APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OP GREAT BRITAIN. 775 



Declaration of A telu. 



Dominion of Canada, Province of British Columhia, to ivit: 



I, Atelii, of the Al)oiisat tribe of Indians, in Clayoquot Sound, British 

 Columbia, do solemnly declare that: 



1. I live at the village of Ahousat, in Clayoquot Sound, and am the 

 Chief of the Ahousat tribe of Indians, and am about 25 years of age. 



2. Ever since I knew how to work I have been a sealer. I have 

 sealed from the beach and from a schooner, and have used both the 

 si)ear and gun. From the beach 1 use a spear, and from a schooner I 

 use spear and gun; the gun is given me by the captain. 



3. I have never killed any seal inside Clayoquot Sound — they are 

 always outside the rocks, but I have killed them along the coast outside, 

 all the way up to Behring Sea. I have not hunted from the beach for 

 three or four years, not since the schooners commenced coming here 

 regularly; I prefer going in the schooners because it is not so danger- 

 ous, for one year hunting from the beach there were more than forty 

 natives lost in one day, of wiiich number there were three of my tribe. 

 This year I was on the " Sai)])hire," and got 117 in my canoe, and the 

 total catch of the schooner was 1)72, Last year, 1891, I was also in the 

 " Sap])hire," and my canoe got 317 skins; I cannot tell the whole num- 

 ber got by the schooner; there were fourteen canoes on the schooner 

 each year; I cannot remember how many I got in other years, but think 

 in 18U0I got 192. 



4. I do not think there are as many seals now as in 1886 when I first 

 ■went north. I do not see so many. I mean they are not so plentiful 

 near shore on account of the shooting by the white men; they are 

 further out, and wilder and harder to get at, but I think there are 

 just as many skins. 



5. We first go out hunting them about the 1st March, and they are 

 seen off here for about three or four months. Along here the pups are 

 seen first, and when it blows hard they come in very close to the rocks. 

 Years the herring come in very thickly the seal are the most plentiful. 

 I never heard of their hauling out on this coast. 



C. 1 think I get more cows than bulls throughout any season's catch. 

 I know that off this coast we get more cows, but as Ave get north Ave 

 get more bulls. I have never seen a large bull on the coast till 1 get 

 north as far as Sitka. Many of the cows, old cows along the coast, are 

 carrying pups, but I have often killed old Avhite-Avhiskered (!oavs that 

 have no pups nor milk; I have not got many grey i)ups this year. In 

 10 killed, about 5 would be cows; and 3 of these would be large ones 

 carrying pup, and the other 2 would be medium-sized cows; the other 

 5 Avould be mostly young bulls. I just guess this, for Ave are paid by 

 the skin, and Ave never keep any account of the kinds. 



7. Always try to be very careful with both gun and spear, and never 

 use either beyond 3 or 4 fathoms; this is the reason I do not lose many. 

 When tAvo are together I spear one and shoot the other; if one is alone, 

 and I see he is going to wake up, 1 shoot him, and paddle up quickly 

 and use a spear as a gaff' if he is sinking. Am just as certain with the 

 gun as Avith the spear, and would not lose more than one in ten I Avould 

 fire at or at Avhich I Avould throAv a si)ear. 



8. I can always tell a cow from a bull in the water, whether it is 

 sleeping or waking, as the female has a white breast, and they always 

 lie so that one can see it. 



9. Have sealed in Behring Sea four years, and was last there in 

 1891. I cannot tell how many skins I got there in each year, but know 



