Arizona weekly citizen., 1891-06-27
RIDING A WHALE AT SEA
"A SEA OTTER HUNTERS HARD
TRIP OFF THE PACIFIC COAST.

! Pervorseness Of q STUPID Bull Headed,
Humpbacked Whale An Incredible
Story of Hard Luck.
In passing up Front street reporters
. at-ert ton was attracted to singular ap-
! ro...-ns Iaan who stood in front Of q hide
and fur store examining d very hand
some sea [ ter skin which hung ia the
window. His hair was long, and his face
covered with a full growth of beard of a
rich auburn hue, which hung down on
his breast. His clothing was of strange
make and material, and his tout ensem-
bic was calculated to give one IN idea
that ''the wild man of Borneo had Just
CONS to town" The reporter approached
/ the window, and after pausing a mo-
/ 1aent said:
THAT is a very handsome skinr'
eyes" said the stranger, sit is very
fine. There is nothing that produces
better fur than the sea otter. have
shot many of them"
might ask where?' said the report
or. "Ihe sea otter is rare animal now :"
81 suppose they are about all killed of
by this time on this coast" said the
stranger. at was ten years ago when /
was shooting them on the coast of Wash
ington territory, and they were not very
numerous then, but in the course of two
years l had killed over fifty, besides a
good many fur seals, and had saved up
over s, 900 in cash, when was suddenly
broke up in business and taken to a
strange country by very singular acct
dent"
On being pressed for an explanation
the stranger told the following remarka-
bic story: ''Ten years ago was hunting
J sea offers on one of the widest parts of
the coast of Washington, several miles
north of the Quillayute Indian reserva-
| ton, between Destruction Island and
| Cape Flattery. 1t is one of the widest
and most out of the way places on the
coast. had been shipwrecked on De-
struction Island. and had beea rescued
by the Quillayute Indians and had been
living with them several years, and had
married the daughter OF one OF the heal
men Of the tribe.
A DANGEROUS PERCH.
Il was happy and conteated, for, after
| years spent lii the fOrecaStle of q ship,
| the life | !ed among the Indians was
comparatively pleasant and luxurious.
BESIDES, as | told you, had saved up
several thcGssld dollars. when in mo-
ment. by the freak of a stupid, bull
headed, bumphacked whale, was torn
| from my home and family and cast pen
| niless OH the shores OF stranger and
wider country than the one had SO IN
tremendously left, among people COM
pared to whom my Gaillayute friends
were civilized and intelligent.
lyon know, of course, low sea offers
are shot by the hunter having q stand
rigSed up away out rs far from the shore
as possible, Oy setting up three tai poles,
| so that they cross few feet from the
| top, and by bull ling kind OF crows
nest in the top of this frail structure.
| had rugged Cp one of these stands away
: ,. at low water mark and made it Is
-,,G-Jr-lble as possible, and sometimes
spent two or three days ont there, my
wife keeping Il lockout and securing any
offers or seals shot. | was doing first
rate. owing 10 being so far out, and. al
though several times badly scared by
rough weather and by schools Of whales,
which came around my lookout, could
not think Of giving it up for a place
which might be safer, but where could
not kill 50 many offers.
The last tine got into my lookout
was early enc morning. As the weather
hai been stormy / was expecting that
otta-s AMI seals would be coming near
the shore, SO took along good supply
of provisions and water and plenty of
tobacco AMI ammunition, expecting TO
stay out two or three days. As soon as
it was light and the tide was near the
food. saw a number Of offers lying
asleep il the water Just beyond range,
and while was waiting for them to
drift down toward me along came a
school of half a dozen or more of the
small whales common on that coast.
OFF TO SEA ON A WHALE.
"They came toward my lookout rolling
and spouting and playing, and at length
saw one Of them making right for the
lookout. i was afraid he would upset
me, and yelled at him, but, whether by
accident or design l knew not, he
plunged between two OF the poles on
which my nest was perched, and strik
ing the other with his nose showed it
away in front of him, and over went
my nest, landing on his back, one of the
poles sticking straight ahead and the
others straddling him az a man does a
horse. When saw was going jump |
ed and landed astride the whales tail. |
and quicker than wink with my keen
sheath knife cut the muscles on each
side Of his tail, which prevented him
from going down. | then clsmbered up
to my nest, and there was afoat on a
whale, with provisions for three days
and neither sail, oar nor compass.
1.-The first thing l did was to cut
some loops in the thick hide of tho
whale and secure my nest by .:sshing it |
firmly to his back. He struck out from |
shore and made the best speed he could |
with his partially disabled tail. hus- |
banded my provisions and water, and as |
had some whisky and plenty of tobacco !
and was used to Lying in my nest. got |
RT0lg very comfortably Ut q week, Wien /
things began to look blue. Fortunately |
q Russian ship bound for Vladivostock /
came along and picked me up.
~ was so uncomfortable on board that
as we were passing the Kooril islands
stole q boat and got ashore, and, after
spending about six years there with the
wild inhabitants, succeeded in getting
scross to Japan and finally in ship to
South America, and arrived here day
or two since on ship. and am now
bound for Callam county, Wash, to see
what has become of my wife and the
t--enty dollar pieces we had when went
away. Portland Oregonian.