The Florence daily tribune., 1899-02-27

D~ad-!ts Capture L. Attended with
Great Dangers and HnrdShips-
Fifty pounds sterling. or $3.50. per
skin is not an unusually high average
price to pay for the frr of the sea otter.
and at far sales in London a much
hirher price has often been asked and
received Much. of course in the mat
ter ct price depends upon the condition
aud size OF Ihe skin The animal when
it is alive 1nd wearing the fur itself is
trGn three Ia five feet in length from
nose 70 tHil tlp. though the skin lying
npan it IN loose folds. the actual ''pelt.
Is Of fair size.
Ever since Bering, sailing from Rus
sia, discovered Alaska and found its na-
tivcs clad ir otter skin this fur has
been the prime object of the pelt hunt
ers desire. Sable. marten, mink and
even erInine can be trapped or shot
without extraordinary trouble. Seals
are driven inland like fools to be slaugh-
tered and skinned at their capturs lei
sure But the sea otter must be sought
diligently as the diamond, for three
centuries of experience have made linn
wise
Upon the map of North America may
be seen lutting from the southern cor
ncr Of Alaska, which is the northwest
corner OF the continent, Alaska, IA 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 Belkovsly,
This is the headquarters of the sen
otter hunters, and between here and
Chernuhuor island to the south and Saa-
max island to the southwest the bull: of
the sea offers are taken
Thoroughly impressed with the val
ne of his own ,.,in, the sea otter takes
care of it ny 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 Pacific
At the slightest sign of the approach
of man he div ss deep, and stays below
for 30 minutes at time.
Sometimes IA stray otter may be shot
from the land as he plays in the surf
bat the chief methods Of his capture
are the surround and clubbing. In
the former case party of Aleutian is
hnders ara conveyed to Saanak, there
To encamp for two or three months
Woe Ia the hunters if the wind be off
the shore, for then no fire may be lit to
make the beloved tea, no pipe of tobac
CO smoked, or the hope of capture
would be vain For the otter is all
eyes and ears and nose when alive: all
fur when dead.
Upon calm day the hunters paddle
gently over the sea in their skin canoes,
keeping an eaSer eye upon the rolling
surf for sign of the prey. A hunter
sees an otter and makes quiet signal
to his mates. Like fash the quarry
has dived. Raising his oar aloft. the
man who found the otter remains as a
buoy above the place of the animal
disappearance, while his mates form in
a huge circle with him in the center.
In 10 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 is
agan seen, and the process repeated
till at length his body is so gas inflated
that he cannot sink and falls a prey to
the lucky hunter whose spear first
pierces that too rich coat of his.
Luck varies, and the sea otter is
yearly rarer and more shy, but. if for
tunate, each hunter may have from two
to hve skins for the traders as the re-
suit of his three months catch.
To be successful hunter requires
S1.l ~
uence, keenness of vision and readiness
of resource, as well as great dexterity
in the handling of risky craft and
an intimate knowledge of your quarry's
habits which it requires 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 day or two prevented by
howling 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 clubbing expedition.
Should til ~ in the dark and turmoil
miss the islands some score of miles
away they ara carried out into the
ocean and certain death. If, on the 9th
er 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 otters have teen killed
in one nigh by a clubman or two. But
otter clubbing is not a means of livei-
hood likely to become generally popular