For instance, American ships first visited Mas a Fuera in 1797, and Captain Delano estimated that during the seven years following three million skins were taken to China from this island alone.

He found as many as fourteen vessels there at one time, and he himself carried away one hundred thousand skins.

It was a gold mine for profit while it lasted.
There were three Delano brothers afloat in two vessels, and of their wanderings Amasa set down this epitome: "Almost the whole of our connections who were left behind had need of our assistance, and to look forward it was no more than a reasonable calculation to make that our absence would not be less than three years...

together with the extraordinary uncertainty of the issue of the voyage, as we had nothing but our hands to depend upon to obtain a cargo which was only to be done through storms, dangers, and breakers, and taken from barren rocks in distant regions.

But after a voyage of four years for one vessel and five for the other, we were all permitted to return safe home to our friends and not quite empty-handed.