Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-10-25
CONTINUED from Double Page)


was before the fisheries took
over.
The skipper was pleased as
punch. They'd sighted groups Of
seals swimming nor'west for
days and that promised a good
season. But the Aleut was early
and that showed they wanted to
make a killing and get away
before the government boats
came around.
They went ashore at night.
Mac was surprised 10 see the
Malay all decked out In furs with
them. They could hear the seals
barking and the old bulls roar
ing, and their scent was heavy
h the ice-cold air.
Come on" yelled the old man.
Make for the west. there's a
herd Of bachelors there"
They found about four thous-
and of them all stirring and
grunting a few yards from the
water. Two hundred yards away
the bulls guarded their harems
But every now and then a young
bachelor would flop over andtry
TO nose a cow away from her
group. That meant a fight and
the SCARED old bull, believing
like mad, would founder over
and chop like a tiger at the
young un.
Mac never saw such bloody
battles as those animals put up.
And the cows, little, gentle.
smooth headed things, would
look on with big brown eyes as
II they couldn't understand why
the bulls were fighting - just
like women all over.
Some of the men lit torches
and the drive commenced. The
young bachelors didn't show
much fight. Just grumbled and
floundered up the rise from the
beach. The men ran here and
there like sheep dogs showing
torches at them while they
barked and Topped ahead OF
them.
They got them up a hill about
a quarter mile from the water.
Split EN- up, boys" ordered
the captain.
And they ran among them
until they were separated into
groups of fifteen TO twenty.
Let EN- have it,"
Mac didn't like that Job. Those
)oor beasts didn't have a chance.
The men jumped around looking
like devils with their great clubs
in the blazing torchlight.
The seals would rear up and
show their teeth. then down they'd
go with their heads smashed,
scream and flop about with their
blood steaming and sinking into
the snow. The men were yelling
like fiends, thrashing the sleek
heads, striking out at anything
that moved in the shadows. Mac
took few swipes at the animals,
then, he said, something seemed
to get over him. for he ran into
the groups Of animals, pounding
them until his arm was too weak
20 hold a club
Inside a couple of hours they'd
killed over 900.
Where's that damned Malay ?"
yelled the old man. Get a fire
going and cook some grub"
The men were skinning the
still-warm carcasses and the air
was as full of steam as a laun-
dry. The whole business sickened
Mac.
Then the old man ran up to
him.
Hey, you" he growled. Get
a fire going and cook some ra-
tons. That cooks jumped ship"
Mac worked until he had some
thing fit to eat for the hands.
But they worked all night. And
when the morning came they
were dragging the pelts with the
blubber still underneath in pairs
to the beach. NN|
All day they toiled until the
each was piled. The old bulls
still |courted their cows and more
and more seals came swimming
up to the beach as if there wasn't
a man within a hundred miles.
Then during the afternoon a
half dozen boats came rowing
around a cape and before the
Aleut crew could get going a
gang of husky Russians landed
with guns, clubs and 1 don't