The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-04-27
A Wild Whale Hunt.
now SOME INDIANS OF THE NORTHERN
PACIFIC CAPTURED A LEvIATiiAN- AN
EXCITING SPORT.

From the Seattle chronicle.
AT Neah bay, around Cape Flattery
and down the coast from Tatoosh to
Gray's Harbor, live various tribes of
Indians, who, as hunters and fishers,
are as fearless as any race of aborigi-
nal men in the known world. While
the writer was at Quillute, the Indian
village forty miles below Cape Flat
terry, last fall, whale was sighted off
the beach and four canoes at once
started toward him Soon we were
upon the monster, who, lolling lazily
along paid no heed to the demonstra-
tions of his puny assailants But he
was rudely awakened The foremost
canoe darted forward and "thul !"
went the heavy harpoon into his broad
back, buried nearly to the shaft. The
canoe was stopped and suddenly back
ed, and none to soon, for with
a terrific smash of his fiukes on the wa
ter, barely missing the nearest canoe,
he sounded A number of sealskin
bladders, fast to the harpoon line, were
thrown over, and each canoe, in turn
as it came up, made fast with line TO
the foremost canoe. Up came the
monster, and with fearful lurch all
four canoes were dragged through the
water at a fearful rate as he started for
the ocean.
-Four or FIVE miles were run at this
rate when his pace slackened and the
| hindmost canoe was hauled cautiously
past the others and another harpoon
was dexterously planted aud this canoe
assumed the front place in the process
sion, with the others bringing up the
rear Another wild rush, but shorter
than the first, aud repetition of the
performance, until there were half a
dozen harpoons affixed and double as
many sealskin bladders drifting around
the exhausted monster, preventing his
sinking or sounding finally, after hours
of a prolonged fight for his life against
his relentless foes, the coup de grace
was given with lance, final plunge
and he was ours. Three hours of pad
ding with nasty little swell on and
the whale sunk beneath the water, was
a hard task before the whalers before
the prise could be beached and fairly
called our own, but gallantly they
buckled to it, keeping time to their
work with the high-keyed monotonous
chant and an occasional ear piercing,
blood curdling yell interjected into it
that was calculated to raise a casual
spectators hair on end.
On the beach the entire remaining
population of the village were
awaiting around huge bontires the
hunters, but by no means in silence, for
the yelling, whooping, singing, crouch
ing, dancing, dusky, half-naked figures,
as they plunged in and out the ruddy
blaze of the huge driftwood fires, re
minded one of the descriptions of the
internal regions and raised grave doubts
as TO the truth of Bob Ingersoll's fa-
nous doctrines. The canoes are safely
beached, the whale hauled as far as
strong hands can drag him and left till
the out going tide exposes his full pro
portions on the beach, when knife and
axe and saw do their work till of the huge
animal aught is left but a few well
stripped bones, on and over which the
village dogs feed and fight and snarl
till the incoming tide covers them with
a layer of sand
The carcass is divided among all
concerned in the capture, then and
there alike, except the honor piece, ex-
tending around the animal and inclu-
ding the dorsal fin, is the property of
him whose lucky harpoon was the first
to strik the whale. For many days
feasts, songs and small potlaches cele
brate their luck capture, and the vii
lage finally assumes its normal condi
ton.