142 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
eo oe ee — 
: 
[Supr. 18, 1884. 
Che Sportsman Tourist. 
THE SEA OTTER HUNTERS. 
F an Hastgrn man should be suddenly set down in the capi- 
_ _ tal of Washington Territory, and assured that if he 
wished to visit one of its finest sections he would be compelled 
to ride forty-five miles in sn uncovered wagon, over a road 
as Tough as it is possible to imagine, and then be consigned 
to the tender mercies of a Siwash Indian, to finish the re- 
mainder of his journey, some thirty miles, sitting in the bot- 
tom of a kanim (canoe), he would probably conclude to re- 
main where he was; but to those who are familiar with 
traveling in the far-Northwest, this would be taken as a mat- 
fer of course, and the difficulties of the trip did not deter our 
party from making the attempt. 
We left Olympia just as the gray dawn was breaking, and 
crossing the long wooden bridge that spans the Sound, 
climbed the steep hill on the opposite side, and entered the 
forest beyond, The only road is the one used for haulin 
logs, and as the rainy season was hardly over, it was in 
frightful condition, In some places an attempt bad been 
made to form 2 road of corduroy, but the logs were floating 
around loosely, and our horses floundered through, fre- 
quently up to their bellies in mud and water. Pharoah’s 
heart has become proverbial for its hardness, but if there is 
anything harder than a cushionless board stretched across 
the gunnell of 1 dead X wagon, I should like to know what 
it consists of. We had gone but a very few miles before the 
majority of the party concluded that they would much pre- 
fer walking wherever it was practicable. 
The road stil) ran through a dense forest of fir, spruce and 
cedar. Some of these trees were of immense size; it was not 
uncommon to find them nine feet in diameter and fully 800 
feet high, Although the mills on the Sound weekly cut 
millions of feet of lumber, it will certainly be many years 
4 before these vast timber tracts will be exhausted. The 
igh wind of the previous night prostrated numerous trees 
across the road, and the monotony of the ride was some- 
what varied by all hands having to help unhook the horses 
and pull the wagon over some huge log that blocked the way. 
At noon we reacled a small clearing where some enter- 
prising sctiler was endeavoring to raise a crop among the 
girdled trees. He told us that his greatest trouble was from 
the wild animal: that killed or carried off his stock. He 
pointed with pride 1o the grinuing head of a large cougar 
nailed up against the gate post, which, he said, he had shot 
some days previously while in the act of carrying off one of 
his choice sheep. The animal had scaled the corral, which 
was some twelve feet high, and was making a terrible com- 
motion among its ocenpants when he arrived on the scene 
and promptly dispatched it by a well-directed ball through its 
head. Atter eating our dinner we again took the road, and 
arrived just at nightfall at the village of Elma, a place of 
some half a dozen houses. Here we put up at a primitive 
hotel, where one could lie in bed and see all that was going 
on out of doors through the cracks in the boards. The site 
of the village is a very pretty one. A prairie about a mile 
long lies in front of it, while a large spring from a neigh- 
boring hill sends a fine stream of sparkling water through 
the center of the place. 
We left carly the next morning and crossed the ferry over 
the Satsop River in a flat boat ran on a novel principle. 
The river, although shallow, has a very swilt current; a 
large cable having been stretched across it at an angle, the 
boat ran rapidly across without effort on the part of the 
boatman. We at last reached Montesano, the capital of 
Ohehalis county. It is a place of perhaps half a-dozen 
houses, and is located on the banks of the Chehalis River, 
about fifteen miles from its mouth, All through this section 
are magnificent stock and dairy farms. The business is 
yery profitable, for the stock requires no feeding and keeps 
sleek and fat the whole year round on the abundance of 
grass the -basks of the river and the neighboring prairies 
afford, It being too late in the day to continue our journey 
by water, the balance of the time we spent in bargaining 
with the numerous Indians for 4 kanim to carry us the re- 
maining thirty miles. We succeeded in procuring a canoe 
large enough to carry us, with our luggage, etc., with a 
couple of Indians to paddle, for the very moderate sum of 
#12. snd commenced our journey next morning at daylight. 
- The Chehalis being a tide-water stream, the current is very 
rapid, running fully fiye miles an hour, and as it bad just 
begun to ebb we made fine progress as, seated in the bottom 
of the cranky craft, for there are no seals, we kept careful 
watch for half-cunken logs. The banks of the river are cov- 
ered with a similar growth of timber to that which we had 
already come through, and presented a heautiful appearance 
inthe morning sunlight. We could now realize the immense 
height of these trees, for a crow flying just over their tops 
looked no larger than a blackbird. eal 3 
Tt took us but a few hours to reach the mouth, and a wild 
ery of delight came from us as we shot out on the broad 
bosom of Gray’s Harbor, with its myriads of sea birds and 
sporting seals, Here a party of capitalists were building 
a large sawmill, the only one on the harbor; here, also, we 
saw some Indiana fishing for sturgeon, and their peculiar 
way of catching them interested us very much. To 4slen- 
der pole some twenty feet or more Jong is attached a barbed 
hook: it is then carefully let down to the bottom, and the 
canoe is left to drift with thecurrent. The sturgeo:, as they 
feed along the bottom, come in contact with the pole, which 
is immediately jerked upward, securely hookwg them. 
