unt, and the seals would have
been driven from the ice and beyond range of the guns.

Now, each armed with a rifle, and Bobby with a harpoon, they stole down
toward the seals, crawling toward them, Bobby now and again emitting a
"_Hough! Hough_!" in imitation of the coughing bark of the seals, until
they approached quite near. Then, almost simultaneously, they fired,
and, springing up, ran forward. Two seals had been shot clear through
the head, and lay dead on the ice, but the other, though wounded, had
slipped into the water. Bobby drew his harpoon, and holding it poised
waited, until presently a dozen feet away the wounded seal came
struggling to the surface. In a flash the harpoon flew from the young
hunter's hand and struck its mark, and with the assistance of Skipper Ed
and Jimmy he drew it to the ice.

These seals were of a species which they called "harps," because of the
peculiar, harp-shaped markings on their back; and of the hair variety,
for none of the valuable fur seals inhabits north Atlantic waters. The
skins, however, when dressed into leather by Mrs. Abel, would prove of
splendid quality for boot tops, or, when dressed without removing the
hair, would supply them with many articles of clothing for their
comfort.

The day was terribly cold--Skipper Ed judged that the temperature must
have stood at least at fifty degrees below zero, and that even the
temperature of the sea water, where it was unfrozen, was well below the
freezing point. Once or twice, indeed, in spite of their enthusiasm, the
hunters retired to the _igloo_, where a lamp was kept burning, to warm
themselves.

Late that afternoon Jimmy wounded a seal on an ice pan, and it went into
the water. He seized a harpoon, but when the seal rose to the surface it
was so far away that the line could not reach it.

"Here!" shouted Bobby, laying down his gun and grabbing a paddle which
he had brought from Itigailit Island for such an emergency, "jump on
this pan. I'll paddle you out where you can get him."

They sprang upon a small pan, and, utilizing it as a raft, Bobby paddled
a few yards.

"There! There!" shouted Bobby. "There he is. He's most dead. You can get
him!"

Jimmy jumped to the side of the pan upon which Bobby was kneeling with
his paddle, and poising the harpoon was about to cast it when the pan,
too heavily weighted on that side, began slowly to turn. Bobby did not
see this, but Jimmy did.

"Don't move!" shouted Jimmy. "Stay