34 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



were ordered out on the drive. It is the chief's business to get the men 

 out, and when he reported a fellow for shirking, that was a record against 

 him. A man who got out lively and worked well on the ground and did 

 not cut the skius auddid a good day's work was put down as a first-class 

 myn. So they had three or four grades, and the money was divided be- 

 tween them. They all had more than enough to last them all the year. 



Q. Were there any serious controversies about the division of the 

 money *? — A. I never heard of any at all. 



Q. What are their habits for peacetulness and good order? — A. They 

 were very good iudeed. 



Q. No intoxicating liquors were used while you were there I — A. No, 

 sir; they were sober by compulsion. There were one or two fellows 

 who were very chatty once in a while when there was a steamer out, 

 and it was found that a cook or somebodj^ had smuggled whisky for 

 them in order to buy some curios they make. They make little gut 

 bags from the intestines of the sea lion, which they trade. But that 

 was of course not with the consent of the otficers, and it was suppressed 

 as far as it could be. When the islanders would go on board the 

 steamer early in the morning they used to go to the galley. They 

 would sometimes start at 4 o'clock in the morning and go around the 

 island to a rookery on the other side from the village. In this way 

 they got into the galley, and I think that is where they got the sugar 

 to make quass afterwards ; but there was never any serious trouble on 

 our island. 



Q. You never heard of any murders while you were there? — A. No, 

 sir. I asked a man one day if he would shoot if we took after a pirate 

 and he said no, he would not. It was only with great persuasion I could 

 get him to pull me oft'iu the boat. It was no use putting gansinto their 

 hands. I asked him why he would not shoot and he said he did not 

 want to kill a man. They are very cowardly. I boarded a^fellow one 

 day anchored off St. George. I took some natives and went aboard of 

 him about the. 10th of October, 1883, and 1 found he had about 300 skius 

 bundled in tlie hold of his vessel and the captain was very drunk. He 

 was on a kind of a big jamboree. The vessel's decks were clean and 

 he had four or five dories and they were clean. He ihade a mistake in 

 regard to St. George, and instead of going to the rookery on the oppo- 

 site side of the island from the village, he was right on a line with the 

 village. When I got there he had about 16 sea-otter skins — very hand- 

 some ones they were, too — and these sealskins. I asked him what he 

 was doing out in those waters and he said he was bound from Yoko- 

 hama to San Francisco. I asked him what he was doing up there if he 

 was bound from Yokohoma to San Francisco, and he said he was out of 

 water. 1 asked him if he saw stals around there and he said, " I have 

 not killed a seal within 12 miles of land." Well, I said, "You know 

 you have no business here, unless you are in distress." He said he was 

 in distress for water. I went down with the mate into the hold where 

 the water tanks were and I said, " These are pretty good sized tanks." 

 He said," Yes." Isaid, " How much do they hold"?" He said,"About900 

 gallons." I asked him how much were in them now, and he said it was 

 about two-thirds full, which gave the water snap away entirely. The 

 captain got mixed in regard to the island and ran in at the wrong place. 

 1 took him down to the village and I asked Mr. Webster if he would 

 take the vessel down to San Francisco if I would seize her, but he said 

 he would not. I then asked the company's assistant agent if he would 

 go down, and he said he would not. 



Q. Who was Webster ? — A. He was acting as agent for the company 