Great numbers of them are taken in this way, some of which 
were of large size, and one of which would certainly weigh 
100 pounds. 
The wind haying changed, we hoisted the small square- 
sail and coasted along the shores of the bay. The scene pre- 
sented was one to delight the heart of a naturalist or sports- 
man, for hundreds of ducks, gulls, cormorants, pelicans and 
the smaller species of sea birds were to be seen onevery side, 
and seemed to have very little fear of us. 
Late in the afternoon we reached our journey’s end, and 
pitched our camp adjoining the otter hunters. Here we re- 
mained some six months, haying a fine opportunity to gather 
what little information it is possible to obtain, regarding the 
natural history of that singular animal, the Hnhkydra marina 
of vaturalists, and of the men who devote their lives to its 
capture, The sea otter, formerly abundant from Cape Men- 
docina northward, hag from the great value of its fur and 
the constant warfare waged against it deserted ite former 
haunts, and of late years has ppramed off the Japan coasts. 
The only place in the United States where they can still be 
found in any numbers is along that rough and stormy strip 
of coast extending from Gray’s Harbor north to the Flattery 
Rocks, a distance of about sixty miles, 
Here in the heavy 
surf the otter may still be seen, but so shy and retired have 
they become, that it requires the practiced eye of the rifle- 
manto distinguish them from the numerous hair seals that 
also inhabit these waters. Although the seals frequently 
come on shore to bask in the sun, the otter is neyer known 
to do so; the open sca is its home, sleeping or waking, in 
storm or sunshine, it is all the same to him, During a resi- 
dence of many years on this coast, all of which were spent 
in the pursuit of the otters, an old hunter assured me he had 
never seen one of them on the land, or even in the rivers and 
bays unless disabled. Only to feed do they approach near 
enough to the shore to be reached by a rifle ball. 
Although the otter undoubtedly subsists partly on fish, in 
my dissection of them I could not find traces of anything 
but the remains of the large crab (Cancer magister), 80 abund- 
ant in these waters. Diving to the bottom they secure cne 
of these, then, rising to the surface, they lie on their backs, 
holding it between their paws and crushing the thick shell 
With their strong teeth like paper, After finishing their 
meal they swim out beyond the breakers, which here extend 
fully a mile from shore, and, with heads just above water, 
will sleep for hcurs, gently rocked by the huge rollers. The 
female seldom, if ever, has more than one young one at a 
birth, which is carried with her, its little paws firmly grasp- 
ing the thick fur aboul her neek. Eyen in death it still 
clings to her, Quite a number of young have been obtained 
in this way. All attempts to domesticate them, however, 
haye failed, for as soon as they were able to take care of 
themselves they iramediately returned to their former haunts. 
The otters sometimes go in pairs, but generally in com- 
panies of some half a dozen individuals, and when beyond 
the reach of a rifle ball they are very sportive. With their 
broad hind feet, webbed to the very nails, they make won- 
derful speed through the water, leaying a long track of foam 
behind, They know a derrick as well as a human being, 
and at the sight of one will dive and swim fully a quarter 
of a mile under water without once rising to the surface. 
With such a wild, wary animal to be captured, it requires a 
cool head and steady nerve to succeed, and such the otter 
hunters possess to an unusual degree, years of training being 
necessary to make successful men. 
The origin of the present band of hunters was as follows: 
Many years ago an old California miner, hearing from the 
Indians about the gold lands of this, then almost unknown, 
region, shouldered his rifle and came up the beach to what 
is now known as North Point. He found gold plenty 
enough, but so fine that it did not pay to collect it. He 
then turned his attention to the otters, which were very 
abundant and quite tame, and, being a good shot, he soon 
killed three. ith these he made his way to the nearest 
post of the Hudson Bay Company, where he realized $150 
for them. Elated with his success he immediately returned, 
and here for upward of twenty-five years he has remained, 
lenving only at long intervals. He has been very successful, 
and one year made $5,000, In time he was joined by others, 
until now there are about a dozen hunters distributed along 
the beach. 
