Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-07-20

boat being unloaded, they are off again
for another fill
The greatest rivalry exists between
the boats crew, each endeavOring to
get the greatest load for the day.
Another boat is seen approa ching, and
away we go again, lodging this piece
of ice, charging that piece with our
sturdy bows, boring away where the
ice lies closely packed, rounding this
berg, and on to the next until we reach
the boat, which is down to the gunwale
in the water, with its crew cautious,
plying their oars as they lie crOuched
upon their bloody load. So it goes
on from day to day; hay is made while
the sun shines, and the pile Of skins
and blubber rises high upon the ships
deck. Then comes a gale Of wind, ac-
companied by fog, sleet and snow, and
we lay to under the lee Of stream
of ice or a berg. The deck becomes
busy with life, the blubber is made
off, and put into the tanks and the
skins are sailed. When the gale is
over, at the end Of two or three days,
the next few days Of calm weather
are again taken advantage of in the
boats. Thus the periods of gales and
calms, which alternate in this part of
the world, come in quite conveniently
for sealing, the produce obtained in the
calm weather being made off"' during
the gales. We never experienced much
swell, being sheltered by the land, our
work lying only a little east of the
Erebus and Terror gulf With "all
hands and the cook so necessarily oc-
cupied in the calm weather, all scientific
observations were at Standstill, but in
the evening, and sometimes during the
night, few chance readings could be
obtained, and during gales fairly CO.
piOuS meteorological notes We're OBJ
tanned.
The seals are very foolish beasts.
The present generation have never
seen man, and they survey him open
mouthed and fearful. during which pro-
cess they are laid low with club or
bullet. Sometimes they are so lazy
in the ribs with the muzzle of his gun,
and. wondering what is disturbing their
SlumberS, they raise their heads, which
quickly fall pierced with a bullet There
may only be one seal on a piece of
ice, which is usually the case with
the larger kind; but the smaller kinds
lie in half-doZens and tens, and as
many as Al were seen on one piece.
Seldom do any escape-one cartridge
seals mentioned. we came across a
fourth, large kind with a small head,
small fore tlippers, very thickly blub-
bered. and a more woolly skin. The
last day of OUT sealing we were among
a great host of the largest big-headed
seals, and as we were returning to
our ship they were moaning loudly.
This was said to be a sign that they
were about to start upon long jour
ney. but was it not rather a sigh Of
relief when they saw their slaughter's
craft run up her bunting and announce
to all that she was a full ship, that her
thirst for blood was quenched? Pen
gums are the strangeSt creatures ever
seen They are supremacy funny as
they quack and strut about with pad
ded feet over the snow. or, coming to
a slope. glide swiftly downward to-
Reorganization upon their breasts. If
one lands on the piece of ice they
are resting upon. they approach fear
lessly with a threatening. "Quack.
quack!' For their fnqufsitiveness they
too often received the handle Of the
club, for it was soon found that their
'+'v resembled that of the
hare. and upon them we had many
a tasty and substantial meal. The
emperor penguin is very difficult to
kill: he will live after his skull has
been most hopelessly smashed: the
best way to put an end to them is
to pith them. Six of us one day set
out to capture one alive. and so strong
was the bird that five with difficulty
kept Their hold and. after he was
bound with strong cords and nautical
knots. he tapped his flippers and re-
leased himself.