54 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
44 Clam Bay,” 44 S.E. Bay,” which they retained for 
many years; and amongst hunters they are still so 
known, notwithstanding the new names given to them 
by the Japanese. 
Sailing thence, the Cygnet crossed to the coast of 
Yetorup, where, running along close to the land, 
numbers of sea-otters were sighted, lying up in the 
kelp-beds. This was sufficient for an old otter- 
hunter like Kimberley. An anchorage was sought 
and the two boats got out, he in one and a hunter in 
the other, each pulled by one man. They were soon 
in the kelp-patches, and found the otters not only 
very tame, but inquisitive, even coming towards the 
boats and 44 standing,” as the term is, with their 
heads and fore-paws out of water, offering the 
easiest target imaginable. In a few weeks over two 
hundred were taken, and twice as many could have 
been secured; but, as the skins had to be 44 staked 
out ” and dried, more could not be attended to. 
With this catch they decided to proceed to Hako¬ 
date, where they arrived in due course, shipped their 
skins, refitted, and ran back again to Yetorup. Here 
they secured nearly one hundred more, and again 
returned to Hakodate, where the Cygnet was laid 
up for the winter, her owner going back to America. 
On first touching Hakodate, some disagreement 
arose amongst the party, and several left the schooner, 
some returning later to America, and two to Yoko¬ 
hama. It was from the latter that I first heard, 
through an old skipper of my acquaintance, of the 
sea-otter and sea-otter hunting. He told me that 
he had met two men just back from Hakodate, who 
had left an American schooner there which had been 
hunting sea-otters in the vicinity of the Kuril 