A stranger riding along the coast would wonder for what 
purpose these curious-looking towers, erected every few 
miles along the beach, with the heavy surf breaking around 
them, could be for, and would be told that as the otters 
hecame more wary, the hunters were compelled to resort to 
other methods to get within range than shooting from the 
flat beach, so at extreme low tide they sunk deeply in the 
sand three poles of about forty feet long, nailing strips across 
to form a ladder; at the topisarough kind of a house 
to protect them from the sun and rain. By this device 
they guin some 400 feet from high water mark. These 
towers or Jovkouts are called derricks. Here with their 
heavy rifles resting on a Swivel they await the approach of 
the otters, which generally feed on the Incoming tide. These 
rifles were niade to order, most of them by -the Sharps, and 
are very heavy, weighing from 15 to 18 pounds. They are 
provided with telescope sights, which are seldom used except 
in misty weather, a plain globe and peep sight answering 
every purpose. 
Some of the wonderful shots made by these men would 
astonish an Eastern tifleman. With a mark barely four 
inches in diameter, for the otter seldom shows more than his 
head amid a boiling surf and high wind, itis not uncommon 
for them to puta ball through the head of their game at 
1,000 yards, although the usual distance is much less than 
this; seldom, however, being under 200. Many aman who 
considered himself a good shot has come here to try his for- 
tune, but after expendiny all his powder and lead in unsuc- 
cessful firing, has returned disgusted, the deceptiveness of 
distance on the water, high winds and heavy surf having 
caused a total failure, The experienced hunter knows better 
than to fire at an otter moying at an angle, but keeping it 
carefully covered, he waits until it turns for the shore, and 
as its head appears on the crest cf an incoming wave, it re- 
mains stationary for a moment; this is the time he fires. 
Even when an otter is killed there is no certainty of get- 
ting it, for it generally sinks and remains under water until 
the gases are sufficiently generated to cause it to float, which 
is usually from five to seven days, and during this period. it 
may drift many miles away. Should it not come in with 
the next flood tide, word is sent to the derricks in the direc- 
tion the current would probably carry it, and they keep a 
sharp lookout for it, promptly restoring it to the owner, 
Disputes as to ownerships are very rare; as an additional pre- 
caution, however, all the bullets are marked. 
Every two or three hunters employ an Indian to run the 
beach for them, and also to skin the otters taken, which is a 
very tedious and difficult process, After skinning, the fur 
is placed on # frame and stretched ay tightly as possible, then 
with a long, thin knife it is carefully gone over and all the 
flesh and fat removed; this reduces its thickness fully one- 
half. It is then still further stretched and left for forty- 
eight hours, until it is set, and then it is taken off the frame 
and the fur side turned out and beaten with a round stick 
resembling aramrod. Not until this process is completed 
can its value be determined. The quality of the fur is ascer 
tained by blowing with the mouth, and should no portion of 
the skin appear if has body enough. Should it then have a 
good top fur plentifully sprinkled with white tt is considered 
an Al skin and readily commands from $100 to $125, or 
even more if it be extra large. ; 
Should an otter be killed and float it is amusing to watch 
the operations of a large Newfoundland dog belonging to 
oue of the hunters. ‘his intelligent animal has been so 
trained that when commanded he will swim out in the surf 
and, at signals from the shore, will go in cither direction 
until the otter is found, when he seizes it and brings it safely 
back to shore, As his master has the lowest derrick the 
dog’s services are in great, demand, and $500 has been refused 
for him from the men of the upper stations. 
Some of the younger men have always had a great desire 
to get out beyond the surf and try their fortunes with a shot- 
gun, but there are scarcely half a dozen days during the 
summer when it is possible to get through the surf, They 
once resolved to make the attempt, however, and had a sea 
kanim built by the Indians expressly for them. The labor 
required to make one of these hoats is almost incredible, an 
Indian being the greater part of a year in finishing one, 
Their only tool is a small hatchet with which the top of a 
log is first fattened. The center is then burnt out with large 
stones heated red hot, The sides are shaped and the rough 
edges burnt off, After this it is scraped and therough edges 
burnt off. After this it is scraped and the edges are fanci- 
fully stained, There are no seats, two pieces of wood being 
Placed across and lashed to the sides, to give it stability, 
Being built of cedar the craft are very buoyant, and as a sea 
boat they are superior to anything I have ever seen, 
With one of these canoes and an Indian to paddle it, a 
young otter hunter successfully ran the surf and reached 
smooth water beyond. They secured two otters, and just 
as the hunter raised his gun for the third shot, the Indian 
swung the paddle around bringing his hand in range and re- 
ceived the charge in his wrist, smashing the bone and leay- 
ing the hand hanging by a few shreds, All thoughts of 
shooting otters were now abandoned, the problem was how 
to get back. The Indian was suffering fearful agony, and 
moreover was in danger of bleeding to death, and the pain 
making him unable to help, so lashing the gun fast, the 
hunter made the attempt alone. Whenabout 100 yards from 
shore the boat capsized, and half drowned the two were 
washed ashore, The hunter generously gave the Indian the 
otters and paid the expenses of amputation algo, 
At another attempt made by two Indians, the canoe split 
from stem to stern; by dint of hard swimming they managed 
to save themselves, although their guns were lost. Since 
then there has been no more attempts. 
