INVESTIGATION OF THE FUK-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 767 



Mr. Elliott. That is not the thing at all. I am speaking about 

 communicating with these people because I understand English as 

 well as anybody, plus a knowledge of the Russian language. No man 

 on the islands could talk Russian to these people when I was there. 



Mr. McGuire. That is what I was talking about. 



Mr. Elliott. But I could 



Mr. McGutre (interposing). Taking it upon the whole, the two 

 languages together, you had a better ability for translating one to the 

 other ? 



Mr. Elliott. As far as the English and Russian went, but the 

 Aleut, no; I had no ability at all as far as the Aleut language is con- 

 cerned. 



Mr. McGuire. What language do they talk on the islands ? 



Mr. Elliott. Aleut. 



Mr. McGuire. And you have no understanding of that ? 



Mr. Elliott. Not a word. I know but two words. I do not 

 know any more about it than you do ; I am just as ignorant as you are. 



Mr. McGuire. And they do not generally understand English ? 



Mr. Elliott. Well, I would not trust them. They look wise, 

 smile, and agree with you; but that is not satisfactory to me. 



Mr. McGuire. Do you mean to state that you could not get a 

 proficient interpreter on the islands ? 



Mr. Elliott. I considered George Kochergin a proficient inter- 

 preter. 



The Chairman. Is that the man you had ? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes, sir; I regard him as thoroughly well posted in the 

 business. I regarded him as having put these questions to them in 

 their own language, received replies in their own language, and inter- 

 preted them to us in turn in English. I considered it as being thor- 

 oughly done, and well done. 



Sir. McGuire. I understood you to say a while ago you could not 

 find a competent person. 



Mr. Elliott. I understood you to ask me about a "white" person, 

 and I said there was not a white person who could beat me in meeting 

 the natives on the islands. 



Mr. McGuire. You said this man taked English fairly well? 



Mr. Elliott. He ought to; he was in San Francisco four or five 

 years and was educated there. He read English; he read our typed 

 questions to them, from our English copy, and then translated the 

 replies to us, and Mr. Gallagher took them down, the exact idioms and 

 words. He has got his notes. 



Mr. McGuire. And when that was done the Government agents 

 were on the islands? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes, sir. 



Mr. McGuire. They were not with you? 



Mr. Elliott. No; I did not want them with me. I had good 

 reasons for not wanting them. 



Mr. McGutre. You did not want them with you? 



Mr. Elliott. I did not want them with me, and you can easily 

 understand why I did not. It was not proper that they should be 

 with me. Do you want me to state why I did not want anybody 

 with me ? 



The Chairman. I think you might as well since you have volun- 

 teered to do it. 



