"Do you see those two fellows on that boulder nearest us ?" "Yes," whispered Eric in return, almost breathless with excitement.
"Then, you take the right-hand one, and I will make sure of the one to the left.

Aim low and steadily at the head, for that is the only vital part a ball will reach.

Remember, if you only wound him, he'll slip into the water and dive out of our reach!" "Right you are; I'm ready," was Eric's reply.
"Wait till I give the word, then," said Fritz.
There was a moment of suspense as the boat crept closer to the poor seals, who were playing away, thoughtless of danger, and then-- "Fire!" exclaimed Fritz.
The two murderous rifles, at the same instant, at once belched forth their contents; and, a moment after, the dropped heads of the animals aimed at showed that the respective bullets had accomplished their mission.
"Now, let us push in," cried Fritz, seizing his oar again, when, his brother following his example, they beached the boat in a few strokes.
Then, each taking up a harpoon, they attacked the cluster of animals, killing fifteen before the frightened creatures could escape into their native element, although they came off the rocks with a rush, looking most formidable as they opened their mouths and showed their fangs, emitting the while terrific roars; and, as they waddled in a crowd into the water, they rolled down the brothers with their impetus as if they had been ninepins.
"I don't mind the bruises," said Fritz, picking himself up again with a laugh.

"Not when I have such a sound salve for them as the thought of the oil we'll get out of all the carcases!" "Nor I," chimed in Eric, rubbing his nose ruefully though all the same.
"Think of fifteen--no, seventeen sealskins, counting in the two we shot first on the rocks! They ought to fetch something handsome when we send them to the States, eh ?" "Yes," said Fritz; "but now, out with your knife, laddie! Let us set to work, taking off the pelts while they are still warm." "Right you are," replied Eric; and the two were soon at work, skinning the animals and taking off the layer of blubber which lay immediately beneath the inner lining of the skin--rolling up the greasy and reeking mass of skin and fat together in bundles and placing them in the boat as soon as each seal had his toilet thus attended to.
It was very dirty work and neither was sorry when all the blubber and skins were stowed in the whale-boat; their last care being to roll the poor bodies of the seals now bereft of those coveted coats which had caused their destruction, into the sea.

This was done in order that the remains might not scare away others of the herd from such inhospitable shores.