FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 
115 
onto its chest, and with powerful strokes of its strong, webbed hind feet has smote 
the water like the blades of a propeller’s screw, and down to depths below and away 
it speeds, while the hunter brings his swift bidarka to an abrupt standstill directly 
upon the bubbling wake of the otter’s disappearance. He hoists his paddle high in 
the air and holds it there, while the others whirl themselves over the water into a 
large circle around him, varying in size from one-quarter to half a mile in diameter, 
according to the number of boats engaged in the chase. 
The kalan has gone down — he must come up again soon somewhere within reach 
of the vision of that Aleutian circle on the waters over its head; 15 or 20 min- 
utes of submergence, at the most, compel the animal to rise, and instantly as its 
nose appears above the surface the native nearest it detects the movement, raises a 
wild shout, and darts in turn towards it ; the yell has sent the otter down again far 
too quickly for a fair respiration, and that is what the hunter meant to do, as he 
takes up his position over the spot of the animal’s last diving, elevates his paddle, 
and the circle is made anew, with- this fresh center of formation. In this method the 
otter is continually made to dive and dive again without scarcely an instant to fully 
breathe for a period, perhaps, of 2 or eveu 3 hours, until, from interrupted respira- 
tion, it finally becomes so filled with air or gases as to be unable to sink, and then 
falls at once an easy victim. During this contest the Aleuts have been throwing 
their spears whenever they were anywhere within range of the kalan, and the 
hunter who has stricken the quarry is the proud and wealthy possessor beyond all 
question or dispute. 
In this manner the fleet moves on, sometimes very fortunate in finding the cov- 
eted prey ; again, whole weeks pass away without a single s urround. The landings 
at night are made without any choice or selection, but just as the close of the day 
urges them to find the nearest shore. The bidarkas are hauled out above surf-wash 
and carefully inspected. If it is raining or very cold, small A-tents are pitched, 
using the paddles and spears for poles and pegs, into which the natives crowd for 
sleep and warmth, since they carry no blankets or bedclothes whatever, and unless the 
wind is right they dare not make a fire, even to in'epare the cherished cup of tea, 
which they enjfly more than anything else in the world, not excepting tobacco. 
After ninety or a hundred days of such employment, during which time they have 
been subjected to frequent peril of life in storm, and fog-lost, they repair to the ren- 
dezvous agreed upon between the trader and themselves, ready and happy to return 
for a resting-spell to their wives, children, and sweethearts in the village whence we 
saw them depart. They may have been so lucky as to have secured forty or fifty 
otters, each skin worth to them at least $50 to $60, and, if so, they will have a pro- 
longed season of festivity at Unalaska, when they get back. Perhaps the weather 
has been so inclement that this party will not have taken a half-dozen pelts ; then 
gloomy, indeed, will be the reception at home. 
While the “ spearing surround ” of the Aleutian hunter is orthodoxy, the practice, 
now universal, of surf-shooting the otter is heterodoxy, and is so styled among these 
people, but it has only been in vogue for a short time, and it is primarily due to our 
traders, who, in their active struggle to incite the natives to a greater showing of 
skins, have loaned and have given, to the young hunters in especial, the best patterns 
of rifles. With these firearms the shores of many of the Aleutian channels, Sannak, 
and the Cheruaburas are patrolled during heavy weather, and whenever a sea otters 
head is seen in the surf, no matter if a thousand yards out, the expert, patient marks- 
man shoots seldom in vain, and if he does miss the mark he has a speedy chauce to 
try again, for the great distance and thunderous roar of the breakers preveut the 
kalan from hearing or takiug alarm in any way until it is hit by the rifle bullet. Nine 
times out of ten wheu the otter is thus struck it is in the head, which is all that the 
creature usually exposes. Of course such a shot is instantly fatal, so that the hunter 
