The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-07-17
LoNspALe,s WHALE AuNr.
He Tells How the Huskles XIII the Levi
athan and Blow Him Up.

"Aug. g" writes Lord LonsdaIe, "we
determined to make trip to Liver
pool bay, to the Huskie settlement.
There were about 175 men and $50
women and children waiting for us to
land. We no sooner touched the beach
than jumped out aud shook hands,
having taken care previously, how
ever, to load my revolver and put tin
my pocket. | shook hands with all
the men and the chief. The chief was
named Ta-wahtsack and his sub Kag-
ley. The chief made a speech, TO
which all listened with marked atten-
ton. He told them so l learned
through our interpreter himself q
Huskie, (taken from his tribe when a
boy by the Hudson Bay company that
we were the first white men who had
ever visited them. He had heard that
white men were brave, but il they are
so brave, continued he. how is it that
they have not come to us beforep STILL
said he, i think they must be brave and
we must try them. Then they showed
ushow man was killed by them. Four
men seized the victim. Two held him
by the shoulders, another placed his
hands against his back and the fourth
pulled his head back, when another
man would draw knife across his
throat and all would be over"
The Huskies then tried to intimidate
Lord Lonsdale by running at him with
their knives and then putting their
hands over his heart to feel it beat.
"While in the middle of this interest
ing performance" said Lord Lonsdale,
we heard man calling 'Hoo-roo-e-e-
ooor Cor that is what it sounded like
to me), which Immediately threw
everybody into confusion. Everybody
rushed out and the chief called upon
me to follow. The interpreter told me
we were going to whale hunt.
1.-THE cry still came at intervals, and
1 found out afterward it came from
sentinels who had been placed to watch
for the coming of the white whale
The Indians wait until they come into
the shadows and then attack them.
1.-The chief put his two young wives
and myself into o-me-ach "a large
fiat-bottomed boat made out OF whale
skins,) and we rowed in the direction
of the cry. The women are not al
lowed to put their foot into kiack,
because Of an Indian superstition which
says that the art of hunting leaves the
man who owns the kiack If such a
thing should happen.
1--WE rounded tho corner in silence
and there, moving up toward the
shadows, were ten white whales The
Indians in their kiacks extended in
skirmishing order, at the same time
keeping up rolling sound with their
mouths and splashing the water.
"The whales were gradually driven
into shoal water. and then began the
attack. First ono man in his kiack
would make rush forward and drive
his harpoon, and then another would
follow suit. Each harpoon has
bladder filled with air attached to the
end. so that it will float il it should
fall out of the whale. The line aud
order kept by the Indians was some
thing wonderful. They never got in
each others way, and no two men
would ever make rush for the same
whale. Each man carried but one
harpoon, and when these were ex-
hausted they attacked the mammals
with their spears. When they were all
killed they resembled porcupines more
than anything else.
1.-THE woman's part of the work then
came in. They first of all gathered up
all the harpoons and then pulled out
all the spears. AS each spear was
withdrawn a blow-pipe was pushed
into the wound and the men blew into
it. after which the opening was tied up.
When every wound had been treated
in this manner the whale resembles a