Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1888 — CAPTURING THE FUR SEALS. [ARTICLE]

CAPTURING THE FUR SEALS.

How the Aleuts Drive Them to the Place of Slaughter. Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka, in an article entitled “Where Our Sealskin S&cquesCome From,” says: 1 JKThis driving of the fur seal inland is not uninteresting. A number of Aleuts having got between the animals on the shore—most of them probably asleep—and the water’s edge, the latter, awakening and finding their retreat to the surf cut off, scramble further up on the land. The Aleuts, probably a dozen in nuniber, form a> sort of funnel-shaped skirmish line and approach the animals, that keep retiring before them. To prevent their being overheated by exertion, which might affect the skin if not immediately stripped from the slain animal, they are seldom driven much faster than half a mile an hour, and often allowed to rest. As far as possible the selection is made from male animals about three or fo«r years old, when the fur is in the prime; but as the maximum of strength and belligerency is not reached for a few years after this, it is easy to see why the best animals for fur have not the best places on the rookeries, but are found skulking off by themselves. So numerous are they, and so easy to drive to the killing grounds, that the Aleuts have no trouble in securing the whole 100,000 in a week or ten days over a month’s time. There is an object in hurrying the work, as the ekins are better earlier in the season, but if there be much waim weather during this time the driving is slower and all other work is correspondingly retarded. ’ The seals having cooled off for two or three houra, they are killed in herds of about one hundred to one hundred and fifty strong, by striking them on the head with peculiarly shaped clubs made particularly for thia purpose. If the day is warm thqy skin the animals rapidly, killing but a few at a time, but if cold they can kill even a thousand or so before beginning work in taking skins. It takes about five minutes to skin a seal, s work that is very severe, although in cases it has been done by very active men in a minute and a half.