The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-03
THE SEA ELEPHANT HUNTER.
Exciting Adventures at the End Q
the World.

I'm Southern California. and he would
attract little or no attention except by
a particularly jolly smile which rippies
over his weather-worn face on the very
slightest provocation. The writer found
him one evening a. the end OF the long
pier. LOOKING out on the water with a
COntemplative expression. and, remarK-
ing upon the beauty OF the night, the
little man replied:
Yes, TINS - a paradise 10 me-" with
a curious infection which was rather
puzzhng until it was known that his
mother was a Swcde and his father an
Irishman.
How so? Why" he continued, sniff
ing the soft evening air that came IN
from the little ba "bscause the best
the world. right where they jump ols,
at Inaccessible Island Gown on me
edge Of the Antarctic ocean. there and
at kerguelcn's Land. l was n sea cle-
plant hunter. and 1 am so giad 10 b.
M such a country as this after ali my
rOvings that it seems Ike a regular
pcradise. ! never believed that I would
take up with such lie bat men are
curious things. and one day. when my
ship made pert at the Cape OF Good
Hope } lelt her-no matter tow--aud
/ shipped on bodrt. a whaler. Tney told
me i would come back at the end OF q
| year with perhaps $500. and a. that
| beat $50 a month. l shipped.
"Itsse sea eggplant stands are IN q
region where IL either SHOWS or rains
sleet ell the time" continued the for
mer sea elephant hunter. settling him
self comfortably as though for a long
/ talk. "and where / spent two y airs was
the most desOlate place / ever saw. The
men there told me that sometimes the
sealers died Of the horrors. or went
crazy. ana I could wei be ieve them.
/ It. was all volcanic rock. with not "a
I tree on g.. and covered with suOw-cap-
ped mountains anG glaciers; and the
! only sounds we heard we're the roarin 3
Of The vino and the cra sh of ireberss
as they broke of and drifted away.
/ when we puued into the hlrb1r and
\ the seaiers came aboard. I wondered
how men could get so low IN looks; but
\ I was just as bad in a short time--ycu
couldn't help 70. The Only house, II YOU
could call it that. was q hole IN the
| ground. rooted over with wreC ge and
I tlmbers that had washed ashore. and
on which the men had piled big rocks C
I prevent the roof from blowing away
ard 90 protect Il from being crushed b.
u The ice and snow which iu the form OF
! avalanches sometimes came rushing
down from the mountains In this hui
there was nothing but Il table and soml
skins o. the sea lion and feathers Of tbs
penguin. Everything was covered Will
oil and grease.
After leaving a load of stores th'
steamer sailed away and We did no
see her again for a year. The stores diC
not last very long. and then we settle
Gown 10 what was a regular diet-gulll
and penguin and the meat OF the ses
elephant i knew that I had been trap
ped. but had the sense 20 say nOthinf
about Il. as the schooner had sailed and
7 had signed for two years. The mex
day the life began. Raining or showing
we were always routed out early in IA
morning. The second or third day
was sent by the boss 60 kill some pen
gums for breakfast. and I neary los
my life in the hum y great part %
The island seemed to be covered viii
these biras: they were so thick that q
was hard 20 force your way throug
them. as they pecked az You vicious )
on all sides. The penguin rCpk ny wal
In big mass OF tuss0ck grngs that grew
almost as high as uy ad. ana TIA
birds had laid 10 oHt ia streets an
lanes. and along them and en- them the
stood in groups and drovcs. The street,
were slippery and undermined by otha
birds and every few steps / brulc
through into these cellars. and " p ais
attacked BY the birds that came out.
ITO protect myself laid around Will
the club I carried. and final turne'
and tried To- run out OF the place as tn
birds came at me thicker and faster
and nearly crazed me with their peck
Ing and the noise they made ! wa
hewildered. and only by chance fOunl
my way out Of tmsbird city. into whicl
I had gone further than first intended
I thinking 20 see how large the rocker
; was When / reached camp. covere
with biooO with my arms Fun Of birds
; the men met me with roar. and l say
p that "A Joke had been put up on ms
! I found later that they never entere
J he bird city. but killed the BIRDS abou
! and on the edge.
b The men were called sealers. but Sc
7 elephants were the game. We wer
1 supposed 90 catch big animals. the NAL
} being from fifteen 10 nearly thirty Zee
= long and weighing several tons. A
r one time. fifty or sixty years ago. the
= fairly covered the beaches. but the
e had been killed Off so rapidly that the
j were confined TO one part Of the beacl
q IN n side that could not be approache
o by sea. SO we had TO travel over N
ID glaciers and mountains. rolling OF
J. barrels. When near the divide we coul
s look down on the elephants, while
looked like great back siugs on IN
white sand. We crossed down withOl
frightening them. getting between the
anu the water. Then at the word FRO
The boss We made a rush on then
l. W hen they saw us they slowly hfte
up their heads, Initiating their curiO1
TRUNKS. that made them LOOK ike ei'
n plants. Clumsiy they tried to Teae
tne water. Dut "a sharp bow over II
nead laid them cut. Once one caught
Ie man by the coat and tossed Elm an
g. the herd, where We thought ne would
ts torn To pieces. as he tell on the back
an old bull. but ne escaped AZ er bavii
the clothes literally torn OF MIN. Sum
le times forty or nifty OF she animals wOu
ll be killed ia an hour, then the work
SHINING them began. and the boilli
o. down / was soon reckiag in OIL, al
40 that was the condition OF Us all [
.r time.
be- I'm the course Of the year I never -
.Io a whole day II sunshine. and sJmetim
"a for weeks the sun did not appear at q
To- That soon takes the life out Of one,
o. can tell you that and the snow, IA
he and slaet AZ TIE end II The year sol
Ia of the men whose time was 10 We
he paid or. Perhaps they had been woI
nd ing on shares and they went 20 Z
a cape Of Good Hope and en- q week
.at two their money was gone in wa
-v known only 90 the sailor. ard several
the sea elephant hunters came back
,of the life az siudge and Ice. 81 dirt a
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