The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-11

i
the two specimens, later killing another
big bull just before dark; this wa:
i the largest obtained. We got one skin
aboard that night.
/ There is a larger species of elephan;
! seal in the Antarctic, frequenting Ker
guelen Island and vicinity. The Cali
! fornia species was formerly very abun
dant along this coast of Baja, CaIifor
/ MIA, but persistent hunting for the pur
pose of obtaining their oil, of which q
+, large animal will yield fifty dollars
| worth, has exterminated them SO com
pletely that Dr. Hornadav evidently did
not think it worth while to include
them among the seals, in his natural
history published several years ago
Since about 1885 they have generally
been considered as being extinct.
The surf on the weather side of the
island is very bad, hence before going
ashore the next morning, we sunk an
anchor attached to about 500 feet OF
rope cable, fastening the other end to
a big rock on shore, creating thereby
a surf line; and by running it through
loops on our boat, bow and stern, we
were enabled to pull the boat in OF
out. hand over hand, oars being use
| less in the surf Even with our surf
| line, as we found later, we could not
always effect landing, and nearly al
| ways got a good wetting. Our three
| big bull skins were loaded on board
| during these first two days; and [ do
| not believe there was time during
| the remainder of our stay when we
could have got one of these big skins
off to the vessel whole, as the sea came
on rough, and the way the surf rolled
in was frightful. We worked steadily
until June s, getting five skins and one
skeleton on board; and losing four
skins which we had ready to get
aboard the vessel; the rough sea had
delayed our landing at times and the
heat of the sun spoiled them.
On the eighth, the sea became so
rough and the wind so strong, that we
were obliged to seek the shelter of
our friendly lee-port, in the making of
which we were caught in woelie -
and had our sails badly damaged. Our
poor captain was much worried during
these strenuous days of wind and wave,
and his shakings of the head and ex-
carnations such as: 5tCaramba! mucha
viento, Senior, muy malo!' were numer
Gus and gloomy.
On the tenth, the weather and sea
looking favorable, we sailed back to
the seal beach and were fortunate in
just getting to an anchorage as night
fell. About a half mile north of the
beach were some large caves in the
rock walls rising from the sea. These
caves were somewhat protected from
the wrath of wind and wave, and to
them, in the toughest weather and at
night, the seals would retreat. Here,
too, it was possible sometimes to land
beach. The waters in these caves
seemed to abound with tiny sardines,
not more than two inches long. On
examining the stomachs of some of
the seals, judged these fish to be their
entire food.
It was very interesting to watch. the
big bulls come out of the water onto
the beach. They would head straight
up to the shore, wait for a particularly
large wave, then elevating their hind
fippers and holding them together SC
as TO make fan-shaped obstruction
to the water, they allowed the wave
to carry them onto the beach a short
distance, and this was repeated sever
al times to permit them to get hold
with their front fippers. Aided by the
hitching motion of the cartilaginous
ribs they would crawl to the dry sands,
shaking like a great mold of gelatine,
the hitching motion being not unlike
that of huge inch worms. The pro-
boscis of a large bull is about eighteen
inches from eye to tip. The animal
has the power of Initiating this elon-
gated nose; when SO inflated. it much
resembles the nose Of a moose. The
cows are much simmer than the males
and they lack the pendant nose; their
h-black color and very soft. The
largest cow killed was about twelve
feet in length.
We remained here until the thir-
teenth; then, having a total of ten
specimens, and pleased with the result
of our trip to date and anxious to be
safely in the United States with our
cargo, we set sail for San Quentin,
scudding down the westerly shore and
rounding the south end of the island
in half a gale. That evening we ran
into very choppy sea, one big wave
hitting our port bow, spinning our lit
tie craft around like top and half
filing the cabin with water. The morn
ing of the twentieth found US becalmed
off the mainland, twenty miles south
of the San Quentin bar. During this
morning we were entertained by sew
eral big whales which disported them
selves in the waters about us, one big
old sulphur bottom coming danger
ously close.
1t took us until the afternoon of the
twenty-frst to make the bar, and here
we had to drop anchor to allow the st.
Denis to pass out on her way north. |
had been hoping to gets to San QUEEN
tin in time to catch the st. Denis this
trip and was much chagrined to see
her steaming off without us, as I knew
it meant wait of twenty days before
could get north. In trying to tack
up the channel that night by moon
light, we ran the Freia aground in six
feet of water, and with the ebbing
tide she gradually keeled over on her
side. I spent wakeful night with an
eye to preventing accidents. By morn
ing she had righted and high tide al
lowed US to proceed on our way and at
~