175 



puncheons twelve or fifteen feet high, strengthened hy very hirge posts, 

 into which a tie-beam is mortised. 



The Makah are, as lias been mentioned before, almost exclusively 

 maritime in their habits; their country being very small, broken, and rocky. 

 They pursue the whale in their canoes even out of sight of land, and attack 

 him with a daring that would not disgrace New England fishermen. On 

 one occasion, a canoe was gone five days. The men succeeded in kilHng 

 the whale, and subsisted on the blubber, chewing some roots which they 

 had with them for want of water. After all, they were compelled to abandon 

 the fish. Their tackle consists of a harpoon, the point formerly edged with 

 shell, now usually with copper, very firmly secured to a line, and attached 

 lightly to a shaft about fifteen feet long, to which also the line is made fast; a 

 seal-skin float is attached by another line, and serves to buoy the whale when 

 struck. The scene of the capture is described by eye-witnesses as very 

 exciting, ten canoes being sometimes engaged, the crews yelling and dash- 

 ing their paddles with frantic eagerness When taken, the whale, buoyed 

 up with floats, is towed in triumph to the village and cut up. They for- 

 merly tried out the oil by placing the blubber, alter it had become softened, 

 into boxes, and melting it outwith heated stones. The oil is kept in the paunch 

 of the whale, or in seal-skins and bladders, and is used as an article of food 

 as well as for trade. The season commences in ]\Iarch. The Makah were 

 till lately in the habit of purchasing oil from the Nittinat also, and have 

 traded in a single season, it is said, as much as 30,000 gallons. Previous 

 to becoming whalers, the young men go through a species of probation, 

 probably similar to that of the Tamahno-us. A portion of them only attain 

 the dignity of whalers, a second class devote themselves to halibut, and a 

 thu-d to salmon and inferior fish, the occupations being kept distinct, at least, 

 in a great measure. The larger class of canoes generally belong to a single 

 individual and he receives a proportionate share of the booty from the crew. 

 The halibut season is from March to May, when the salmon fishery com- 

 mences. This last is by trolling. Very few of the fall salmon are taken. 

 Cod are obtained at the entrance of the straits, and other kinds of fish are 

 abundant at all seasons, among which is the Ktlshkao, apparently a species 

 of perch, of very good quaHty. Muscles and echini of large size are also 



