ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 401 



forearm Where they are grasped by the hands. Each native also has 



f.iynnon'fi^" ^""'^'^ ^'' '^^°°^°^ ^"^^^' '^"^ ^^^' whetstone These a^e 

 Jti «.T 1 ^'''^'' ^^"^^"le^fc ^l^en the work of braining or knocking 



Z!^^ aXSnT ''^^ '^ ^" ''^ ^^^^^•'^^^' "^^^^ ^^^' 



THE KILLING GANG AT WORK. 



When the men gather for this work, they are under the control of their 

 f.Ttf^^ ?T'" ?i' chiefs-usually on St. Panl divided into two working 

 part es at the village, and a subparty at Northeast Point where WW 

 salt house and slaughtering Held is established. At the^tnal of the 

 chief the work of the day begins by two of the men steppi^'g Into t e 

 drove corraled on the flats, and driving out from it 50 or lOO^seals at a 

 time making what they call a -pod," which tliey surroimd in a cii^le 

 huddling the seals one on another as they narrow it down in thev are 

 directly within reach and under their clubs. Then the'cS after he 

 has cast his experienced eye over the straggling, writhing '4aut^^^ 

 in the center passes the word that such and sul^'h a sealfs bitten that 

 such and such a seal is too young, that such and such a seal il too old 



" ^.rit p?^''!;'''^^"l!^^"v. ^^">S' ^^"^^^ to tl^^^e Poiiits, he gives the word 

 "strike !" and instantly the heavy clubs come down all around and everv 



reTl y^hrntTak^'totn'^t'^T' ''''''T' -^ motionless, in leiS 

 leany tnan i take to tell it. Those seals spared bv the order of tl.P 



chief now struggle from under and over the bodies of their ^nsensibe 

 tFZ\T ^^^ i'^''' ^'}'^^^^ «^ ^y «^^ "^<^ives, back to the sea > 

 The clubs are dropped, the men seize the prostrate seals bv the hind 

 flippers and drag them out, so they are spread on thrground w^thoul 

 ?n o tXl'''^ ^*^''- • T^"" "^^^^'^ «^''l^^' t'^kes his kniflTnd dd es t 

 The bl2ri'usttC.^''T'.S '^' tore flippers of each stunned form 

 ceases A ^.?noL f? i ' ^f ^\^ q»ivering of the animal presently 

 ceases. A single stroke of a heavy oak bludgeon, well and fiirlv 

 delivered will crush in at once the slight, thin l)oires of a fti seal's sk if 

 and lay the creature out almost lifeless. These blows arfhowA or 

 quS Sf tl'r^,^^?^^^^ 'Tf ^'"^ '^''^ animal?Wt theV ai" ve"; 

 ^undertaken S order Jhl^ T^'\'' immediately effected, issospeed^ 



i £^? ^^^^^^ hrr^:^tt5r?hrs 



perfectly sound seal was knocked down it had so "bP«?S ?^ . 



heads are stricken so Lrd 80x^^11 Jesth./^hn^i"^'^" '/ r ''^ .'' ""^'^S^- ^he seals' 

 out from the orbital sockets iXhTn 'J ^^^^se crystahne leuses to their eyes fly 



struck me sharpfym the K oJelse^^^^^^ 



gang at work. ^ ^ " '""^ ^^""^ «^ elsewhere, while I stood near by, watching the killing 



atthemomentf when Seisin.. it«l.«?rf^i'''' *^,«/l"^l^er8 is in progress; and 

 above, fear seemrtLnfortK^\%^i^^^^ 



this strange iiianner When the S.?A ^ f ^^ '^^""'^ *° instantly gild its eye in 

 have noticed that the opalescen? t?n in. f '''''^ '? *^Jf f ^i*' °^ «P*i«'^l coloration I 

 whole day after death. ^ThLrremark^firZwf "^'^ '^^^^^ ^°" ^^"^ 1^«"^«' «^ ^ 

 of the old males during the'r hurKuril on thf ^-"^ characteristic to the eyes 

 younger classes unlessls Jus?d^sc^riSfari^?:sTS.T ^^^^^^ '^ *^« 



H. Doc. 92, pt. 3 26 



