History tells us of numerous native tribes who a hundred years ago indulged in stratagems to board the unwary shipmaster's vessel and massacre the crew, and who entertained dusky royalty with the exhibition of sawing off the heads of a dozen or two of slaves to show kingly prodigality. They gave the early settlers on Puget Sound a good deal of trouble, being very active pirates, and the opportunities for the invasion of settlements, or capture and murder of small parties in boats, being too convenient to be resisted.
The Makahs were perhaps the worst of these, whose reservation is on the extreme northwest corner of the peninsula. They are brave fellows, and dare to chase whales in their sea-canoes. When a whale is seen spouting the fact is reported to a medicine-man, who allots to each canoe to be engaged in the chase the requisite number of skilled oarsmen and a harpoon-thrower. This instrument is made of pieces of elkhorn, ornamented with carving, joined together in the shape of a V, and having a sharp steel like an awl at the point, to which is fastened a long and strong rope made from the sinews of a whale. When about to be thrown the harpoon is inserted in a slender shaft of tough yew wood, which drives it deep into the body of leviathan, where the barbs hold it.
The chase is never undertaken without the performance of religious ceremonies or necromancy, intended to give the harpooner the victory in the coming struggle. The medicine-man and the harpooner, blessed by him, occupy the leading canoe; then come the other members of the whaling fleet, followed by a reserve of two canoes. They cross out over the breakers with great skill, and put to sea to watch for the reappearance of their game.
A whale usually plays along near the surface for some little time, blowing at intervals, then throws himself out of the water and dives deep down, remaining below for a corresponding time, which the Indians from observation can calculate, as well as the place where he will again come to the surface. They take a position near this place and watch for the auspicious moment, which is when the whale "humps himself" to make a dive.
The harpooner, his terra-cotta-colored figure nicely poised in the bow of the canoe and harpoon raised above his head, waits
