"Now, Nell," he said, on landing, "carry this bait out to sea as far as
the line will let you, lay it on the water, an' then pull back into yon
cove, and see that you hide the boat an' yourselves well, and keep
quiet. You mustn't even talk, Peggy! Yon fellow will soon be back."
Nellie did exactly as she was directed; and then her husband, holding
the shore-end of the line, concealed himself among the rocks.
He was right about the bird. Ere long, it was seen returning, and soon,
on motionless, expanded wings, it hovered over the rocky point. Then it
caught sight of the floating bait. With a majestic swoop, it dived,
caught it up, and next moment was flouncing wildly about, hooked by the
tongue, while Bob Massey hauled in the line. He had provided himself
with a stick, and when the huge bird came within reach he felled it, to
the immense delight of the watchers in the cove, who had already begun
to smell savoury soup by anticipation!
While these were thus engaged, the sealing party was even more
successful in the opposite direction. They had not gone half-a-dozen
miles when they sighted a group of seals, sleeping--or sunning
themselves--on a flat rock, near high-water mark.
"Now, then, Hercules, lead the way with your club," said the doctor to
Joe Slag, in a whisper. Joe at once shouldered his weapon and led the
party round by some sheltering rocks, so as to get between the seals and
the sea; then, rushing forward in a body, they took the creatures by
surprise, and intercepted two of them. On coming to close quarters,
however, they found that the seals were much more formidable to look at
than anything that any of them had ever seen in the Arctic Seas; and
when Joe brought his club down on the skull of the foremost with a
terrible thwack, it refused to tumble over, but continued to splutter
and flounder towards the sea. Dr Hayward, however, used his spear at
this moment with such effect that the seal fell, and another blow from
the Herculean club finished its career.
As this animal was about half-a-ton in weight, they left it on the beach
with the intention of cutting off some steaks on their return, and
sending the boat round afterwards to fetch the remainder of the carcass.
Considerably elated by their success, they pushed on. In a valley which
led towards the interior hills they found fresh tracks of goats, and saw
one of those animals in the distance. Rabbits were also seen, but none
killed at that time. They had not gone far into this valley, when a
most interesting discovery was made. On opening up a new turn in the
valley they came on the ruins of a hut.
With feelings of profound interest, they entered--for there was no door
to bar their progress--and gazed around on the silent, mouldering walls.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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