing vessel
remains where she gets fast, and the
hunters are oligei to drag their trophies
for miles over the ice. They get lame
at first from ice travel and they all get
ice blind unlecs they wear green Cog
nIes as fhnu coll fhak l-;.I II