The morning call., 1893-06-11
INDIAN NIMRODS.
How They Capture the
LeViathan.
REAL FEARLESS HUNTERS.
Exciting Adventure With a Hump
back-AlI Night at Sea in
Canoe.
NIMRODS.
ZEAL FEARLESS HUNTERS.
Written for THE MORNING CALL.

On the extreme northwestern coast Of
Washington live the remnants of race of
Indians who a comparatively short time ago
were fierce and warlike. who had little
commerce with the white nhabitants. who
captured their subsistence from the turbu-
lent ocean and lived life of hardy inde-
pendence and constant danger They
frequently battled with the Indians of
Nootka Sound, across on the British
Columbia SIDE, and there exist to-day
many legends and stories of those fierce
struggles.
In stature they are unlike the natives Of
the interior-the Yakimas, the Snakes and
other tribes The latter are tall, we'll
proportiOned, expert horsemen and ex-
cellent runners. The Indians who lived
on the coast at the entrance to the Straits
of Fuca and little further south toward
the Columbia River were short, clumsy on
their feet and almost crablike In their
motion. Their legs were scrawny and
most Indifferent, while from the waist up
many of them were splendid specimens of
wild manhood-chests broad, deep,
straight; arms of marvellous development
and unusual length.
This peculiar dispropOrtion is easily ac-
counted for. The life of the coast Indian
was passed in his canoe with paddle or
spear in hand. His seat in the canoe was
not unlike the doubled and cramped posi-
ton of a tailor on his bench. Through
series of generations his legs became
dwarfed, crooked and insufficient; but his
spine, shoulders, arms and all the mus
cles IF his upper body answering to con-
slant practice reached splendid vigor and
ability. The Bedoun of the plain, the
CoSsack of the steppes. the COmanche OF
| the West were not half so familiar TO their
/ L. Indi n hAI
canoes, which were their means OF chase
and capture, of their dangerous journeys,
of their flight and pursuit.
In their canoes the coast Indians of
Washington do not hesitate to attack any
monster of the deep, and the writer has
seen them successfully give battle TO
| the largest humpbacked whales and bring
the leviathan of the ocean intn camp.
! During certain seasons of the year 1t is
the belief of those Indians that the
'tyhee' fish regularly makes migration
along the coast of Wash ingtOn. At such
| time a sharp watch is kept. and upon the
appearance of the humpback a general
alarm is turned in, which meets with an
! enthusiastic response.
The writer once happened to be at
| Osett, an Indian village few miles below
the entrance to the Strait de Hare. when
the signal came from a keen-eyed. half
naked sentry perched high up on jutting
promOntory that school of whales was
seen. In a moment the lazy. inert saw
ages were ali activity. No bugle call ever
| produced more instan taneous effect than
! the signal from the lookout Suddenly
! half a dozen canoes were pushed off, al
/ though there was a heavy swell and the
water was breaking in a threatening man
ner on the beach. "Shoo-s! shoo-is!" was
shouted from fifty throats, and almost as
quick as thought the big canoes were
pointed seaward and were dancing over
] = 70 fhf ctr of ha
Indians paddles.
The weapons employed in whale hunt
ing consist of a long barked spear. The
body is made of wood and is, perhaps, fif-
teen feet in length. 1t is so made that the
moment the sharp lance-like barb enters
the thick skin of the whale the wood be-
comes detached, but the barb stays deeply
imbedded in the harpooned fish, attached
to the boat by a small line. There are in
each canoe several of these spears and a
numbe OF dog-seal SKINS inflated with air,
which are made fast to the line whose end
Is again fast to the lance. Thus, when
whale is struck and goes down, lie has to
carry with him this inflated bag. The
Indians also had shorter spears, which
are employed at closer quarters.
At the time indicated the Zig game was
several miles out to sea. but there were
seven stalwart siwaShes in each canGe
dipping their oars in the water with the
rhythm OF machinery, and it was not long
before the little fleet lay directly in the
course of the leviathans. They formed
horseshoe with the ends fiaring toward
the fish. In every bow there stood a
sportsman with lance partially upraised,
whose rigid form, tense, strained, expect
ant, seemed carved. Every paddle except
that of the steersman was lifted from the
water ready to descend with instant preci-
sion and send the light craft literally leap
ing over the waves
fAr
minutes. Finally in moment monster
humpback whale broke through the water
100 yards to the right and further seaward.
A moment more and a second whale
spouted stream skyward not fifty feet
from the canoe next the Que in which sat,
an excited and somewhat frightened OBJ
server. In absolute silence the two canoes
on either side of the fish Slipped over the
water toward the unsuSpecting game. and
in another second the spear from one of
them shot through the air, hurled by
giant Indian. 1t was we'll aimed and
struck the whale hard and Deep burying
the lance in its side. Swifter than thought
the wounded monster struck the water
with his f1ukes, breaking into small pieces
the long shaft of wood, and sinking, sent
the two big bladders skmmng oyer the
water for moment and then cut of sight
downward.
Amateur oarsmen or professionals who
| think they can propel their racing-boats
should have seen the canoes literally fly
after that wounded humpback. Every stiff
paddle threatened 10 break, and the mus
cles stood out across the naked breasts
and pared arms of the hunters as they shot
along. After little one after another
dropped behind and they were strung out
over quite distance. This was in order
to "cnver" as much water as possible, for
it was impossible to tell where the
wounded whale would rise to spout But
he did ot long remain below. and before
he reached the surface the inflated skin
came up and tnld somewhere near the
point OF his reappearance.
When the big black shining skin showed
above the water there were two canoes
near enough to sink each short
shaft into its exposure As the
wounded monster felt the incisiOn liz
again disappeared, but he had six skins to
drag down instead Of two this time, and
the blood which spirited from his sides,
coloring the water fur quite distance,
told how well the native muscle and skill
had co-operated.
Again the Indians raced over the water
but this time the whale remained longer
under AID went further. He had outtrav-
Aled the hunters, and despite their frantic
efforts, sank again before they came near
hm. But he evidently did not like the
load of air he TOOK b0ttouward. for be soon
came up. Fortune favored the natives,
for still another lance, 10 whose line were
three skins attached, plunged into his side.
The furiOuS now fajI tn snuud