Then he called to the crew to get ashore as there was no danger; but the men were afraid to risk it, the other sea lions being greatly excited, and Boyton began to remove the skin as best he could without assistance.

The only way to do it was to run the knife along the stomach and cut away the blubber, rolling the skin back as he did so.

He took out the entrails and flesh, so that instead of removing the skin, he really hewed the body out of it, throwing the offal into the sea.

While the cutting was going on all appeared to go well with the other sea lions that were swarming about in a great state of excitement; but when he chopped at the flippers or any bony obstruction with the hatchet, they leaped on to the rock in such numbers that he had to shoot into them to frighten them away.

After two hours or so of hard work lie had the body with the exception of the head and flippers out of the skin.