272 THEY OBJECT TO OUR HAULING THE SEINE. 
regard to the household gods, we could not deny that we 
were the parties, and were consequently requested to give 
them up. We had great luck in seine-hauling, and this, 
too, seemed to trouble them considerably. They evi- 
dently envied us the boat-loads of fine salmon, trout, 
perch, and flounders which we daily carried on board, 
and determined to stop the sport. They told the captain 
that the people in and about Ila-ko-da-di were very 
poor; that they lived almost entirely upon fish, and 
that if we went on in that way much longer they wmuld 
be in a starving condition. This -was simply absurd, as 
there were dozens of their own seines being hauled in 
the harbour every day, and one of theirs was as large as 
half a dozen of ours would have been. Probably “ absurd” 
is too mild a term; but, as I am “talking behind their 
backs” as it were, I will content myself with it. 
The captain replied carelessly that if they would sell us 
what fish we wanted the seine should be used no more, but 
that if worthless or half-decaj^ed fish were sent they would 
be thrown overboard and a scining-party sent on shore 
at once. To this the high officer replied that we should 
thereafter be regularly supplied with fine fresh salmon ; 
and the next day he sent on board three of that kind of 
fish, which looked veiy well at a distance, but which we 
refused to accept upon a closer inspection,- as their gills 
were already turning green and four dollars were asked 
for them. They were consequently thrown overboard 
and the seining-party once more landed on the beach. 
We had not got our first haul half-way. on shore when 
several two-sworded officials, attended by some ten or fif- 
teen inferiors, gathered about the spot, apparently actu- 