As fall approaches, two of the hunters go up the beach 
some twenty miles to 4 small rock situated about a quarter 
of a mile from.the shore, Here they have a small house 
built, and on a calm day enough provisions are taken out to 
last them for six months. They then go out themselves, 
and sometimes have been compelled to remain seyeral months 
before a chance has offered of getting on shore again. 80 pro- 
fitable was shooting from this rock, that they procured from 
San Francisco a wire cable and stretched it from the shore to 
the rock, but it only lasted 4 short time, its great weight cans- 
ing it to part, and it has not been replaced. 
rials of skill are of frequent occurrence among them, and 
some of the shots mude are surprising. Five small ducks 
were sitting in a pond some hundred yards away, and with 
as many shots, two of the men cut their heads off as clean 
as if done with a knife. The shooting of birds on the wing 
is a common occurrence, also the killing of porpoises as they 
swim along; the oil taken from their jaw being of a very 
superior quality, and used by them as a preventive against 
rust, But the most remarkable shots are those at wild geese. 
These birds fly along the beach in the spring and fall in im- 
mense numbers and usually fly quite low. 1 haye known 
the hunters, getting as many as possible in a line, to kill 
five at a distance of several hundred yards, and with a 
single ball. 
Accidents are very rare. But three years ago an old 
hunter named McFarlane received a bullet in his leg by a 
premature discharge of his rifle. Word was immediately 
sent to the nearest physician, some sixty miles distant, but 
before he arrived the old man had bled to death. The most 
singular thing in regard to this accident was that he was the 
only married man among them. 
The otter hunters were formerly much annoyed by the 
Indians of the Quiniault reservation, twenty miles above, 
who would steal their otters or whatever else they could get 
when the hunters were on their derricks. Some settlers also 
were killed in cold blood, and no trace of their murderers 
ever found; but after the mysterious disappearance of some 
of the leading braves with their principal tyhee or chief, 
these peculations ceased, There is no reason to suppose that 
the hunters killed them, although the Indians thought they 
did. The probability is that they were lost while crossing 
the harbor. This tribe has been peaceable ever since, and 
old Fort Chehalis, which for years had stood on the opposite 
side of the harbor, was ahaneoned and is now # crumbling 
pile of logs. ; F 
if the history of the lives of these men were published it 
would make a column of rare interest, but I will content_ 
myself with a short sketch of one of the noblest-looking men 
T have ever seen. He might be said to be a man with a his- 
tory. Coming from an old Vermont family, his great desire 
to see the world led him in his early manaood to brave the 
dangers of a voyage round the Horn, and he landed in Cali- 
fornia in 1840, Here he made a somewhat precarious living 
until the discovery of gold in 49, and being one of the first 
at the diggings, he made a good strike, and realized a fortune 
and returned home. Finding the woman of his choice 
already wedded to another, he turned his back on his native 
town forever and again came to California, Here he soon 
lost his money in speculation. About this time word came 
to the mining camp of the discovery of the precious metal in 
Australia, He immediately left for Ballarat, and remained 
in the country seventeen years. Success attended him there 
also; but the government escort to which he had intrusted 
all his savings being killed by the bushrangers and his 
gold plundered, the old man was left penniless again. 
Back to California he came, and, driffing up the beach to 
the olter hunters’ camp, he has remained there eyer since. 
No one could fail to be impressed with the truth of what 
the old man says. His long silvery hair and beard make him 
one of the most venerable looking menu I have ever beheld. 
Many a night we have sat up unti the small hours of the 
morning, listening to his tales of adyenture and. hardships 
such as rarely fall to the lot of men. 
With their log cabins nestled under the shadows of the 
giant spruces and the little garden patches adjoining them, 
the hunters lead a quiet life. If they have not the pleasure a 
city affords, they at least are free from its cares. Some of 
the pleasantest days of my life were spent among them, and 
so attached did I become to this wild life that itwas with the 
deepest regret that I left them, to seek in other parts of the 
Territory those ornithological treasures that this section did 
not contain, Karta KALva. 
SALEM, Mass., Sept. 15.—Rail shooting on the Powwow 
and at Indian River and Town Creek bas been pretty good 
of Jate. One party got sixty. Several single bags of twenty 
were made. Self and partner got sixty-two. and the chances 
will be good until October if frosts keep off. Other shoot- 
ing matters are quiet. Some coots, so called, are in the bay — 
wn de . . 
