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Show oE-m-Hnu in LABRADOft. nddfl Many uliles Square Fairly Teemlnj With Seal. Late in February the Newfoundland lealing bteamers break through tho ice In St. John's harbor and make their way to somo northern outposts, lying Uiero until March 10, tho earliest date ea T7bich the law allows them to "go to the ice. " They stand out to sea until they meet the immense fields of ice from the Arctic ocean. Those fields are often many square miles in extent and fairly teem with seals. A great seal hunter told mo that tho sea seemed nddenly converted into an ocean of seals and ice. The stoamer breaks into the jam and float3 with it or skirts along the edge, tho crew, 200 or 800 in number, taking to the floating ice and living there for days and nights. Tho young seals fatten so rapidly that gealers say you can actually see them grow whilo you are looking at them. The poor creatures aro easily killed, a blow with the butt end of a gaff finis. Ing them. Tho hunter then "sculps," or skins them, inserting a sharp knif onder tho fat, and with marvelous dexterity dex-terity taking off tho "pelt" skin and fat together in about a minute and a half. A party of men will "pan" their poits pile them up to the number of about 1,000 and thrust a gaff with tho ship's flag into the pan. When ther& aro pans enough, the steamer breaks into in-to tho ice and hauls them aboard with a donkey winch, or tho men drag then? to the vessel's side. The Newfoundland seal hunters always al-ways speak of seals as "swiles, " and for our word carry they say "spell. " A Echcolmaster who had been listoning to 3 seal hunter'3 story said sneoriugly: "Swiles! How do you spell swiles?' "We don't spell 'em," replied th hunter; "wo most generally hauls 'am!" Gustav Kobbo in St Nicholas |