158 INVESTIGATION" OF THE FUB-SEAL INDTJSTEY OF ALASKA. 



Tingle was somewhat nettled, apparently, and thereafter nothing 

 was left undone to make my position on the island as uncomfortable 

 as possible. Every move I made was watched, reported, and com 

 mented on. One would have thought I had committed some great 

 crime, or that I had the smallpox, the way I was shunned. Even 

 the natives did not dare to be seen speaking to me. I felt that 

 everything I did was subject to be grossly misconstrued. This was 

 the condition of affairs in regard to myself shortly after Tingle's 

 arrival. But now Tingle's animosity was intensified. From the first 

 I did not dare to venture near the rookeries nor near the seals on the 

 slaughtering grounds, because I could not feel certain that I would 

 not thereby subject myself to mean and insulting remarks by Tingle. 

 In this way I failed to know just exactly how things were going on. 

 Nevertheless, I can say this much: As soon as Tingle arrived (on the 

 7th, I think) he gave orders to kill as many seals as possible before 

 the 15th, and to take even as small skins as 4^ or 4} pounds. I 

 heard him give the order a number of times. I thought at the time 

 that he wanted to hurry and get as many skins as possible before 

 new orders arrived, and I supposed that he expected these new orders 

 to arrive on or about the 15th. I can easily see now that he very 

 likely was being aided with information by the politicians, otherwise, 

 it occurred to me, how could he have known that the proclamation 

 was going to be signed on the 15th. Surely it was no accident. At 

 any rate, before the 15th seals were very scarce, and there can be no 

 doubt that Fowler, Redpath, and Tingle never worked harder in 

 their lives to get the seals, but the seals weren't there to get. Drives 

 of 80, 100, 150, and 200 were made, according to report brought to 

 me by the natives. I had an idea Tingle wanted to get 7,500 skins 

 before the 15th in order to say: "Well, we got 7,500 so easy; we got 

 them all before the 15th." But, at any rate, counting all they had 

 before, they couldn't make up to 7,500 until the 20th of June. 

 Williams claims they took 6,250 skins after the 15th, and the Farallon 

 brought down something like 14,000 skins. I do not remember the 

 exact number the Farallon brought down, but it was considerably 

 over 13,000. The killing was stopped on the 28th or 29th of July. 

 These latter drives were much larger than the earlier ones, and the 

 so-called food skins were the very choicest to be had and the largest. 

 A very small number was not obtained, despite considerable anxiety 

 and effort, on St. George Island, until later, much later, I believe, 

 than the 20th of June. 



Murray and Lavender are yet on St. Paul and St. George. They 

 are expected very shortly on the Corwin. Murray tried very hard on 

 the islands to blarney Lavender, but apparently without entire suc- 

 cess. If Murray stuck to it that the seals were not there, is it pos- 

 sible that he would have been removed just for that? Apparently 

 Goff was not wanted. Tingle was almost demoralized when he 

 learned that there was a likelihood of your coming up with the British 

 commissioners. You never saw a more nervous, fussy, and frightened 

 man than he was at that time. Lavender is not wanted. It is 

 rumored his head is to come off. And now I learn that Murray is to be 

 removed, I suppose the proviso is — if he persists in advocating what 

 is displeasing to Mr. Elkins. Xettleton, I supposed, they were afraid 

 to attack on account of his brother. 



