252 THE SEALS. 



Company made a killing ground within a mile of the rookery, and had 

 the skins taken across the bay in boats to the village salt house. 



For the past thirteen years no seals have been driven a greater dis- 

 tance than about "2 miles, and most of the drives are not overl mile. 



All long drives were stopped in 1870, when the Alaska Commercial 



Company made a killing ground and built a salt 



Aggei Kushen, p. 129. house within 2 miles of Halfway Point and made 



a killing ground within a mile of Zapadnie. Since 



these changes were made no seals have been driven on St. Paul Island 



over 2 miles to a killing ground. 



That the killing of bachelors upon remote rookeries such as Zapadnie 

 was not from necessity but at the request of the 

 B. R. Mclntyre, p. 45. Government agents, in order that the number 

 taken from each hauling ground might be equal- 

 ized; that this did not involve driving long distances, for a salt house 

 was established at Zapadnie, and the skins brought away in boats; 

 that after the year 1875 the lessees of said islands supplied carts for 

 the transportation of skins from the killing grounds to the salt houses 

 and storehouses; that because of the facility for carrying the skins, 

 killing grounds were established at points much nearer the hauling 

 grounds than ever before, and from that date the seals were driven 

 much shorter distances to the killing grounds; that skins were so 

 transported from Polavina or Hallway Point, on St. Paul, and from 

 Zapadnie, on St. George, upon the backs of donkeys. 



In 1871, for want of trained assistants the majority of the seals were 

 killed under the supervision of native chiefs. We 

 H. H. Mclntyre, p. 49. had no teams and were poorly supplied with 

 boats and other facilities for transporting the 

 skins and doing the work. Salt houses were inconveniently located, 

 and the business was transacted in a crude way, under great disad- 

 vantages. The skins and all other material upon the islands requiring 

 to be moved were carried upon the backs of men, a wearisome and dis- 

 agreeable task after a day's work on the killing grounds. The results 

 were unsatisfactory. The catch obtained under the direction of the 

 chiefs comprised mainly small, light skins, because such could be easiest 

 secured and transported. The work progressed slowly, as it had always 

 formerly done under Russian direction. Less than two-thirds of the 

 quota of skins were obtained in June and July. Daring August we 

 were prohibited by law at that time from killing seals. Work was re- 

 sumed at a later date, and finished shortly before the seals migrated, 

 thus keeping them in a state of unrest ami commotion nearly the whole 

 summer. But the custom did not differ in this respect from that pur- 

 sued by the Russians. In 1872, and every year thereafter, an Ameri- 

 can - L boss" was placed at the head of every gang of natives, our tools 

 and salt houses were improved, supplies of salt for "kenchmg" skins 

 increased, and the seal catch was pushed to completion before the end 

 of July. Additional salt houses were erected in this and the two fol- 

 lowing years contiguous to the respective rookeries, in order to avoid 

 long "drives" and facilitate the work of the men. In 1873 a horse 

 and team of mules were taken to the island in furtherance of the same 

 object, and these were added to from year to year, and supplemented 

 by several boats and a steam launch, so that long before the expiration 

 of the lease the labor put upon both seals and men was very greatly re- 



