METHODS OF TAKING FUR SEALS. 27 



THE TRADING COMPANIES. 



In a few days a schooner representing the firm of Hutchinson, Kohl & Co. also landed repre- 

 sentatives on St. George Island. Not long after the arrival of this second schooner a third, in the 

 interest of the firm of Williams & Haven, landed men on the opposite side of the island, at Zapadni 

 rookery. This firm had headquarters on St. Paul Island. It was impossible for these separate 

 interests to carry on their operations independently, and they therefore placed their business under 

 my charge. Drives were made alternately for the different companies and the natives employed 

 in turn. 



Before the season was well under way a fourth expedition was landed on the south side of the 

 island across the point from East rookery. There were three men in the party, and they set about 

 killing the seals on the rookery without driving them. The natives objected to this because it involved 

 the killing of females. The men were remonstrated with, but were obdurate. One was bribed off by 

 the promise of double wages, but the other two continued their work. They were finally taken 

 prisoners and sent off to Sitka by the first schooner that touched at the island. With them were 

 returned the men brought from Sitka, who were found to be unsnited for the work. When the 

 captain of the schooner whose men were interfered with arrived in the fall for his cargo of skins he 

 was pacified by being allowed to take the results of one big drive made by the natives for his benefit- 



THE WORK OF SEALING. 



The work of sealing was carried out by the natives under the direction of their chief. Repre- 

 sentatives of the different companies did not concern themselves with the work of driving or killing. 

 They simply paid the natives so much per skin 30 to 35 cents payment being made in trade goods. 

 The natives evidently followed the traditions of earlier days in their work. They seemed very jealous 

 and careful of the seals, avoiding any disturbance of the breeding grounds. Their objection to the 

 methods of killing on East rookery was based upon the ground that if the females were killed there 

 would be no seals in the years to come. It is my belief that not a single female was killed on St. 

 George Island during the season, except by the three men above mentioned. Occasionally a female 

 was included in the drive, but it was quickly detected by the natives and released. 



Most of the seals killed were taken from North rookery and Zapadni. No drives were made from 

 Staraya Artel. Only occasional drives were made from East rookery. All the animals were killed on 

 the ground below the village. 



METHODS OF DRIVING. 



The method of driving was to gather up the pods of bachelors from the different hauling grounds 

 and drive them back from the rookeries, dividing them into pods of 150 to 250, and bringing them 

 thus into the village. As the pods were being formed and driven in, the small and large seals 

 unsuited for killing were worked out and released. Each man knocked down his own allowance of 

 seals and skinned them afterwards. Sixty was considered the usual day's work for a man. Practi- 

 cally all the seals driven up were killed. Not more than one seal in ten was rejected. The rule of the 

 companies was that skins too small, too large, or cut would not be accepted or paid for. The 

 sealers were therefore very careful in the work. A day's killing averaged from 800 to 1,800. There 

 were about thirty available men among the natives. 



Of the conditions 011 St. Paul I heard only indirectly through the representatives of Williams 

 & Haven, who in their work were evidently directed by instructions from the head station on St. 

 Paul, where the same methods were probably employed. The Williams & Haven and Hutchinson, 

 Kohl & Co.'s interests were supreme on St. Paul Island, and they divided the rookeries between them. 



To the best of my recollection 115,000 were taken on St. George and 250,000 on St. Paul during 

 the season. Prior to this season it was understood that for several years no seals had been killed. In 

 1869 no skins were taken, except a few from seals killed for food for the natives. The privilege of 

 taking these skins was given to Hutchinson, Kohl & Co., who, owning the principal salt houses and 

 stores on the islands, were allowed to visit them to care for their property. Parrott & Co. sent a 

 schooner to St. George to take off the skins which had been left over, but they took no new skins. 



RUSSIAN METHODS. 



The testimony of Mr. Howes, corroborating the evidence of Professor Ball, is 

 valuable for a double purpose. It gives us an idea of the final methods of handling 



