Year: 1876

THE SEAL FISHERY.


How the Seals are Caught--Incidents Of the
Work---Danger ali Around.


An interesting letter on the seal fishery
| is published in the World. The writer
gives the following incidents of the
work


The aim of the hunters is to reach the
young seals which he Graded on the ice,
in "patches or groups, somewhere in
the vast ice covered area extending be-
tween two and three hundred miles
from our shores. There they lie during
the first four or five weeks of their exist.
ence, fed by their mothers milk, and
growing fat at an enormous rate. Armed
with their "gaffs or iron bound clubs,
the seal hunters on getting among the
"white coats leap on the ice, and then
commences the " slaughter of the inno-
cents" A blow on the nose from the
"gaff" stuns or kills the young sea-,
and instantly the knife is at work; the
skin and adhering fat are detached with
amazing rapidity from the carcass, which
is left on the Ice, still quivering with
life, while the fat and skin alone are car
ried off. The fact that each seal
slaughtered is worth S3 gives zest and
energy to the bloody work. Fancy the
crew of one of our largest steamers,
Numbering three hundred, on an ice
field, eagerly carrying on their murder
GUS work; their persons smeared with
blood and fat, the ice stained with gore
and dotted with the skinless carcasses OF
the slain; the shivering seals low
moans," like the cries of babies in dis
tress, filing tho air. The shouts of the
hunters; the blows of the "gafs as
they dispatch their victims; the blood
that covers the hands and arms OF the
men and stains the virgin snow; the car
casses denuded of skin and fat, and yet
palpitating with warm life, as they are
flung on the ice; the eager, exultant
hunters, staying, "sculping," hauling
the loads of fat to the ship-what scene
amid these ice solitudes of the ocean,
with the bright SUN in the heavens Light
ing up the gittering pinnacles and far
spreading fields of ice. On the deck
men are moving about knee-deep in fat
and blood, as there the pelts are piled
previous to being slowed under the
matches when cooled. The hunters ar
rive with their loads of fat, snatch q
hasty moment to drink bowl of tea,
and are off presently in search OF new
victims.


The DOOR mother seals, now cubless,
are seen popping their heads up in the
small lakes of water, anxiously looking
for their snow-white darlings, and refus-
ing to believe that the bloody carcasses
on the ice are all that remains of their
tender offspring. With moan of dis
tress they plunge into the water, as If
anxious to escape from scene polluted
by the ensanguined trail of the hunters.
The maternal instinct is very strong In
the seals. The mothers remain near
their young, fishing in the neighbor-
hood, and returning occasionally to give
them suck. It is o most curious fact
that when the ice is unbroken each
mother seal has it's own hole by which
it reaches the water, and which it takes
care to keep from freezing. On return
ing from a fishing excursion extending
over fifty or q hundred miles, each is
able to find its own hole and, among
thousands of others, at once to distin-
guish its own snow-white cub-hy the
sense of smell, it is believed-which it
proceeds to fondle and suckle. This is
one of the most wonderful achievements
of animal instinct. The young are scat
tered in myriads on the ice, and during
the absence of the mothers the ice, borne
on the current, has shifted its position
many miles-yet each is aple to find her
own ice hole and to pick out her own
darling from the immense herd with un-
erring accuracy.


At times the hunters have to push for
ward over the ice two or three miles
from the vessel in pursuit OF the seals,
and should fog or snow storm set In
there is terrible risk of losing their
way and perishing miserably on these
ice deserts, or of falling through the
openings which are covered with snow.
Sometimes the ice field on which they
are at work separates without q mo-
ment's warning, and they are foated OH
to lie down and die on the ice, unless
rescued by some other vessel OF the
fleet. Or perhaps furious northeastern
blows, "rafting the ice or piling the
huge blocks one upon another all around
the imprisoned ship, andat length crush
ing her like nutshell and leaving the
unhappy sealers shivering and perishing
with hunger on the floating ice fields.
Sometimes their sufferings are very
great, but ON the whole, such are their
skill and fortitude in meeting all emer-
gencies, and such their acquaintance
with the manners and movements Of the
ice, that comparatively few mishsps 90
cur. The very dangers of the seal hunt
present an irresistible charm of excite
ment to these daring men who have
been nurtured amid such perils. Be-
sides, it is thus they win the bread for
their wives and little ones at home; and
how happy to be able to enter port
with enough to keep the wolf from the
door and gladden. the hearts OF those
who on shore are longing and praying
for their success.