The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-03-03
THE Willy SEA OTTER
ITS PELT is HIGHLY PRICED AND HARD
TO OBTAIN.

Nose when ALIVE ana All Fur WheA
Dead-Its Capture II Attended with
Great Dangers ana Hardships.
Fifty pounds sterling. or $3.50. per
skin is not an unusually high average
price to pay for the fur of the sea otter,
and at fur sales in London a muck
higher price has often been asked ane
received. Much. of. course, in the mat
ter Of price depends upon the condition
and size Of the skin. The animal wher.
it is alive and wearing the fur itself is
from three to five feet in length from.
nose to tail tip, though the skin lying
upon it in loose folds. the actual ''pelt. ;
is of fair size.
Ever since Boring, sailing from Rus
Ella, discovered Alaska and found its ma,
tives clad in otter skin this fur has
been the prime object of the pelt hunt
ers' desire, Sable. marten, mink. and
even ermine a be trapped or shot
without extraordinary trouble. Seals
are driven inland like fools to be slaugh.
tered and skinned at their captors' lei
sure. But the sea otter must be sought
diligently as the diamond, for three
u Los. VI ESAPC4ACASC Adtc uluNc HILL
wise.
Upon the map of North America may
be seen jutting from the southern cor.
ner of ALASKA. which is the northwest
corner of the continent. ALASKA, a pc
ninsula. which breaks off into a chain
of islands called the Aleutians. Just
where the peninsula ends and the is
lands begin a point may be noticed
marked Belkovsky.
This is the headquarters of the sea
otter hunters, and between here and
Chernaboor island to the south and Saa.
max island to the southwest the bulk Of
the sea otte-s are taken.
Thoroughly impressed with The val.
ne Of his ON skin, the sea otter takes
care of it by living far away from the
mainland. sleeping with one eye open.
upon the floating weed beds or a sea
washed reef exposed to the full fury of
the north P;.4ifc.
At the slightest sign of the approach
of man he dives deep. and stays below
for 30 minutes ut a time.
Sometimes a stray otter may be shot
from the land as he plays in the surf.
but the chief methods of his capture
are 1.-The surround and clubbing. In
the former case a party of Aleutian is
landers are conveyed to Saanak, there
to encamp for two or three months.
Woe to the hunters if the wind be OF,
the shore. for then no fire may be lit to
make the beloved tea, no pipe of tobac,
co smoked, or the hope of a capture
would be vain. For the otter is all
eyes and ears and nose when alive: all
fur when dead,
Upon a calm day the hunters paddle
gently over the sea in their skin canoes.
keeping an eager eye upon the rolling
surf for a sign of the prey. A hunter
sees an otter and makes a quiet signal
to his mates. Like a flash the quarry
has dived. Raising his oar aloft. the
man who found the otter remains as s
buoy above the place of the animals
I. disappearance. while his mates form in
a huge circle with him in the center.
In 20 minutes, at most. the otter
comes up again in sight of some of the
canoe men. A frightful yell drives the
poor brute below again before he has
had time to fill his lungs. Shortly he il
again seen, and the process repeated.
till at length his body is so gas inflated
that he cannot sink and falls a prey tc
the lucky hunter whose spear first
pierces that too rich coat of his.
Luck varies, and the sea otter il
yearly rarer and more shy. but. if for.
tunate, each hunter may have from two
to five skins for the traders as the re-
suit Of his three months catch.
To be a successful hunter requires a
Spartan scorn of comfort, huge pa
thence, keenness of vision and readiness
of as well as great dexterity
in the handling of a risky craft and
an intimate knowledge of your quarry's
habits which it requires a lifetime Of
observation under trying conditions to
gain.
"The surround. then. is no joke,
but clubbing next door to suicide. The
hunters encamped upon Saanak have
been for a day o. two prevented by a
bowling gale from doing anything save
sleep or smoke. One or two of the men,
knowing. seemingly by instinct, that
the gale has almost blown itself out.
prepare for q clubbing expedition.
Should they in the dark and turmoil
miss the islands some score of miles
away they are carried out into the
ocean and certain death. If, on the 9th
or hand, they make their haven. they
land and creep, club in hand, over the
rocky coast to the ocean swelled reef
where the offers sleep.
The roar Of the gale browns the sound
of their approach, and the poor otter is
a mere .'pelt" before he knows of his
danger. Scores of offers have been killed
in one night by a clubman or two. But
otter clubbing is not a means of liveli
hood likely to become generally popular
Chambers Journal.
Chinese ~BOatwOmen.