358 TESTIMONY 



getting tired, we went back to the river, and I remained in that country 

 until the next August, when 1 started back to Japan, arriving there in 

 October. 

 In 1884 I again went hunting from Yokohama in the German schooner 

 Felix, Charles Sternberg, master. She carried three 

 30-foot boats, 6 men to each boat, 5 Japs and a 

 white man. In September, while lying at anchor with 2 other schoon- 

 ers under Cape Patience, we were boarded by a liussian officer and 

 armed seamen, who came from Eobben Island in the guard schooner 

 Leon, and all of our guns were taken from us and we were warned off'. 

 We went away, but came back in three weeks and 

 laiuL '^ '''^ ^'^^^^'^ ^^ found the man-of-war guarding the island. Dodging 

 around, we waited until she had gone, and the next 

 night made a landing and a haul of over 500 good marketable skins. 



The next morning, being a few miles from the island, we sighted the 

 man-of-war bearing down towards the island. We made all sail and' 

 got out of sight as quickly as possible, and returned to Yokohama in 

 November. Having heard of seals being shot in the water on the 

 Pacific side, I came over to test the matter. In 188G I left Seattle on 

 1886 board the schooner Challei^ge, Douglas, master, to hunt 

 a enge, . ggjj^jg Qff Qapc Flattery, our headquarters being Clalam 

 Bay, carrying 12 or 15 Indians with canoes, and re- 

 Catch on Pacific maiucd Sealing until the end of May, when I came 

 ^^'^'^^' back to Seattle, the charter being up. On that voy- 



age we captured about 300 fur-seals. 



In 1887 I went back to Japan. I left Yokohama on the English 



Ada 1887 schooner Ada, Van Pelt, master, and brought her 



across to Victoria, British Columbia. We arrived in 



May and sailed in June with an Indian crew, making a six weeks' 



cruise oft" the Vancouver coast, and capturing about 300 seals. Upon 



returning to Victoria, I left the vessel and went to Alaska. 



In 1889 I went as boat-steerer on the schooner 



*"'*"' ■ Teresa, of Victoria, Lawrence, master, and put the 



season in at sealing. 



I have since followed the sea as sailing captain, pilot, and quarter- 



master on vessels sailing out of Victoria, British 



Columbia. In my opinion, fur seals born on the Cop- 



lace'of birth"^" *" 1^^^' Bering, or Eobbin islands will naturally return to 



^^^ *^ ^ ' the rookery at which they were born. The same thing 



is true of those born on the St. Paul or St. George 



No seals ever met islauds. No vcsscl, to my knowledge, has ever met a 



in midocean. ^^^^^ ^. ^^.^^^ .^^ midoccau iu the North Pacific. I 



have crossed said waters on three different occasions, and each time 



kept a close lookout for them. The greater part of 



seSlnSiorth Pacific^ t^i^ scals that wc find in the North Pacific Ocean are 



born on the islands in Bering Sea. Most of them 



leave there in October and November. If the weather is mild, they 



stay longer, but when the snow falls they leave the rookery and take 



to the water. Here they swim around for some days, and if it grows 



Mi ration milder and the snow melts a great many wiU haul up 



igra ion. again, but if the weather remains very cold all leave 



and start for the south. 



The breeding cows and full-grown bulls leave first, the old bulls per- 

 haps a month or more before the young males and cows. They travel 

 along the coast, following the Japan stream on both sides of the Pacific 

 Ocean, those from the Pribilof Islands on this side, and those from the 



