Two or three days more passed in this strange situation, but nothing
took place which even to Rob's watchful eye seemed to indicate any
danger from either of their Aleut companions. In the wilderness the most
practical thing is accepted as it appears, without much argument, if
only it seems necessary; so now this somewhat strangely assorted company
settled down peaceably into the usual life of the place, until an event
happened which brought them all still more closely together.
They were going over to the beach to see that their flag-staff was still
in proper position, when Jesse's keen eyes noted at the edge of the
beach a small, dark object which had been cast up by the waves. A
moment's examination proved to them that this was nothing less than a
sea-otter cub, a small animal not much larger than a wood-chuck, but
with a long, pointed tail, and covered with short, soft fur. All these
boys had lived in Alaska long enough to know the great value of the fur
of the sea-otter, which even at this time was worth more than a thousand
dollars a skin. They reasoned that since this cub had come ashore there
might be older otters about. The cause of the death of the cub they
never knew; nor, indeed, do even the native hunters always know what
kills the otters which they find sometimes cast up by the waves on the
beaches. Some natives say that in very cold winter weather an otter may
freeze its nose, so that it can no longer catch fish, and thus starves
to death. Some, of course, are shot by hunters who never find them. It
is customary for the profits of such a find to be divided among the
tribe or family making the discovery, and even in case a hunter can
prove that he has shot an otter at sea which has come ashore, the finder
receives a certain proportion of the profits, most of the hunting done
by these natives partaking of a communal nature.
"This fur is still good," said Rob, pulling at it. "It hasn't been dead
very long, so maybe its mother is still around, or its daddy. That would
be something worth while, wouldn't it? Five hundred to fifteen hundred
dollars, perhaps."
The older Aleut was standing on the summit of the sea-wall, shading his
eyes and looking steadily out over the waves. At last he gave a loud,
sharp call, in which an instant later the Aleut boy joined. The two ran
first toward the dory, which lay on the sea-beach, where it had been
left after the last voyage for eggs, but an instant later they turned
back to the lagoon where the bidarka lay, and made motions that this
should be carried across and launched.
Rob and John hurried for their rifles. Jimmy caught up his bow and
arrows, and the Aleut boy his short spear. They hurried the bidarka
across the sea-wall to the open water of the bay. Jimmy resumed his
watch from the summit of the sea-wall. For what seemed a half-hour he
stood motionless and staring out over the bay. Then again he called
aloud and, hurriedly lifting his bow string into the notch, ran down to
the bidarka, motioning to Rob to take his seat in the rear hatch.
"You others get into the dory with Skookie," called out Rob, even as the
strong sweep of Jimmy's paddle swept them free of the shingle.
To launch the heavy dory was something of a task for the younger boys,
but in their excitement they accomplished it, so that the two boats
were soon out for yet another of the wild sea-hunts of this far-away
coast.
The method of the natives who hunt the sea-otter is to make a surround
with a fleet of bidarkas, much as they hunt the whale; but this, of
course, was impossible now. None the less, Jimmy, who assumed the
position of master of the hunt, motioned to the Aleut boy in the dory to
keep off to the left, while he and Rob circled far to the right in the
bidarka.
To the Aleut mind nothing approaches a sea-otter hunt, for it affords
not only the keenest sport, but the greatest possible financial reward.
The method of the hunt is somewhat complicated in some of its features.
When the otter dives the boats gather in a circle, and as soon as it
appears every bowman does his best to strike it with an arrow. The first
arrow to strike the otter makes the latter the property of the lucky
bowman, who, of course, knows his own arrow by his mark. As, however,
the first arrow may not stop the otter, the "owner," as the boats close
in upon the game, may very probably call out what he will pay for
another arrow lodged in the body of the otter. Instances have been known
where the first bowman has in his excitement pledged away more in
arrow-interest than the total value of the skin amounts to, so that he
is actually loser instead of gainer by the transaction. The arrow
closest to the tail is the one which most prevents the otter from
diving; hence the value of the arrows is measured by the distance from
the tail, the arrow of each man being so marked that it cannot be
mistaken.
All of this etiquette of the otter-hunt was, of course, unknown to the
white boys, whose main interest, indeed, was one of sport rather than of
profit. They were keen as the natives, none the less, and eagerly
watched every signal given by the leader of the hunt.
At last Jimmy held a paddle up in the air, a signal for the other boat
to slow down. A moment later Rob spied the otter lying stretched out
motionless on the water as though asleep, as indeed likely was the case,
since that is the method of sleep practised by this species. Now, a few
fathoms at a time, the native edged the bidarka up toward his game,
precisely as the Aleut chief had approached the whale. The dory, no
longer rowed furiously, but now paddled silently by John and Skookie,
approached on the other side. As they now were on a comparatively smooth
sea, and not more than fifty yards from the animal, Rob motioned to his
companion to allow him to fire with his rifle, but the latter
emphatically refused. He knew that an arrow safely lodged is more sure
to bring the sea-otter into possession than a rifle-ball, which might
kill it, only to cause it to sink and be lost.
Jimmy now laid down his paddle, took up his bow and arrows, and
signalled to Rob to paddle ahead slowly. A few yards farther he motioned
for the headway to be checked, and just as the bidarka stopped he
launched his barbed arrow with a savage grunt.
The weapon flew true! A wide rush of bubbles showed where an instant
before the otter had lain.
Both otter and arrow had disappeared, but the Aleut sat waiting grimly,
although the boys in the other boat gave a yell of exultation. In a few
moments the wounded animal showed a hundred fathoms ahead. Here, stung
by the pain of the bone head, which had sunk deep into its back, it swam
confusedly for a moment at the surface. The shaft of the arrow had now
been detached from the loose head cunningly contrived by the native
arrow-makers, and a long cord, which attached the arrow-head to the
shaft, and which was wound around the latter, now unreeled and left the
shaft floating, telltale evidence of the otter's whereabouts, even when
it dived.
[Illustration: BOTH OTTER AND ARROW HAD DISAPPEARED, BUT THE ALEUT SAT
WAITING GRIMLY]
Jimmy tried a long shot as the bidarka swept ahead under Rob's paddle,
but this time he missed, and down went the otter again. It did not dive
deep, however, and the shaft of the arrow told where it might be
expected. As its round head, with bright, staring eyes, thrust up above
the water, there came the twang of the young Aleut's bow, and the second
arrow chugged into the body of the otter. Even the older hunter greeted
this shot with applause.
The otter, however, is hard to kill with an arrow of this sort, since
its skin is loose and tough. The creature dived once more, but the
second floating shaft now began to handicap its motions. Both boats
followed it from place to place as it swam. At last, almost exhausted,
it showed once more, and the older Aleut sent home an arrow at the back
of its head which killed it at once. He hauled up across the bidarka
deck the body of the otter, a dark-brown creature, even at that season
fairly well furred, and in weight about that of a good-sized dog.
Now and again calling out in sheer exultation at the success of this
strange hunt, they all now turned ashore. That day they had plenty to do
in skinning the otter and making a rude stretching-board for the great
skin. The boys were all astonished to see how much larger it stretched
than had seemed possible from the size of the body of the animal itself;
but the hide of the sea-otter lies in loose wrinkles, so that it may
bend and turn freely as a snake when making its way in the water. They
found the skin to be more than six feet long from tip to tip.
The young friends engaged in some speculation as to how much the skin
might bring at the Seattle market. One thing of value it seemed to
establish beyond doubt--Jimmy and Skookie, as they both worked at
fleshing the hide, had dropped their mutual suspicions and become
hunting companions.