The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-12-28
BIG PROFITS FROM Offers.
Some pcits secured IN Northwcstcrn
waters nrinn $500 Ench-Shuot-
Ina the Antmni


the wide c>pansc of spot'rs- aud gilt
tcring sand which lies between Gray's
harbor and the OumiauIt river. There
may bc seen am mbrckcn area of 30
miles in length and at low tide from
three To five miles i'm width which
would make moonlight playing
ground for the houris, says the Port
land Orcgoniau.
There are many tower-lilte struc-
lures at regular distances of perhaps
mile each. which excite the curiosi-
ty of the many coast line steamers
plying between San Francisco and
northern ports. These are the towers
or shooting boxes of sea otter hunt
ers. They are built of tall, slender
poles, generally four in number, sunk
to great depth and fixed securely in
the sand and surrounded by a small
box covered with a roof 10 protect its
occupants from the burning sun.
Cleats securely fastened to the poles
from bottom to top afford the hunter
means Of ingress and egress.
The hot sun which blazes fercely
on this wide evpanse of white sand
during the months of July and Au.
gust heats ii almost TO n burning
point, and the waters of the incom.
ing tide. rolling and curling over this
hot sand, become dcliciouslv warm.
This is the playing ground Of the
sea otter. the place where they come
TO spend their holidays.
They leave their homes i'm the far
f.f ISL 9
sand beaches. and the green waters
nre cold and deep and come here like
people TO "a watering place, 10 spnd
the summer months i'm rolling and
tumbling about i'm this warm water
in perfect ecstasy of delight They
leap and play about in the foaming
breakers and polish their beautiful
skins by huggng the sandy bottom
aud allowing the ocean swells to drive
and throw them about as they will.
Although sea otters have the timidi-
" which is natural to all wild ami
mails they are better able TO protect
themselves than any Of the other ami
mails which have their homes in the
sea-. The swiftness Of their move
ments makes it possible for them easi-
Is TO catch any kind of small fish.
and thus they can appeaSe their hun.
ger with the daintiest food
No shark can catch them: they
could be 20 feet away while Mr..
Shark was turning on his back. and
If the shark were directly beneath
them they could throw themselves
Ave feet in the air like Kaleidoscope
ball, while the ugly monster WAS
swapping his jaws. The hunter is ia
his box, the tide is coming in and.
with powerful field glass to assist
his practiced eye, he eagerly scans
each coming roller. He has been here
every day for a week. and his rife
has lain untouched by his side. To-
day something may happen.
All at once he starts and mutterr
little ejaculation: he sees some-
thing. He will soon know what il is.
for the swells are coming swiftly and
the distance between himself and the
object he has seen will he quickly
lessened. Yes. there il is again; there
is no mistake. II is an otter. not
more than GOO yards away. The hunt
er lays down his glass and there is
$500 or $500 worth of beautiful shin
ing fur plainly visible to the naked
eve.
The man in the tower picks up his
Sharp's rifle, inserts 12O-grain car.
fridge in the chamber. and there is a
wicked, wiStful CLEAN in the keen
eye OF the hunter as he raises his
hn h.
fash, a recoil and "A report. which
is scarcely distinguishable i'm the roar.
ing of the breakers to the man who
holds the gun. Ammunition is no oh
iect, and. with lightning rapidtv. he
loads and fires his piece The otter
will not be more than te,, feet away
from where he was when the hunter
pulled the trigger when he gets there,
and that hunter can hit bounding
deer at 300 yards twice ont of five
shots. The otter is enjoying himself
in the dangerous company of murder
Gus bullets, which are doing their
best TO find him.
Another huge breaker brings him
within 200 yards of the blazing rifle.
quick recoil of the heavy gun turns
the hunter half round; there is an
unnatural splash which tells the man
something has happened. He strains
his eyes; no need of his glass TO see
there is blood in the water. and this
tells him that there is "A big hole some
where in that $500.
No need to shoot again; no otter
could bleed like that and not be
washed ashore. The hunter laws
down his heated gun; there will be
no more otters in sight to-day. He
sees his game almost opposite his
tower; it is drifting helplessly toward
the shore. That skin is his and its
possession means that he will have
everything he wants for another year
if he does not fire single shot.
With yell of delight he flies to-
ward the shanty on the bluff to tell
his mother and thp half doza, or g.,