FUR-SEAL FISHEEIES OF ALASKA. 45 



others to g^o into the sea. Not infrequently an old bull, and very rarely 

 a cow, would get mixed up with these seals. 



Q. No cows were killed '?— A. I do not know of but one or two cows 

 having- been killed during the entire season, and they were killed by 

 accident. 



Q. They are not permitted to be killed! — A. No, sir; under no cir- 

 cumstances. We would surround these seals, and I should think would 

 knock down about 25 per cent, of each bunch, which we drove off, and 

 those that were too youug to kill, or those that were badly cut and those 

 that were too okl were permitted to go back to the sea, which was only 

 a quarter of a mile away from the killing ground. Sometimes it is close 

 down to the sea shore. " After they were dragged out from the bunch 

 in which they were knocked down a native would come along with his 

 knife and cut them around the neck, and around their arms, and around 

 their tails, aud another would take off the pelt. These pelts were thrown 

 into a pile as the seals were killed and skinned, and then another em- 

 ploye. Professor Atkins, who drove the mule, or bull I think it was at 

 that time, hitched to the cart, aud had these pelts thrown into the cart 

 aud hauled to the salt house; and alter we had completed' the killing 

 for the day the company's representative, the Government agent or 

 agents, as the case may be (there was always one of us), and the repre- 

 sentative of the people would go to the salt house, and they would count 

 these skins that had been killed during the day. We would throw 

 away skins which were badly cut, as they would not be accepted by the 

 company. Some days there would be two or three, and I do not remem- 

 ber that there were ever many more than that, out of 1,000, 1,500, or 

 1,800 for a day's work. After that count, the badly-cut skins, which 

 were of no use, were thrown over the cliffs. 



The natives were too indifferent to dress these skins for their own 

 use ; they are disinclined to work, and you can not get them to do it 

 without a good deal of trouble, so they are thrown over the cliff'. After 

 the countiug had been completed they were then taken and put into the 

 kenches or salting bins, which were bins about 14 feet square, and each 

 day's skins are put into these kenches until they are full; and after 

 they have remained there seven days they are taken out and bundled, 

 two skins being put into a bundle, and these are piled up ready for 

 shipment. This is the routine of the daily work, and the Treasury 

 agents keep an accurate and exact record of each day's work, so if you 

 refer to our report, which was sent in at that time, you will find the ex- 

 act number of seals that were killed each and every day in this work, 

 until the quota of that island had been completed. When we are kill- 

 ing seals, on the day that we have nearly reached the quota we are very 

 careful, and in fact we count down to the last one, and it is always con- 

 sidered an honor for the killer to kill the last seal, and it is also so rec- 

 oguized, among these people, to kill the first seal. So that we know 

 exactly the number of seal killed, and according to our count we tally 

 down to the very last day of the killing, and if we want 50 seal to make 

 the quota, we kill 50 seal and stop, no more and no Itss. That ends 

 the killing of fur seal on that island for that year. 



After the killing has been concluded, they are bundled ready for ship- 

 ment, ready for return in the fall. Then when they are shipped, these 

 bundles are taken out of the salt-house and counted by the Government 

 agent as they pass out, and sometimes tliere will be a few more or less 

 after we have counted out. An error in counting will occur sometimes 

 which you can not account for; but it is usually one or two, or three or 

 four or five. 



