Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-03-21
Killing sea Elephants.

"MoSt OF the time was spent in killing
sea elephants. and rough work il was.
The animals had been hunted SO much
that they only came ashore on one part
of the island called Long Beach. and
where there was n heavy sea breaking
all the time; SO the only way to do was
to drive Shc animals off shore and to
keep them on, SO that they would como
ashore in other places wh,re they could
be killed. The long beach was covered
with thousands of elephants in regular
herds, like cattle, about fifty to Il lot.
and each under the lead of big male
called beach-master. Cur business
was to take long seal-skin whips, sail
into the herds, and drive them oil.
which was no fool of a job. We walked
along about m eighth of i mile apart.
and had some close serapes sometimes.
Some Of the beach-masters were thirty
feet long and weighed three tons. They
didn't seem to know what fear meant,
and you could walk right among
them and give them the whip right and
left, and then the roaring and Hopping
commenced. Fightp | should say SO.
There was a Portng with our gang that
WAS about as reckless chap rs | ever
saw; he'd rush into acrowd andrun right
up on the back Of big fellow and lath-
CT it with his whip for minute. and
then slide off. One day he did this
when we were in crowd Of big ones.
His foot slipped, and he slid right over
the critters shoulder, and the next
minute the bull had him. lie had on q
thick canvas shirt and overalls, and by
tho sack of the latter tho bnll
grabbed him and tossed him ten feet
in the NJ. his whip going one way and
he another. lie landed in tho sand all
right
Sometimes we didn't come of 50
well. One Of our men was tossed by
the leg, the bull biting right through it,
a aiming him out for good. But the
worst lights ! saw were between tho
bulls themselves. If young bull got
into herd by mistake it was goodbye.
John The old bull would take him by
the ne X, tear great pieces Of skin of.
and ii he could get n good hold toss him
ten er twelve feet up, and when no
landed grab him again, and in the long
run sometimes kill him. When we got
the elephants off shore they swan
around 10 another beach where the wa
IeI WIS AIllDOIil, anu fltIG VIC slDL iutIl
or knocked the smaller ones over with
clubs, and tried out the blubber for oil
and barreled it up. To got to this
beach You had to cross twoglaoiers, amt
there we had huts and lived part Of tho
time
Were there any o.her animals
therc?n
''Neyer saw anything except birds.
But they made up for the rest. There
was millions Of EN-; big birds called the
albatross. and another called the killer
gull three times as Big as those fol-
lers YOU see down the bay. They were
just like eagles, didn't eat fish, hus
killed other birds and ate meat; and
when we set to skinning an elephant, /
tell you ii was nip and tuck sometimes.
Why. I've seen them gulls make rush
at a bull we were at work on, and light
right on the critter and tear the meat
out OF our hands, 50 lnat we'd have
to stop and 90 for them with clubs.
The air would be black with them, and
the noise was enough to set you crazy.
One of the gulls camo near killing one
Of the mon, and then saved his life af-
ter all. He was climbing over the gla-
cier, when the bird made dash at him
and knocked him of. The man threw
ont his arm and grabbed the bird by the
leg, and down they both went, sliding
about one hundred and fifty feet, the
bird Topping and half holding him up,
and that was all that saved him.
Some time in the year the elephants
immigrate, and when they como back
Young ones arc born. There's Curl
Gus thing young critters suck for .
while and then are left on the beach,
actually growing fat without anything
to eat. These we never killed. Tho
young amt white like seals, but black.
and don't show the snout until they get
three years old or so. That's what
they are called sea elephants for. as
they have sort Of trunk that Is about
ten inches long. and when they get mad
it's blown up In some way and looks
like . regular elephants trunk. ~
" Csgy