Tom and
Robbie ran after one of the others, while the largest seal, which I
had marked as my own prize, managed to escape me and plunge into
the sea. I then turned to encounter the seal that the dog and
Willie Hercus had arrested. Willie, having no stick or harpoon, was
throwing large stones at the animal, which seemed to pay little
attention to them, but kept its large, beautiful eyes fixed upon
the dog. One of the stones, unfortunately, struck Selta, and when
she turned, the seal made its way past. I saw the movement and
succeeded in striking the seal on the nose with my knobbed stick.
The animal collapsed at once; its head dropped on the sand, and it
moved no more.
Meanwhile Robbie and Tom, who had my harpoon, were having a hard
fight. Their seal had been struck once with the harpoon on the left
shoulder. Tom tried to intercept its retreat, and just as it was
entering the water he fell down upon it with all his weight, at the
same time grasping its wounded flipper in his two hands. The seal,
though weak, drew him some way over the slippery stones and into
the sea; but Tom proved victor. Rising on his knees in the water,
he wrapped both his arms round the seal, and, with the assistance
of Rosson, succeeded in carrying it ashore, where it was finally
killed.
We had heavy work conveying our two seals up the beach to the place
where we had left our dead bird; and there with our knives we
proceeded to secure the skins and the blubber, leaving the
carcasses behind for the cormorants and carrion crows.
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