Page:Castaway on the Auckland Isles (IA castawayonauckla01musg).pdf/64

48 may be imagined what an annoyance they are in the summer, as all my descriptions would fail to convey an idea of its extent. It is almost impossible to do anything for them. Yesterday I was repairing the boat, and the sand-flies were so troublesome that I was compelled to take refuge in the house two or three times before I could complete my job. They are worse near the water.

On Monday morning we went up the bay in the boat to try and get a seal, as our fresh meat was just out. We arrived some time before daylight, near a place which we knew was frequented by a mob. We lay in wait until the day began to dawn, when they began to come down to the water, and we had the good fortune to kill four—three young ones, and one cow, which was in calf. We might have got one or two more, had we wanted them. But these were more than we could use whilst fresh. One of them we salted. Our greatest difficulty was to find out where the seals are, for every time we kill any they shift their camp, and I fear much that they will disappear altogether before we get away from this infernal place. We have heard the dogs barking several times during the last week, but we have not seen them. We frequently see their tracks in the woods, but not near the house. I think it very strange that they don't; for I feel convinced that these precise dogs have been left here by some one, for, had male and female been left, there would have been more now.