WHITE HUNTERS. 355 



hunter, in order to know where to head hisboat and where to keep her. 

 A crew new to the business sometimes makes a good catch, but it is 

 generally at the expense of a large proportion of seals that are killed 

 and lost, or wounded and escape. The vessels engaged in the sealing 

 business range from 15 to 150 tons burden, or more, large vessels being 

 in favor because they can carry more boats, with less expense in propor- 

 tion to size, than the small ones. 



The principal ports from which sealing vessels sail are Victoria, Brit- 

 ish Columbia; San Francisco, Cal. ; Port Townsend, Wash. ; and Yoko- 

 hama, Japan. The fleet from Victoria comprises sixty vessels or more, 

 and one will travel the world over without finding better or faster schoon- 

 ers than some of them are. Next to Victoria, in numbers, comes San 

 Francisco, all under the American flag. Yokohama formerly sent out 

 twelve or thirteen vessels under different flags. I have seen vessels oper- 

 ating from that port flying the Dutch, German, French, Russian, Ameri- 

 can, English, and Japanese flags, engaged at otter and seal hunting. 

 About seven or eight vessels are from Puget Sound. The Victoria and 

 Puget Sound fleet attends only to sealing, while the vessels from San 

 Francisco and Yokohama engagein otter-hunting and sealing combined. 

 The vessels carry from one to seven boats each, and each boat except the 

 one carried at the stern is manned by three men. In goingupon the hunt 

 the hunter stands forward, the boat-puller sits in the center of the boat, 

 and the boat-steerer in the stern. The boats are from 18 to 20 feet 

 long and carry usually two pairs of oars, three or more paddles, a short 

 seal club to kill the seal with (if he is alive when they get him along- 

 side), a gaff with a long staff to hook him up if he sinks, a fog-horn, a 

 compass, an ammunition box for the hunter, a water-beaker, a box for 

 food, a small sprit sail and mast, and at least one shotgun. 



Vessels that are manned by Indians do not carry hunting boats as a 

 rule. The Indians furnish their own canoes and spears, and often a 

 shotgun or rifle, or both. A vessel, say, of 70 tons, will carry six boats, 

 five of them hunting boats, and one at the stern. The owner furnishes 

 guns, ammunition, boats, food, etc., and engages the captain and hunt- 

 ers. The captain employs the boat-pullers, steerers, and the crew, 

 though in some cases the hunters engage their own pullers and steerers. 

 A vessel of this size would carry 21 men, all told, including a captain, 

 mate, cook, 5 hunters, 9 men for the boats, 1 spare man, and a boy. The 

 master's wages range from $75 to $100 per month; but some of them 

 get wages only, while others have wages and a " lay," that is, a share 

 of the profits. Good hunters get from $3 to $3.50 per skin for every 

 one they bring on board ; but each hunter has his price and makes 

 terms with the owner, which he keeps to himself. The crew receive 

 $30 per month, and have sometimes a private agreement with the hun- 

 ter to 10 to 25 cents additional out of his own pocket for each skin 

 brought on board; for, as I have said, much depends upon the steerer, 

 and each has his favorite. The mate gets from $45 to $50 per month, 

 the use of the stern boat, and $1 for every skin he brings on board. 

 The cook receives from $50 to $80 per month, according to the number 

 of men he cooks for. 



The first vessels leave about January, and from then until March 

 they are becoming fewer in port every day. They go to some of the 

 bays and inlets upon Vancouvers Island, off Cape Flattery, or down 

 along the California coast. Many hunt in a circuit from Cape Flattery 

 to the mouth of the Columbia River on the south, and to the north end 

 of Vancouvers Island on the north, as the head hunter or captain may 

 determine. Some think, by going south and following the seals up as 



