Cape Breton's Magazine

the northeast. They had to have a rope between the kitchen door and the lighthouse. And I had to hold onto that to get to the lightkeeper. But we were young. It was an adventure. We liked it all right. In the spring, this time, we went after seals, on the north side. We got 400 seals that spring. We I had a sheath knife in our belt, and a club • and when you'd see a seal you'd club him across the nose and sell him. That's the way we done that. We'd pelt them right there. We had an old New? foundlander, he was a sealman • he used to go seal? ing on the schooners. And he showed us how to sculp them and leave the fat right on the hide. We'd clip them in the tow. We'd lace a rope through the eyes. Well, if they were heavy or big, four would be a load to haul on the ice, you know. It was slippery, of course, the fur was slippery, and that's the way we used to get them into the land. You had to go way out on the ice. You'd have to go out and get among the seal • they were thick, thousands of them. Once we got on an ice floe and were drifting, but they got us off • me and a fellow named John Dauphney, lightkeeper from the southwest. The boss saw us and got a boat out to us, I think I had five pelts on a '.. . -'-..,--. drag that time. Jack Nicholson Then you'd take the pelts and put them ashore. Put them up on the cliffs, here and there and everywhere. Then when the ice would go, in the spring, we took the surf- boat around and picked them all up. It was a big boat, something like a lifeboat, but the oars were 16 feet long. There was no talk of motor boats them days • just Frank McKnight Ltd. Everything Musical " 279 Charlotte Street Sydney 539-5030 Frank McKnight Ltd. Everything Musical " Fully Licensed and Air Conditioned Carol Ann Restaurant Ingonish BAY LUMBER YARD Rough & Dressed Lumber All Sizes 295-2780, Baddeck Sydney Motors Ltd. 2'3 "Your yOLVO Dealer" Cyoi:?voj) Corner George & Townsend Streets >-' Dial 564-5443 or 564-5441 PHARMACY ONE-STOP-SHOPPING for Health & Beauty Operated by Mansons 70 Years of Service 564-8151 lEETHIIESIOBELID For the finest quality tartans and other imported woolen fabrics, soft woolen and cashmere sweaters, china and pottery and lots of unusual gift items THB WHITE STORE on the Bras d*Or Lakes Baddeck Cape Breton*s Magazine/14 HTou>rr) THE WHITE STORE GIFT SHOP in the Cape Breton Highlands Ingonish