Part 11 (1/2)
”In the first place, the sexes of the hair or common seal are the same size, not like the fur seal, where the sea-catch is four or five tier than the female Then they don't breed in harems and the male hair seal does not stay on shore A fur seal sith his fore flippers, a true seal with his hind flippers A fur seal stands upright on his fore flippers, a hair seal lies supine A fur seal has a neck, a hair seal has practically none A fur seal naturally has fur, the hair seal has no undercoat whatever A pup fur seal is black, a pup hair seal is white Different? Obviously! Pity the old name 'sea bear' died out
It would have prevented confusion between fur seal and true seal”
With this beginning, the agent passed into a detailed description of the anatomy of the two different kinds of seal, and wound up with an earnest panegyric of his fur seal faent had completed his earnest defense of the sea bear, lest it should be confused with the rounds, where the natives were awaiting the agent's word to begin their work He stepped up to the fore and with him looked over the first 'pod'
of about fifty that had been selected for killing, noting one or two that looked either too young or too old or with fur in bad condition, and these points settled, he gave the word to begin
The 'pod' of seals was surrounded by eight , the thickness of a baseball bat at one end and three inches in diameter at the other Behind hi-knife, and whetstone At the word the killing began Each native brought down his club siht, thin bones of the fur seal's skull and stretching it out unconscious The six or seven seals that fell to each man's share were clubbed in less than a minute for the lot
The Aleuts then dropped their clubs and dragged out the stunned seals so that no one of the-knives, drove them into the hearts of the seals between the fore flippers In no case did Colin see any evidence that the seal had felt a ent, ”watch this, if you like seeing skilful work
Skinning has got to be done rapidly Precisely! Else the seal will 'heat' and spoil the fur”
Watching the native nearest to hi it squarely on its back Then hestrokes--all so expert and accurate that not a slip was made with the knife, nor was any blubber left on the skin In less than twoon the carcass nothing but a srows, the insignificant tail, and the coarse hide of the flippers
The whole sight was a good deal like butchery, and Colin felt a little unco fro your pardon, Mr Nagge,” he called, holding his handkerchief to his nose, ”but that's too ent turned and noticed his departure He called back to the boy:
”Do you see that low hill? To the right of that ruined hut?”
”Yes,” Colin responded
”Just below that are some sea-lions! Go and take a look at the But you'll have to stalk theet close,” he added, ”they're shy I'll ht to be hungry by then”
”I will be, then,” Colin responded cheerfully, adding under his breath, as he glanced back over his shoulder at the killing-grounds, ”but I'litter ild flowers, poppies, harebells, ht the lad to the top of the hill There he paused a moment, to look over the island, treeless save for ds six inches high and a ground-dwelling form of crowberry Below him, and son of vantage they looked so big and ht not stalk hi the, however, he found himself at the bottom of the cliff, and made his way as carefully as he could to the sea-lion rookery But when he did coet a fair view, he was inclined to think that shyness was the last idea he would have gained from the looks of sea-lions Near him, almost erect on his fore flippers, was an old bull, a tre not less than fifteen hundred pounds
Apart fro creature than the sea-catch; the tawny chest and grizzled ave him a true lion-like look, and an upturned ainst the allittered at the intruder The fee as a six-year-old bull seal
Wanting to see so froress on land, Colin threw a stone at a pup sea-lion as asleep on a rock close by
But the boy was utterly unprepared for the result, for no sooner did the huge sea-lion realize his advance as he strode forward to throw the stone, than it was smitten with panic When, moreover, it heard the 'crack' of the pebble as it hit a rock behind him, the cowardly creature ith fear, and made convulsive and clu doice in doing so, and finally plunging into the ocean treue At the alar the pups behind, sprawling on the rocks The parents ranged up in a line about fifty feet fro as Colin was in sight He watched the pups for a little while, but they were not nearly as interesting as seals, and he was quite ready to go when his friend hailed him from the top of the hill
”Sea-lions look sort of human in the water, don't they?” remarked Colin as he rejoined his friend, and turned for a farewell glance at the creatures with their upright heads and shoulders and inquisitive look
”The Aleuts say they are,” his friend replied ”They declare their ancestors were sea-lions or seals That's a general belief on the north coast of Scotland and in the Hebrides, too”
”That men came from seals?”
”Certainly What do you suppose started all the mermaid stories? Round head, soft tender eyes, and a fish's tail? Seals! Obviously! And, if you notice old pictures of mermaids the tail is drawn as if it were split in two, just like the two long flippers of the seal”
”I never thought of that before,” said the boy
”You've heard of the Orforde norance