The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-06-06
AFTER SEA OTTER.

OCcdu.
AFTER SEA OTTER.
Fleets Of Canoes Manned BY the Alaska
Indians.
The Hounah Indians arc the best sea
otter hunters of all the Alaskan tribes.
They are very skillful at it, and as the
furs are very valuable they make a
good thing out Of 1T. The Hoonahs 60
after sea offers in large companies. Ten
or twelve families hunt together. There
are very good grounds about ten mics
out from Lituya bay, and there tho
Hoonahs Go their best work. They Use
spruce canoes, which are small COM
which, being light and easy to handle
in the chase, are swifter than the or
dinary boats. Usually there are four
paddlers. but the number may be greet
er or smaller. The head of the family
sits in the bow with his gun across his
lap in such position that he can drop
the paddle and pick up the gun in .
often as not with a Laby ir her lap, tits
in the stern with big, loug-handled
paddle and steers. The children do the
effective padding. Every Alaskan In
dian child learns 10 paddle as soon as it
learns 20 walk. The Indians there have
been Il canoe-traveiing race SO long that
they inherit abnormally developed
bodies and arms. but then legs are not
strong.
Because of the great bore in Latuya
bay it is only when the weather is very
calm that the Indians can go out to
hunt sca otter. They kill with sact-
guns loaded with heavy charges of
buckshot. And they hunt otter in much
the same way that the western boys
hunt he'll divers and butter-ban ducks.
When they sight ar otter they fire several
blank shots. The otter dives, and all
the canoes circle around the place where
be went down, waiting for him to cone
to the surface again. When he does
they fire more blank shots and scare
him into diving again. They keep that
up until the otter gets tired out and one
of the canoes can get within gunshot
of him. sometimes they have two or
three cttec diving at once. and it is live
ly, exciting work, as we'll as great
sport.
Getting back with the days game ts:
the camp inside the bay is alwayc
sharp work and sometimes very danger
Gus. The bay runs inland a. out SIX
miles, and varies from three-quarters
of a mile to one aud half miles in
width. The entrance is about 300 yards
wide, with from four to six fathoms vi
water at low tide. Rocky spits jut ou!
from the mainland at each side. jest
at the head of the southern spit arc
several large powders, the largest Of
which is called Cormorant rock. The
northern spit is rocky glacial morass.
Vessels gong in ana out always wait
for slack :ide. Except at slack tide the
breakers extend entirely across the en-
trance, and when the tide is running
either way the current is extremely
swift and Il gutter is formed in midchan.
mel from which the current sets strong
ly toward the shores, SO that a vessel
trying to go through on the tide woulu
almost ce, ,talnly be washed against
Cornorant rock or the northern spit.
In perfectly calm weather the tide, eDb
or flood, SHOWS a considerable bore. and
if vessel hits 1t just right she would 20
through as If sailing down Hill. The
mouth of the Day is only about q ca ble's
length, aid after that there is no dan
ger. ~
The Indian sea otter hunters never
undertake the passage except at slack
water. If they arrive before the tide
serves they wait until it does. If they
get in from the grounds only few min
utes after slack water they prefer TO
stand the ocean aweil outside than un-
derta<e to go through In their light
canoes. AS a mater of fact, they arc
safer outside. for there is big Idly be
tween the tidcway and Cormorant roch,
where they are perfectly safe, unless
wind comes up and the sea gets rough.
There they wait for the next turn Of the
tide, and IL is not unusual to see half
dozen canoes drifting. about in this
eddy with most of the occupants asleep.
It the sea comes up while they are wait
ing outside the Indians make landing
among the rocks on the ocean side
rather than try to make a passage
through the breakers. This is an. ex
tremely hazardous undertaking, but
the Indians are so slxillful in handling
their canoes that accidents seldom hap
pen. They swim like seals from baby.
hood, ind are usually so covered with
oil and grease that the shock Of sudden