LIFE IN SKOOKUM JOHN'S CAMP
Skookum John, which in Chinook means "Strong John," was a Makah, or Neah
Bay, Indian, whose home was at Cape Flattery, on the shore of the
Pacific, and at the southern side of the entrance to the superb strait
of Juan de Fuca. He was a _Tyhee_, or chief, among his people, for he
was not only their biggest man, being a trifle over six feet tall, while
very few of his tribe exceeded five feet nine inches in height, but he
was the boldest and most successful hunter of whales among them. This
alone would have given him high rank in the tribe, for to them the
whales that frequent the warm waters of the coast are what buffalo were
to the Indians of the great plains.
The Makahs are fish-eaters, and while they catch and dry or smoke
quantities of salmon, halibut, and cod, they esteem the whale more than
all other denizens of the sea, because there is so much of him, because
he is so good to eat, and because he furnishes them with the oil which
they use on all their food, as we use butter, and which they trade for
nearly every other necessity of their simple life.
They hunt the whale in big open canoes hewn from logs of yellow-cedar,
long-beaked and wonderfully carved, painted a dead black outside and
bright red within. Formerly they used sails of cedar matting, but now
they are made of heavy drilling or light duck. Eight men go in a
whaling-canoe--one to steer, one to throw the slender harpoons, and six
to wield the long paddles, the blades of which are wide at the upper end
and gradually narrow to a point below, which is the very best way to
make all paddles except those used for steering. In these canoes Skookum
John and his people chase whales far out to sea, sometimes following
them for days without returning to land. Every time they get near enough
to one of the monsters they hurl into him a harpoon, to the head of
which is attached, by a length of stout kelp, a float made of a whole
seal-skin sewn up and inflated. The heavy drag of these floats
eventually so tires the whale that he is at the mercy of his enemies,
and they tow him ashore in triumph.
The big Siwash, being an expert whaleman, had much oil to trade, and
made frequent visits to Victoria for this purpose. Here, being an
intelligent man and keenly noticing all that he saw, he learned much
concerning the whites and their ways, besides picking up a fair
knowledge of their language.
So it happened that when the smugglers who proposed to operate in the
upper Sound began to cast, about for some trustworthy person, who would
also be free from suspicion, to look out for their interests in that
section, and keep them posted as to the whereabouts of cutters, they
very wisely selected Skookum John, and offered him inducements that he
could not afford to refuse. He, of course, knew nothing of the laws they
proposed to violate, nor did he care, for political economy had never
been included in Skookum John's studies.
So the Makah Tyhee closed his substantial house of hewn planks on Neah
Bay, and, with all his wives and children--of whom Bah-die was the
eldest and little Nittitan the youngest--and his dogs and canoes, and
much whale oil, and many mats, he made the long journey to the place in
which we find him. Here he established a summer camp of brush huts, and
ostensibly went into the business of fishing for the Tacoma market. He
had brought his big whaling-canoe, and the little paddling canoes in
which his children were accustomed to brave the Pacific breakers
apparently for the fun of being rolled over and over in the surf. Above
all, he had brought a light sailing-canoe which was fashioned with such
skill that its equal for speed and weatherly qualities had never been
seen among canoes of its size on the coast. It was in this swift craft
that he darted about the Sound at night to discover the movements of
revenue-men, watch for signals from incoming smugglers, and flash in
return the lights that told of safety or danger.
Although not possessed of a high sense of honor, Skookum John was loyal
to his employers, because it paid him to be so, and because no one had
ever tempted him to be otherwise. At the same time he was not above
performing a service for the other side, provided it would also pay, and
so he did not hesitate to promise the cutter's third lieutenant that in
return for twenty-five dollars he would use every effort to find and
return to him the lost boys. As the lieutenant had not seen fit to
mention the capture of the smuggling sloop that morning, or to say that
the boys in question formed part of her crew, he had no idea that one of
them was the lad with whom he had arranged his entire system of night
signals.
When he did learn of the blow that threatened to retire him from
business, and the reason why the revenue-men were so desirous of finding
the lost boys, he began to wish that he saw his way clear to the winning
of that reward, for twenty-five dollars is a large sum to be made so
easily. But the revenue-men wanted _two_ boys, and the only other one
besides Bonny at present available, was the young medicine-man, the
_hyas doctin_, who had not only found his dearly loved Nittitan in the
dark _hyas stick_ (forest), but had so marvellously mended what he
firmly believed to have been a broken leg.
