The San Francisco call., 1899-09-09
INDIANS OF THE
ALASKAN COAST
ON THE WARPATH
Schooner Kate and
Anna Attacked.
REPULSED BY THE CREW
GOOD, HARD FIGHTING FOR
HALF AN HOUR.
Had 1t Not Been for the Captain g
Presence of Mind Everybody
Aboard Would Have
Been Killed.
REPULSED BY THE CREW
GOOD, HARD FIGHTING FOR
HALF AN HOUR.

The weil-known sealing schooner Kate
and Anna. which made a 900 catch in
the Santa Barbara Channel during the
early part of the season reached mort
Yesterday afternoon after most excit-
ing cruise along the coast of Alaska. The
weather was SO bad that there was only
few days during the entire voyage that
q boat could be lowered. In consequence.
not a seal was taken and only one sea
otter was killed.
Near Icy Cape a band of Indians with
their war paint on attacked the schooner.
They were in their canoes and armed
10 the teeth The sails and topsails of
The Kate and Anna bear witness TO the
1usillade that the natives poured into her.
and had 1t not been for the presence of
mind Of Captain Anderson there might
low be another sealing schooner posted
as missing"
we nave had hard luck ever since we
left port on this cruise" said Captain
Anderson yesterday. After doing so
Well n the early part of the season we
all made sure that Dame Fortune was
our friend, but the jade turned us down.
We had the worst kind of luck For
weeks at time we never saw a seal
and when we did get a glimpse of them
il was too rough to lower boat
jn9Hy gave it up in despair and
were then off Kodiak, on the mainland
and l started down the coast Just be-
EHre reaching Icy Cape the vessel was
leCalmed, ana that night / noticed a fire
turning on the beach. The next day a
canoe with three Indians in it came out
from the shore and boarded the schooner.
they belonged TO the Yakutat tribe and
Iad their war paint on, fighting feathers
lG tuelr hair and We're armed TO the
teeth. The leader had a gun over his
shoulder, q pistol in his belt and another
Ill his hip pocket.
Il asked them what they wanted and
t1eir leader asked me what I was doing
l2efe. lie talked fairly good English and
save me 70 understand that he meant
business 1 told him that we were not
doing anything, but that we We're on our
way 70 san francisco, and were only
awaiting breeze to carry US hOmeward.
Then he wanted TO know if we were otter
hunting, and again l told him We were
The three Indians kept looking over
their shoulders toward the shore while
they were talking and l soon saw their
being launched and each canoe contained
three armed Indians. There were four
teen OF Us all told on the schooner and
] slgnaied the hunters to get their rifles.
Had the Indians on the deck of the
schooner not waited for their companions
10 embark, but ordered our hands up
they would have had us at their mercy.
As il was the hunters got their guns and
! then ordered the Indians into their
canoe. They at first refused. saying their
companions, who were then racing toward
US, had present for me. The sight of
q leveled Winchester made them enter the
canoe and at that moment the prayed-for
breeze came along. 1t was very light
but il carried the vessel through the
water at a fair speed.
BY this time the entire crew was
armed and / had just time to order them
10 lie down behind the bulwarks when
the Indians in the canoes let fly a vOlley
at us. Some of the shots went through
the sails, many of them lodged in the
hull and one Of them went through the
cooks galley and spoiled our only coffee
pot. We gave them a VOlley in return
and maybe there wasn't a scattering
Hmong that flOtilla. They We're brave
tack and there was a fusillade there for
q time that would have passed for a
Filipino night attack. We fired over 200
rounds of ammunition and | don't know
how many shots the Indians sent after
US but I'm certain there are a few
pounds Of lead in the hull of the Kate
The breeze began to freshen and
NnaIy we drew away from the canoes
and the firing ceased. l don't know
whether we killed any of the Indians or
not l don't think we did. Anyhow it
was a case Of our lives or theirs.
There are several hunters on the Kate
and Anna who are credited with being
able to put a bullet into seals eye at
one hundred yards. 1t therefore seems
more than probable that some OF those
Indians were at least hit. However, no
Todv aboard the schooner will admit that
he killed an Indian, so the matter rests
there The run down the coast was un-
eventful after that and the Kate and
Anna will now lie up for the winter.
Captain Anderson reports the 9tnersves-
sells Of the fleet with the following catch
of sea otter: Rather, 6; Pearl, 13; Hun
ter. 10; olga, s; Lydia, 3; Lettitia and St
Paul clean.