THE FUR-SEAL ISLANDS OF ALASKA. 89 



catch never lias been less than one-sixth of the number of the quota on the larger island. Thus the two authors 

 seem to stand each other off, and I am thrown back to the ground itself for an answer, which I am iucliued to 

 believe will be correct, when I say that the island of St. George never was resorted to in any great numbers by 

 the fur-seal, and that the sea lion was the dominant animal there until disturbed and driven from its breeding- 

 grounds by the people, who naturally sought to encourage its more valuable relative by so doing, and made room, 

 in this way, for it. 



16. CAPTURE OF THE SEA-LION. 



The driving on St. Paul. — The great intrinsic value to the domestic service of the Aleuts rendered by the 

 flesh, tat. and sinews of this animal, together with its skin, arouses the natives of St. Paul and St. George, 

 who annually make a drive of "seevitchie", by which they capture, on the former island, two or three hundred, 

 as the case may be. On St. George, driving is so much more difficult, owing to the character of the land itself, 

 that very few are secured there; but, at St. Paul unexceptional advantages are found on Northeast point for the. 

 capture of these shy and wary brutes. The natives of St. Paul, therefore, are depended upon to secure the 

 necessary number of skins required by both islands for their boats, and other purposes. This capture of the 

 sea lion is the only serious business which the people have ou St. Paul; it is a labor of great care, industry, and 

 some physical risk for the Aleutian hunters.* 



By reference to my sketch-map of Northeast point rookery, the observer will notice a peculiar neck or boot- 

 shaped point, which 1 have designated as Sea Lion neck. This area is a spot upon which a large number of sea- 

 lions are always to befound during the season. As they are so shy, and sure to take to water upon the appearance 

 or presence of man near by, the natives adopt this plan : 



Preparations for the drive. — Along by the middle or end of September, as late sometimes as November, 

 and after the fur-seal rookeries have broken up tor the season, fifteen or twenty of the very best men in the village 

 are selected, by one of their chiefs, for a sea-lion rendezvous at Northeast point; they go up there with their 

 provisions, tea aud sugar, and blankets, and make themselves at home in the barrabbora and houses, which I have 

 located on the sketch-map of Novastoshnah, prepared to stay, if necessary, a month, or until they shall get the whole 

 drove together of two or three hundred sea lions. 



Methods of driving sea lions. — The " seevitchie ", as the natives call these animals, cannot be approached 

 successfully by daylight, so these hunters lie by, in this house of Webster's, until a favorable night comes along — 

 one in which the moon is partially obscured by drifting clouds, and the wind blows over them from the rookery 

 where the sea lions lie ; such an opportunity being afforded, they step down to the beach at low water, and proceed 

 to creep on all fours over the surf-beaten sand and bowlders up to the dozing herd, and between it and the high- 

 water mark where it rests. In this way, a small body of natives, crawling along in Indian file, may pass unnoticed 

 by the sea-lion sentries, which doubtless, in the uncertain light see, but confound, the, forms of their human enemies 

 with those of seals. When the creeping Aleuts have all reached the strip of beach that is left bare by ebb-tide, 

 which is between the water and the unsuspecting animals, at a given signal from their crawling leader they all at 

 once leap to their feet, shout, yell, brandishing their arms, and firing off pistols, while the astonished and terrified 

 lions roar and flounder iu all directions. 



Behavior of the sea-lions when surprised. — If, at the moment of surprise, the brutes are sleeping 

 with their heads pointed toward the water, they rise up in fright and charge straight on in that way directly over 

 the men themselves, but if their heads have been restiug at this instant pointed landward, up they rise and follow 

 that course just as desperately, aud nothing will turn them either one way or the other; those sea -lions which 

 charged for the water are lost, of course ;t but the natives promptly follow up the land-turned animal with a rare 



* A curious, though doubtless authentic, story was told me, in this connection, illustrative of the strength and energy of the sea-lion 

 hull when at bay. Many years ago (18471, on St. Paul island, a drive of September sea-lions was brought down to the village in the usual 

 style ; but when the natives assembled to kill them, on account of the great scarcity, at that time, of powder on the island, it was voted 

 best to lance the old males also, as well as the females, rather than shoot them in the customary style. The people had hardly set to work 

 at the task when one of their number, a sma 1. elderly, though tough, able-bodied Aleut, while thrusting his lance into the "life" of a large 

 bull, was suddenly seen to fall on his back, directly tinder the huge brute's head; instantly the powerful jaws of the "seevitchie" closed 

 uimii tin- waistband, apparently, of the native, and, lifting the yelling man aloft, as a cat would a kitten, the sea-lion shook aud threw 

 him high into the air. away over the beads of his associates, who rushed up to the rescue, anil quickly destroyed the animal by a dozen 

 furious spear-thrusts, yet death did not loosen its clenched jaws, in which were the tattered fragments of Ivan's clothing. 



tThe natives appreciate this peculiarity of the sea-lion very keenly, for good and sufficient cause, though none of them have e\ el- 

 been badly injured in driving, or " springing the alarm ". I camped with them for six successive nights in September, 1872, in order to 

 witness the whole procedure. During the several drives made while I was with them. I saw but one exciting incident ; everything went 

 oil' in the orthodox manner, as described in the text above. The exceptional incident occurred (hiring the first drive of the first night, and 

 rendered the natives so cautious that it was not repeated. When the alarm was sprung, old Luka Mandrigan was leading the van, and 

 at that moment, down upon him, despite his wildly gesticulating arms and vociferous yelling, came a squad of bull "seevitchie". The 

 native saw instantly that they were pointed for the water, and, in bis sound sense, turned to run from under, his tarbosar slipped upon a 

 slimy rock awash, he tell flat as a flounder, just as a dozen or more big sea-lions plunged over and on to his prostrate form iu the shallow 

 water. In less time than this can be written, the heavy pinnipeds had disappeared, while the bullet-like bead of old Luka was quickly 

 raised, and he trotted back to us with an alternation of mirth and chagrin iu his voice ; he was not hurt in the hast. 



