The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-03-14

In 1883 Snow made his first raid
on Boring island. Night fell while his
crew were busy clubbing seals, and
they had killed about six hundred when
the garrison rushed them. OF course
the hunters made haste to the boats,
but Captain Snow missed his men who
should have followed him, and as hum
dreds of seals were taking to the wa
ter he joined them until an outlying
rock gave shelter behind which he
squatted down, waist-deep. When the
landscape became more peaceful he
set off along the shore of boulders,
stumbling and falling. When he found
the going too bad he took to the hills,
but sea boots reaching to the hips are
not comfy for long walks, and when he
pulled them off he found how sur
prisingly sharp are the stones in an
Arctic tundra. He pulled them on
again, and after a long time came
abreast of his schooner, where he
found one of the seamen. They hailed
and a boat took them on board, where
the shipkeeper was found to be drunk,
and the Japanese bos'n much in need
of thrashing. Captain Snow supplied
what was needed to the bos'n and had
big supper, but could not sail as the
second mate was still missing. He
turned in for a nights rest.
Next morning bright and early came
a company's steamer with Russian
officer and two soldiers who searched
the schooner. There was not trace
of evidence on board, but on general
principles the vessel was seized and
condemned, all her people suffering
some months Of Imprisonment at Vladi-
vostok
In 1888, somewhat prejudiced against
the virtuous company, Captain Snow
came with the famous schooner Memo,
back to the scene of his nisadventure.
One morning with three boats he went
prospecting for otter close along shore,
shot four, and his hunters one, then
gave the signal of return to the schOon-
er. At that moment two shots rang
out from behind the boulders ashore,
and a third, which peeled some skin
from his hand, followed by fusil1ade
like hail storm. OF the Japanese
seamen in Shows boat the boat steerer
was shot through the backbone. A
second man was hit first in one leg,
then in the other, but went on pulling.
The stroke oar, shot in the calf, fell
and lay, seemingly dead, but really
cautious Then the other two men
bent down and Snow was shot in the
leg.
So rapid was the firing that the guns
ashore must have heated. partly melt
ing the leaden bullets, for on board
the boat there was distinct perfume
of molten lead. Three of the bullets
which struck the captain seem to have
been DETECTED by his wooden jersey,
and one which got through happened
to strike fold 1t had been noted
in the Franco-Prussian war that wooden
! underclothes will sometimes turn lead
en- bullets.
II remember" says Captain Snow,
wv eighing the chances OF
swimming beside the boat, but decid-
ed that we should be just as liable to
be drowned as shot, as no one could
stand the cold water for long. For
the greater part of the time l was
vigorously plying my paddle
and only presenting the edge Of my
body, the left side, to the enemy. This
is how ii was that the bullets which
struck me all entered my clothing on
the left side. I expected every mo-
ment to be shot through the body, and
1 could not help wondering how it
would feel"
With three dying men, and three
wounded. he got the sinking boat I'M
der sail and brought her alongside the
schooner.
OF course 1t was very good of the
Alaska Commercial company TO pre-
serve the wild game of the islands,
but even gamekeepers may show ex-
cess Of zeal when it comes TO whole
sale murder. To all of us who were
in that trade 1t is matter of keen
regret that the officers ashore took
such good cover. Their guards, and
the Cossacks, were kindly souls enough,
ready and willing-in the absence of
the officers-to sell skins to the raid
ers or even, after some refreshments,
TO help in clubbing few hundred
seals. 1t was rather awkward, though,
for one of the schooners at Cape Pa
thence when in the midst of these fes-
tivities gunboat came round the cor
ner.
The American and the japanese
schooners were not always quite good
friends, and there is queer story of
triangular duel between three YES
sells, fought in fog. MIR. Kipling had
the Rhyme of the Three Sealers, he
told me, from Captain Lake in. Yoko-
hama. had it from the mate Of one
of the three schooners, the Stella. She
changed her name to Adele, and the
mate became master, little, round,
fox-faced Norseman, Hans Hansen, Of
Christiania. In 1884 the Adele was cap
tured by an American gunboat and
taken to San Francisco. Hansen said
that he and his men were marched
through the streets shackled, and great
was the howl about pirates. but when
the case came up for trial the court