124 L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
the freffi-water dreams; and, when not employed in feeding*
fleep m herds in the mod miry places they can find out. As they
feem to be o f a very lethargic difpofition, and are hot eafily
awakened, each herd was obferved to place feme of their males at
a diftance, in the nature of fentinels, who never failed to alarm
them, whenever any one attempted to moleft, or even to approach
them ; and they were very capable of alarming, even at a confi-
derable diftance ; for the noife they make is very loud, and o f different
kinds, fometimes grunting like hogs, and at other times'
fnbrting like horfes in full vigour. They often, efpecklly the
males, have furious battles with each other, principally about their
females; and we were one day extremely furpiized by the fight
of two animals, which at firft appeared different from all we had’
ever obferved ; but, on a nearer approach, they proved to be two-
fea-lions, who had been goring each other with their teeth, and
were covered over with blood : and the Bafhaw before-mentioned,
who. generally lay furrounded with a feraglio of females, which
no other male dared to approach, had not acquired that envied preeminence
without many bloody contefts, of which the marks ffill
remained in the numerous fears which were vifiblein every part of
his body. We killed many of them for food, particularly for
their hearts and tongues, which we efteemed exceeding good eating,
and preferable even to thofe of bullocks : in general, there
was no difficulty in killing them ; for they were incapable either
of efcaping or refilling, as their motion is the moft unweildy that
can be conceived; their blubber, all the time they are moving,
being agitated in large waves under their lkins. However, a fail or
one day being carelefsly employed in lkinning a young fea-lion, the-
female, from whence he had taken it, came upon him unperceived;,
and getting his head in her mouth, fhe with her teeth feared his
Ikull in notches in many places, and thereby wounded him lb de-
fperately, that, though all poffible care was taken of him, he died
in a few days.
Thefe
Thêfe are fhe principal animals which we found upon the
Ifland ; for we faw but few birds, and thofe chiefly Hawks, blackbirds,
owls, 2nd humming-birds- We fa.w not the Pardela,
which burrows in the ground, and which former writers have
mentioned to be found here ; hut, a's we often met with, their
holes, we fuppofed that fhe dogs hàd déftroyed them, as they have
almoft done the cats : for thefe were very numerous in Selkirk's
timè’; but we faw not above one or two during our whole Ray.
However, the rats Hill keep their ground, and continue here .in
great numbers, and were very frdublefome to us by infefting. our
tents nightly.
But that, which furnilhed us with the moft delicious repafts at
this Ifland, remains ftiil to be defcribed. This w;aS the fifti, with
which the whole bay was moft plentifully ftôred, and with the
greateft variety.: for we found here’ cod of a prodigious' fizè, and
by the report of fome of our crew, who'haft-been formerly’ employed
in the Newfoundland fifhery, not in lefs plenty than is to be
met with on the banks of that Ifland. We caught alfb cavallies,
gropers, large breams, maids, filver fifti, Congers of a peculiar:,
kind, and, above all, a black fifti, which we moft efteemed, called
by fome a Chimney-fweeper, in fhape refemhling a carp. The
beach, indeed, is every where fo full of rocks and loofe Hones, that
there is no poffibility of haling the feyne ; but with hooks and
lines we caught what numbers we pleafed, fo that a boat with two
or three lines would return* loaden with fifti in about two or three
hours time. The only interruption we ever met with arofe from
great quantities o f dog-fiffi and large (harks, which fometimes
attended our boats, and prevented our (ports. Befides the fifti we
have already mentioned, we found here one delicacy in greater
perfection, both as to fize, flavour,, and quantity, than is, perhaps,
to be met with in any other part o f the world : this was a fea-
cra-fifh ; they generally weighed eight or nine pounds - apiece,
were of a moft excellent tafte, and lay in fuch abundance near the
.'I ; | | \.i 5 ' water’s