The seal catcher and the Merman

Once upon a time there was a man who lived in the far north of Scotland. He lived in a little cottage by the sea-shore and made his living by catching seals and selling their fur. He earned a good deal of money in this way, for these creatures used to come out of the sea in large numbers, and lie on the rocks near his house basking on the sunshine, so it was easy to creep behind them and murder them....

Some of these seals were larger than others, and the country people used to call them "Roane" and whisper that they were not seals at all, but mermen and merwomen, who came from a land far down under the ocean. The seal catcher only laughed at this legends and said that it was better to kill bigger seals because he earned more money by selling their furs. On day, while he was doing his dirty job he stabbed a big seal with his hunting-knife and with a cry of pain the creature slipped into the sea and disappeared under the water carrying the knife. The seal killer annoyed by the loss of his knife went home. On his way he met a horseman who was tall and very strange-looking and who rode a very big and beautiful horse. The stranger asked him his trade and on hearing that he was a seal catcher he ordered a big number of seal skins and asked to have them in two hours. "I cannot do it" the killer said "for the seals will not come back to the rocks again until tomorrow morning" "I can show you a place full of seals" answered the stranger "if you will mount behind me on my horse". The seal hunter agreed and climbed up behind the rider. On and on they went flying like the wind until at last they come to the edge of a big precipice. Here the rider stopped and said "get off now". "where are the seals you promised me?" asked the killer, and the stranger answered "you will see presently"... The seal catcher was very frightened by the cold voice of the stranger and by his strange sight.... and his seemed as his fears would prove  true 'cause the stranger's hand was laid behind his shoulder and the hunter fell into the sea.....

To his astonishment the seal catcher realized that the stranger went with him and that his he could breathe under the water..... Down and down they went, nobody knows how far, till at least they arrived to a huge arched door which appeared to be made of pink coral... they entered and arrived to a huge hall, the walls of which were made of mother-of-pearl, and the floor of which was of sea-sand, smooth and yellow....

The hall was crowded of occupants, but they were seals not man and the hunter was terrified to see that also his companion, the stranger had assumed the form of a seal... and by watching to a mirror that hung on the wall he discovered that himself!! he was a nice, brown seal just like the dozen of creatures he had killed before......

The seals were staring him, and in that moment the hunter was sure he was going to die and began to beg for mercy and to cry into the immense blue sea, but the creatures asked him not to be afraid and told him "you have committed many crimes against us and Mother nature but  unlike man we are not to eager to deal out death on judgment....".... and they asked him to follow them,... they arrived in a smaller room where a great brown seal was laying on a bed of pale pink seaweed with a big wound in his side".... "This is my father" told his guide "we are  giving you the opportunity to amend your crimes.." " I brought you here to bind up his wounds, for no other hand than yours can heal him now"

"I have no skill in the art of healing" said the seal catcher "but I will use the best of my power to do it and I am sorry that it was my hands who caused all this".... after he touched the seal the wound seemed to deaden and die leaving only a small scar. The old seal sprang out and said "I forgive you for your crime and I will give you the liberty to return home to your wife and children. My son will take you to them but only on one condition". "And what is it" asked the seal catcher... " That you will take a solemn oath never to wound a seal again", " that I will do right gladly" the seal catcher replied and so he took the required oath...

So he bade the seals farewell, and accompanied by his guide went back toward home... When they arrived to his cottage, the stranger (who was again a tall man" said to the former seal catcher "I give you my last goodbye and a gift" so he handed a bag of pearls to the astonished man and  continued "use it to live in comfort and to  find a new job which respects the rights of the living creatures"

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