The Springdale news. [volume] (Springdale, Ark.) 1887-1990, 1909-03-30

BILE, sometimes even sounds unnoticed
by ourselves, were enough to send
them into the water. There they lined
up just outside the surf, their sleek
heads glossy with the wet, their calm,
soft eyes fixed unblinkingly on us.
1t was useless to shoot them in the
water They sank at once.
When, however, we succeeded in
gaining an advantageous position 1T
was necessary to shoot with extreme
accuracy. A bullet directly through
the back of the head would Kill clean
ly. A hit anywhere else was practical
~ useless, for even In death the anil
mails seemed TO retain enough blind.
instructive vitality to fop them into the
water There they were lost.
Each rookery consisted of one ire
mendous bull who officiated apparent
ly as the standing army. number of
smaller bulls. his direct descendants:
the cows and pups. The big bull held
his position by force OF arms. Oeca-
sionally other unattached bulls would
come swimming by. on arriving op-
posite the rookery the stranger would
utter peculiar challenge. 1t was
never refused by the resident cham
pion, who promptly slid into the sea
and engaged battle. If he conquered,
the stranger went on his way. If,
however, the stranger won, the big
bull Immediately struck out to sea,
abandoning his rookery, while the
newcomer swan in and attempted to
make his title good with all the young
er bulls. | have seen some fierce COM
bats out there In the blue water. They
gashed each other deep.
You can see by this how our hunt
lug was never at an end. On Tuesday
we would kill the boss bull of GER
tain establishment. By Thursday a
latest another would be installed.
learned curious facts about seals III
those days. The hunting did not ap
peal to me particularly, because II
seemed to me useless to kill so large
an animal for so small spoil Still
1t was means TO my all absorbing
end, and | confess that the stalking
the lying belly down on the sun warm
ed grass over the surge and under the
clear sky WAS extremely pleasant
While awaiting the return of the big
bull often we had opportunity TO
watch the others at their daily affairs,
and even the unresponsiye Thrackles
was struck with their almost human
intelligence. Did you know that seals
kiss each other and weep tears when
grieyedf
The men often discussed among
themselves the narrow, dry cave There
the animals Were practically penned
III. They agreed that great killing
could be made there, but the impossi-
btlity of distinguishing between the
bulls and the cows deferred them The
cave WAS quite dark
Immersed Ill our own affairs thus.
the days, weeks and months went by.
Events had slipped beyond my con
troll. had embarked on q journals
tic enterprise. and now that purpose
was entirely out Of my reach.
Up the valley Or Schermerhorn and
his assistant We're engaged In some ex
pertinent of whose very nature | was
still ignorant. also | WIS likely To re
main So The precautions taken
against Interference by the men We're
equally effective against me. As II
that We're hot enough, any move of
investigation on my part would be
radically misinterpreted and TO my
own danger by the men. | might rs
we'll have been in London
However, as to my first purpose in
this adventure | had evolved another
plan and therefore was content.
made up my mind that on the voyage
home, II nothing prevented, would
tell my story 10 Percy barrow and
throw myself on his mercy. The re
suits of the experiment would proba-
bly, by then be ready for the public
and there was no reason, as far as
could see. why | should not get the
scoop at first hand
Certainly my sincerity would be
without question, and hoped that
two years or more of service such as
| had rendered would tickle DR. Scher-
merhorn's sense of his own impor-
lance So adequate did this plan
seem TINT | gave up thought on the
subject
My whole life now lay on the shores
l was not again permitted to board
the Laughing Lass Captain Selover
| saw twice at distance Both times
he seemed to be rather uncertain The
men did not remark It. The days
went by. relapsed into that state SO
well known to you all when one seems
| caught in the meshes of dream ex=
istence which has had no beginning
and which is destined never to have
an end.
We We're to hunt seals and fish and
pry bivalves from the rocks at low
| tide and build fires and talk and al
| ternate between suspicion and securi.
| ty, between the danger of sedition and
the insanity of men without defined
purpose, world without end forever.