The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-22

seas gradually grow higher, but the
vessel rides them buoyantly. An occa-
sional solitary star peeps out from be-
hind black, ominous-looking clouds.
and now and then the screech Of gull
Is heard as 1t scars before the wind. as
| IL endeavoring to escape the fury of the
gale. The hilarity below still goes on,
| the participants wholly unmindful or
| the time or the condition of the wealth.
er. Far into the night the amusement
Is kept up, for on the next day there
| will be no work to perform. To wind
up the evenings entertainment those
who can sing are called upon, and many
popular songs Of the day are sung with
an expression such as only seafaring
men can give. Old sailor songs are
roared out with the true forecastle ring.
which thrills the heart of every sailor.
| At last. after many days Of monoto-
ny, the gale breaks and pleasant wealth
er once more prevails. 1t Is morning,
| the sea Is smooth, with gentle breeze
moving. and everythings bids fair for
sealing day. At daybreak the cook,
| in no gentle tones. calls out Break
| fast" and soon twenty-five men are
| tumbling over one another in their
hurry to get into their clothes. They
know that the day is one suitable for
lowering the boats or else the cook
would not have called them out so ear
1
ing toilets, and breakfast is eaten In
the same hurried manner. Every hun
| ter Is anxious to increase his number or
skins, and after so many days OF idle
| ness and confinement he Is only too
anxious to get clear of the vessel. In a
few minutes oil Is stir and hustle about
the decks; hunters getting their guns
and ammunition ready; the crew MAX
ing sail and getting the boats ready for
hoisting out; the cook filling the bread
boxes and water jugs to go In the boats;
the captain and officers giving orders
and doing considerable growing be-
cause everything does not move like
| clockwork. For about half an hour
general disorder prevails. Finally the
boats are all out. and the captain, first
mate, cook, q cabin boy are alone. They
are sufficient to handle the vessel in
weather suitable for sealing.
BEGINNING THE HUNT.
In starting out from the vessel on
days hunt II Is necessary that the boats
should not get In the wake of each
other, for the head boats would destroy
all chance for those In the rear of seeing
sleeping seals. 1t is also necessary for
the boats to keep so far apart that the
firing of guns in one boat shall not dis
turb any sleeping seals that may be
near another. All the boats work to
windward. The hunter stands at the
bow, where he can command good
view Of the ocean for q considerable
distance on either side and ahead of the
boat, and there he keeps sharp look
out for seals. Each boat carries three
men-a hunter a boat puller, and boat
steerer. The boat steerer sits In the
stern facing the bow, and his duty Is.
when approaching a seal. to guide the
10 dc nv1
skill, for a misstroke Of the oars will
ofttimes result in the seal making his
escape before the hunter can fire.
The hunter has charge of the boat,
and his decision is accepted In all mat
tiers pertaining to the capturing of seals.
In pleasant weather and ut times when
seals are scarce the boats cruise over a
considerable area, and frequently when
night overtakes them they will be from
twelve to fifteen miles distant from the
vessel. At such times good Judgment
Is required in order to find the vessel,
for cruising about all day on hundred
different courses is very likely to throw
the crews out Of their reckoning. 1t
frequently happens that the night is
far advanced before the hunters arrive
on board. Only q few hours Of sleep
can be indulged in, for at an early hour
they must be in their boats again.
If boats were sent out only when seals
were observed from the vessel the sea-
sons catch would be small In the ma
jority Of cases, when no sign of seal
life can be seen from the vessel the
boats will find seals not far off, provid-
ing the vessel Is on sealing ground.
Eight or ten boats in a days cruise will
cover considerable area, and some Of
the boats are pretty sure of finding seals
If there be any about. On the other
hand, q vessel cruising over the same
ground would find a scarcity of seals
where the boats found them quite plen-
tiful. Boats and canoes when approach
ing sleeping seal make but little noise,
and the coveted prize Is often captured
without being awakened from Its slum-
ber. The Stating OF, the sails Of a
schooner, in most cases, will awake all
seals that may be near, and destroy all
chance of capturing them. When pela-
gic sealing began, boats used to row a
! mile or two from the vessel to windward
and drift, waiting for seals that might
come near. No cruising was done, and
only seals that came within shooting
distance were captured. Rifles were at
this period used wholly, but shotguns
were introduced not long after Shot
guns were found to be greatly superior
to rifles, as larger percentage of seals
shot with them were saved.
SIGHTING A SEAL.
When the hunter on the lookout
catches sight of a sleeping seal, he holds
up his hand as a signal to make less
noise Looking in the direction indi-
Gated by the hunter the crew may see,
less than a hundred yards away a black
object rising and falling on the ocean
swell. Immediately the sail is lowered
and slowed away and everything in the
boat secured, for the thump of an oar
OH a thwart or against the side of the
boat Is generally sufficient to arouse
tile sleeper. Silently they approach the
seal; it sleeps as peacefully as a child
wholly unconscious Of danger. The
boat is on the lee side, for If 1t should
approach on the windward side the seal
would be almost certain to wake. Deer
in the water the boat-steerer dips his
stiit silently ptsfftte
ahead. Hardly a sound Is heard ex-
cept the low swash of the water as IL
washes over and falls from the back o!
the sleeping object. When the boat Is
within fifty feet the seal shows signs OF
uneasiness, as II in its dreams it scent
ed danger. The hunter loses no time
and fires. Instantly the scene of slum.
ber and quiet repose Is changed to one
of pain and fright. The seal has beer
mortally wounded and Is struggling in
the throes of DEATH It makes desper.
ate plunges, then suddenly expires, and
J Is hauled into the boat. The water fol
J some distance around Is discolored with
blood. 1t frequently happens that 9
} seal, after being taken into the boat
and supposed to be dead, will moan and
groan in such way that 1t touches the
heart Of the sealer, who, out Of pity
dispatches the suffering animal with O
knife. Female seals die very hard, anG
! knife Is often used to put them out
Of misery. More than one sealer has
been heard to say that IL women who
adorn themselves in sealskin garments
could witness the method of killing
seals In the ocean they would cry out
| against the practice.
The first prize being captured, sail Is
hoisted and once more the boat zoe.