74 ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



unless necessary, and have only had two cases where interference was 

 necessary to sustain the authority of the chiefs. Good order and quiet 

 have been maintained, and all misdemeanors known have been pun- 

 ished. No serious acts, and only a few cases of petty tlieft occurred. 



On the morning- of August 20 a schooner was reported approaching 

 the island from eastward. Supposing it to be a vessel belonging to the 

 Alaska Commercial Company a flag was set to indicate the point of 

 landing, but when near the southeast point of the island she kept away 

 and ran down toward Otter Island, about 8 miles distant, and lowered 

 a boat that pulled to the landing. Lest the seals should be disturbed, 

 I took one of the chiefs and a boat and started for the island. Before 

 reaching it the vessel took up her boat and stood to westward. On 

 landing I found no appearance of the seals being disturbed. The vessel 

 still steering to westward at 3 o'clock, I returned to the village of St. 

 Paul. As soon as I had returned the vessel changed her course and 

 made for Otter Island again, and at dark was near its east point. Men 

 were stationed on the rookeries to prevent any disturbance there. At 

 daylight the schooner passed near the reef and along the southwest 

 shore heading to north and passed out of sight behind the island. A 

 messenger sent to observe her movements returned at noon reporting 

 the vessel going around the island to northeast. The vessel after round- 

 ing the northeast point steered to eastward, passing out of sight. 



On the evening of the 29th of August some natives who had been 

 out fishing came in at dark and reported a schooner at anchor behind 

 Otter Island, and that boats were moving about and that they heard 

 reports of guns and saw smoke as if they were shooting seals. Kerek 

 Bootriu, the first chief, volunteered to take a boat and go and see about 

 the truth of the report. Mr. Benjamin G. Mclutyre accompanied him, and 

 from them I gathered the following statement : The boat arrived at the 

 island half-past 11, and on crossing to the other side saw the schooner 

 at anchor under a high bluff", completely concealing her from view from 

 St. Paul Island. In the morning as soon as it was sufficiently light 

 they launched their boat, and pulling around the island came on the 

 schooner by surprise. Before she could get under way they were on 

 board. It proved to be the schooner Cygnet., of Santa Barbara, Cal., 

 Kemberly master. He was evidently much disturbed by being boarded 

 so unexpectedly. The captain said he was hunting for sea otters, and 

 had taken 160 pelts near the island of Saranak. There were the car- 

 casses of two fur seals hanging in the rigging and the pelts lying on 

 deck. Captain Kemberly said he had captured them in the water for 

 fresh food for some Kolosh Indians in his crew. 



The boats were stained with blood, as if recently used. Captain 

 Kemberly explained that they did not usually clean their boats until 

 the end of the season. In the meantime the vessel had got under 

 way and the boatsmeu informed that they must leave or go to sea 

 with them. Captain Kemberly stated that the vessel had been at 

 anchor thirty-six hours when boarded by the boat. No doubt could be 

 entertained that they were taking seals by shooting them in the water. 

 The boat landed and examined the shore by daylight, and found no 

 seals had been killed there. They then returned to St. Paul village. 

 Sea Otter Island is a small, rocky island about 8 miles distant from 

 St. Paul. It is one-half mile long and half that in breadth; its ends 

 and farther side are perpendicular cliffs, against which the sea breaks 

 and affords no foothold for landing. Its other side faces St. Paul and 

 slopes from the center gently to the shores. Here is the only boat 

 landing, and any object the size of a seal can be seen from the hill in the 



