A Sportsman 323 



whaleboats, equipped with the usual outfit, and 

 after harpooning and securing a whale, cut off the 

 blubber, and securing, tow it in rafts to the shore 

 for trying out the oil. 



Several instances have occurred when, securing 

 the blubber and towing it by their boats to land, 

 they have been attacked by the killers and lost their 

 cargoes. One of my men related to me, having been 

 on hand in such an instance, the particulars in the 

 case; that, suddenly attacked by a pack of killers 

 when towing in two rafts of blubber they had ob- 

 tained by cutting up a large whale, they were power- 

 less to prevent the total loss of their rafts, although 

 they lanced a number of the killers, which had no 

 effect upon the balance of the pack. I saw one of 

 these killers towed to Monterey beach, which had 

 been found by the fishermen in a dying condition 

 in the bay, resulting from being choked by an extra- 

 large seal, and had three other whole seals in its 

 stomach. 



Singular that no instance is known of a man's 

 being taken in by a killer, while swimming in the 

 water, or of boats being disturbed by them, when it 

 would be a simple feat to knock them over, or crush 

 them. The largest sharks will flee before them, 

 and will be fortunate if not torn to pieces and de- 

 voured by them, which is a common occurrence. 

 Seals and sea-lions are a favorite food for them, and 

 the largest of the latter, of the weight of a ton, with 

 its hide tougher than that of a bull, will be torn to 

 pieces and devoured by them in short order. 



The sea-lions are very plentiful on the coast, off 

 the seventeen-mile drive between the bays of Mon- 



