MODE OF CAPTURE. 371 



days are, however, on Saint Paul's Island, very rare indeed, 

 and so the seals can have but little ground of complaint, if we 

 may presume that they have any at all."* 



THE CHASE. The manner of capturing the Fur Seals has 

 greatly varied at different times and at different localities. 

 Krascheninikow states that on Behring's Island, a century and 

 a quarter ago, the common way of killing them was to first 

 strike out their eyes with stones, and then beat out their brains 

 with clubs. This he says was a work of so much labor that 

 " three men were hardly able to kill one with 300 strokes." In 

 consequence of their seldom landing on the Kamtschatka coast, 

 the same wrfter states that the natives were accustomed to 

 pursue them in boats, "and throw darts or harpoons at them." 

 He says they had to be particularly cautious not to let the 

 wounded Seal "fasten upon the side of the boat and overturn 

 it," to prevent which he says some of the fishermen stood ready 

 "with axes to cut off his paws."t 



Captain Scammon thus describes the pursuit of the Fur Seal 

 by the Indians of Vancouver Island : "When going in pursuit 

 of seals, three or four natives embark in a canoe at an early 

 hour in the morning, and usually return the following evening. 

 The fishing-gear consists of two spears, which are fitted to a 

 pronged pole fifteen feet in length ; to the spears a line is at- 

 tached, which is fastened to the spear-pole close to, or is held 

 in the hand of, the spearman, when he darts the weapon. A 

 seal-club is also provided, as well as two seal-skin buoys the 

 latter being taken in the canoe to be used in rough weather ; 

 or if a seal, after being speared, can not be managed with the 

 line in hand, a buoy is 'bent on', and the animal is allowed to 

 take its own course for a time. Its efforts to escape, by diving 

 repeatedly, and plunging about near the surface of the water, 

 soon exhaust the animal somewhat ; and when a favorable time is 

 presented, the spearman seizes the buoy, hauls in the line until 

 within reach of the seal, and it is captured by being clubbed. 

 But generally the line is held in the hand when the spear is 

 thrust into the seal ; then the pole is instantly withdrawn, and 

 the canoe is hauled at once to the floundering creature, which 

 is dispatched as before described. Indians from the Vancouver 

 shore frequently start in the night, so as to be on the best seal- 



* Condition of Affairs in Alaska, pp. 123-150. 

 t Hist. Kamtsch. (English ed.), p. 130. 