The old Siwash was not honorable, and he was very mercenary. At the same
time, he was grateful, and would have suffered much to prevent harm from
coming to the lad who had placed him under such obligations. He was also
superstitious, and rather afraid of the powers of a _hyas doctin_. So he
determined to make the boys as comfortable as possible, and keep them
with him until he could communicate with the _Tyhee_ of the _piah-ship_
(steamer). If two lost boys were worth twenty-five dollars, one lost boy
must be worth at least half that sum; while it was just possible that he
might obtain the whole reward for one boy. In that case, Bonny must be
handed over to those who were willing to pay for him; for business is
business even among the Siwash, and charity begins at home all over the
world. Of course, Skookum John did not use these expressions, for he was
not acquainted with them, but what he thought meant exactly the same
thing.
In consequence of these reflections, all of which passed the Indian's
mind in the space of a few seconds, Bonny had no time to make a request
for food before the very best that the camp afforded was placed before
them. There were small square chunks of whale-skin, as black and tough
as the heel of a rubber boot. It was expected that these would be chewed
for a moment, until the impossibility of masticating them was
discovered, and that they would then be swallowed whole. After them came
boiled fishes heads, of which the eyes were considered the chief
delicacy, and these were followed by several kinds of dried and smoked
fish, including salmon and halibut, besides bits of smoked whale looking
like so many pieces of dried citron. All of these were to be dipped in
hot whale oil before being eaten.
Then came another course of fish--this time fresh and plain
boiled--which the Indians ate with a liberal supply of whale oil. Then
boiled potatoes which were also dipped in oil after each bite. The
crowning glory of the feast was a small quantity of hard bread, which
for a change was dipped in whale oil and eaten dripping, and with this
was served a mixture of huckleberries and oil beaten to a paste.
In regard to this liberal use of oil it must be said that Skookum John's
whale oil was universally acknowledged to be the sweetest and most
skilfully prepared to prevent rancidity of any in the Neah Bay village,
and his family regarded it with the same pride that the proprietors of
the best Orange County dairy do the finest products of their churn. It
was therefore a great disappointment to them that Alaric did not
appreciate it, and after trying a small quantity on a bit of potato,
refused a further supply. He even seemed to prefer pate-de-foie-gras, of
which the boys had a single jar. This he opened in honor of the
occasion, and with it to spread over his bread and potatoes, a liberal
helping of the boiled fish, and an innumerable number of smoked halibut
strips boiled after a manner taught him by Bonny, the millionaire's son
made a supper that he declared was one of the very best he had ever
eaten.
In order that their new-found friends might not feel too badly over
Alaric's refusal to partake more liberally of their whale oil, Bonny
gave them to understand that it was not because he disliked it, but not
being accustomed to rich food, he was afraid of making himself ill if he
indulged in it too freely.
At this meal the young sailor tasted both pate-de-foie-gras and whale
oil for the first time, and after carefully considering the merits of
the two delicacies, declared that he could not tell which was the worse,
and that as it would be just as difficult to learn to like one as the
other, he thought he would devote his energies to the oil.
After supper a rude shelter against the chill dampness of the night was
constructed of small poles covered with a number of the useful bark
mats, of which the Indian women of that coast make enormous quantities.
A few armfuls of spruce-tips were cut and spread beneath it, a couple of
mats were laid over these, two more were provided for covering, and
Alaric's first camp bed was ready for him. Both lads were so dead tired
that they needed no second invitation to fling themselves down on their
sweet-scented couch, and were asleep almost instantly. As Skookum John
and Bah-die had also been out all the night before, they were not long
in following the example of their guests, and so within an hour after
supper the whole camp was buried in a profound slumber.
By earliest daylight of the next morning the older Indian was up and
stirring about very softly so as not to awaken the strangers. He was
about to make an effort to earn that twenty-five dollars, and believed
that by careful management it might be his before noon. He planned to
notify the commander of the cutter that while he could deliver one of
the desired lads into his hands, the other had taken a canoe and gone to
Tacoma, where he would no doubt be readily found. If the _Tyhee_ of the
_piah-ship_ agreed to pay him the offered reward or even half of it for
one lad, he would ask that a boat might be sent to the camp for him. In
the meantime he would return first and invite both boys to go out
fishing--Bonny in a canoe with him, and the other in a second canoe
with Bah-die, who would be instructed to take his passenger out of sight
somewhere up the coast. Then the cutter's boat would be allowed to
overtake his canoe, and Bonny would be handed over to those who wanted
him, without trouble.
It was an admirably conceived plan, and the old Siwash chuckled over it
as he softly launched his lightest canoe, stepped into it, and paddled
swiftly away.