A Raid on the Seal Rookeries

The tale was told by a hunter bold
Of a sealing schooner's crew,
Of a midnight raid where the breakers played
On reefs that the offing strew.

"In Behring Sea they tell," said he,
"How Hansen, in the 'Adele,'
Waiting for night, with never a light,
Dared the reefs and ocean swell.

"A rascal bold, in misdeeds grown old,
He had raided far and wide;
But never before in the sealers' lore
Had the Pribilof[1] reefs been tried.

"But an Aleut[2], by his sealskin boot
And the grave of his father, swore
For a keg of booze and a pair of shoes
To sell their secret, and more.

"So Hansen knew to a yard or two
Where the hidden ledges ran;
And the breakers' roar on the reefs and shore
Were guides to the daring man.

"The trailing kelp and a flash might help
Where the phosphorus burned bright,