Page:Castaway on the Auckland Isles (IA castawayonauckla01musg).pdf/23

Rh week; he is our blacksmith, and makes nails for us. We are very badly off for tools; all we have got is a hammer, an axe, an adze, and a gimblet.

Tuesday, January 19, 1864.—Light easterly airs and cloudy weather during the last two days. This morning we went down the harbour in the boat and planted a flagstaff, with a large canvas flag on it, where it may be seen from the sea, and we tied a bottle to it, with a note inside it, directing anyone who may see it where to find us. We then went up to the western arm of the harbour to its head, which is about ten or eleven miles from the eastern entrance. Here we found a narrow passage out to sea, on the western side of the island. The passage out on the western side is about three quarters of a mile long, and a quarter cable's length wide. We did not think it prudent to enter this passage with the boat, as the tide was rushing rapidly through it, and there was a heavy swell running, and breaking on both sides. It runs nearly north and south, the south end opening to the sea—I should suppose not far from the South Cape.

At this place we saw hundreds of seals; both the shores and the water were literally swarming with them, both the tiger and black seal; but in general the tiger seals keep one side of the harbour, and the black seals, which are much the largest, the other side. But in one instance we saw a black and a tiger seal fighting. They were at it when we first saw them. We watched them about half an hour, and left them still hard at it; they fight as ferociously as dogs, and do not make the least noise, and with their large tusks they tear each other almost to pieces.

We also saw a sea-lion; he was very large, and he had been fighting, and his neck and back were lacerated in a most fearful manner; large pieces of hide and flesh were torn off, perhaps a foot long, and four or five inches wide. We were close to him; he sat and looked at us in the boat with all possible coolness and unconcern, and we did not molest him, as we have got two carcases salted down, and