Page:Castaway on the Auckland Isles (IA castawayonauckla01musg).pdf/45

Rh line was only 35 fathoms long, and in many places I could not get bottom.

On Monday we went to Figure-of-Eight Island. We did not find the seals as numerous as previously; the day being very fine, and it being flood tide when we were there, no doubt they were fishing. We took a bull and cow seal, both yearlings, very large and fat. During the week the barometer has been very high; on Wednesday it was at 30⋅36, to-day it is 29⋅50; thermometer, 51°.

Sunday, May 1, 1864.—We now enter upon another month of imprisonment, which is commencing with bad weather. During the last three days it has been blowing a very heavy gale of wind, between S.W. and W.N.W. Sometimes there is a lull for about four hours, and then it comes on with great fury. The squalls are terrific, and accompanied with hail or rain. Sometimes the hills are quite white, but it soon disappears. The last month, on the whole, we had exceedingly fine weather—much finer than any we had at midsummer; but I suppose we may now expect winter to set in in earnest.

On Wednesday we went to the island for fresh meat. There was not a great number of seals on shore. It was flood tide, and I find that this is their fishing time. They are more numerous on shore during the ebb tide. They appear to assemble in greater numbers on the island than anywhere else, exactly at the head of the western arm, which is too far away for us to visit them there; but we also know many other places where they camp. Certain mobs collect and camp on their own particular ground, and also keep together in the water, but do not confine themselves to any particular part of the harbour. This I have ascertained from observations. There is one seal which we all know particularly well wherever we see him; he appears to be the king of the mob which belong to Figure-of-Eight Island. He is a very large dark coloured bull, of the tiger breed; we have named him Royal Tom. He is not at all afraid of us when we see him on shore; if