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And just as he was going to roll the speaker over, a couple of black-haired men with flat red faces came from behind a sand dune, and Kotick, who had never seen a man before, coughed and lowered his head. The holluschickie just bundled off a few yards and sat staring stupidly. The men were no less than Kerick Booterin, the chief of the seal-hunters on the island, and Patalamon, his son.
At any moment a cruiser might swoop down and hale the crew away to Siberia. The fate of other poaching seal-hunters was too well known to the men of the Mary Thomas, and there was cause for grave faces. "Mine friends," spoke up a German boat-steerer, "it vas a pad piziness.
Notwithstanding the rain, I was anxious to push on and grope our way beneath the clouds as best we could, in case worse weather should come; but Charley was ill at ease, and wanted one of the seal-hunters to go with us, for the place was much changed. I promised to pay well for a guide, and in order to lighten the canoe proposed to leave most of our heavy stores in the hut until our return.
Many do become exceedingly expert, others moderately so; but some there are who, although very fair seal-hunters, never become experts in the management of the kayak, and who, in cases of great difficulty, are apt to be lost during the seasons of seal-fishing.
Three streams of clear water flow in at the heads of the arms mentioned, and a small island lies near their junction. There are three cabins in a sheltered cove on the east shore about a mile from the entrance a rendezvous for the native seal-hunters and fishermen.
Four months later the schooner returned laden with skins, left the seal-hunters fresh provisions, went off again, and never came back! Whether it had been shipwrecked, or whether the captain had abandoned his sailors, it was impossible to ascertain.
It was from them that the great bellowing went up. "A rookery!" I cried. "Now are we indeed saved. There must be men and cruisers to protect them from the seal-hunters. Possibly there is a station ashore." But as I studied the surf which beat upon the beach, I said, "Still bad, but not so bad.
At any moment a cruiser might swoop down and hale the crew away to Siberia. The fate of other poaching seal-hunters was too well known to the men of the Mary Thomas, and there was cause for grave faces. "Mine friends," spoke up a German boat-steerer, "it vas a pad piziness.
She was a seal-hunter before this gold expedition got her. And seal-hunters had to sail. They've run away from second class Russian cruisers more than once up there off Siberia. "Honestly, if I'd dreamed of the chance waiting for me at Guvutu when I bought her for less than three hundred dollars, I'd never have gone partners with you. And in that case I'd be sailing her right now."
In order to give a picture of our life as it was at this time, I will quote a day from my diary. March 25 Saturday: "Beautiful mild weather, +6.8° F. all day. Very light breeze from the south-east. Our seal-hunters the party that came home from 81° S. were out this morning, and brought back three seals. This makes sixty-two seals altogether since their return on March 11.
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