o
122 L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
* hi” ’ rwhere the m m was more °pen- A sH fpot.was M ;
ceffible by any other path, excepting where this champion had'
placed himfeif, the dogs, though they run up-hill with great ala*
cnty yet when, they came within about twenty yards o f him,
they found they durft not encounter him (for he would infallibly
have driven them down the precipice); but gave over the cbace,
and quietly laid themlelves down,, panting at a great rate Thefe
dogs, who, are mailers o f all the acceffible parts, of the Iiland are
of various kinds, feme, o f them.very large, and are multiplied to a
prodigious degree. They fometimes came down to our habitations
at night,, and Role our provifion ; and once or twice they fet
upon filigle perfons | but, affiftance being at hand, they were driven,,
o ff, without doing any mifchief. As, at prefent, it is rare for aoatsr
to fall in their way, we conceived that they lived principally upon-
youngfeals; and, indeed, fome o f our people' had the curiofity to ,
kill dogs Ibmetimes, and drefs them, and it feemed to be agreed,
that they had a fifty talfe.
i B s M as 1 have mentioned, beingTearee, we rarely being-;
/ , ■ , 1 i fu 'n iH ’ aud ou-r people growing tired of fift ,
(which, as I.ftall hereafter oblerve, abound atthis p lL ) , they, at.
laft, condefcended to eat feals, which,by degrees, they came to re -'
t i d aUb rb Itr Bland hath.been foa.mofrbt'e n Tmheen tHioned n bUym fboerrm3 er wWrihtiecrhs ,B that Uit ia ,
unneceffary to, fay any thing particular about them in this .place.
But there is another, amphibious creature to-be met .with here ’
called a. fea-lion, that bears Tome refemblance to-.a feal, .though it ■
is much larger. This too we eat, under the denomination^ beef • '
and as it-is fo extraordftaty an animal, I conceive.it well-merits^
a particular defcnption. They are in fize,.when arrived.at. their -
t: l r r th’ ft°m t7 elVe t0 tWCnty feet hl lei,S*> and fro“ eight,
o.fifteen in circumference: they ate extremely fat, fo that after
havmg cut through the ftin, wliich is about an.inch in th ic k iS f "
« bones' a id ; ° f fat, before y° U Can come * either lean ,
or b ones, and we, experienced, mote, than once, that the fat o f .
foma.