West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-04-06

We put ashore, and ran the baidar
into creek where ahe storm was raging
less fercely. But it soon increased i'm
violence, and showers of fine snow whirled
down upon us, mingled with which were
bits of boughs, aud thousands of mosaui-
toes and flies, that had been swept out of
the woods and frozen in the wild blast.
Wharrow, another of our boatmen
told as that at no great distance from
the creek there was u village, of a tribe
called the " Foolish Folks He had
once been there, and thought he could
find it. AS shelter of some sort was
absolutely necessary, we set off through
the forest, guided by Wharrow.
IL had now grown quite dark, for the
storm brought night with it, We stun
bled forward through boggy tract, full
of soft sloughs which had not vet had
time TO freeze. The binding Snow con
cealed everything. Sometimes we were
walking along old tree-trunks, then knee
deep in the bog, and anon struggling
with both hands TO get through the tan
gled fir-thickets.
We must havegone at least four miles
through this wilderness, by which time
it was so dark that we could not see even
the tree-trunks before our faces
Wharrow was at fault. IL wasan even
question whether to go forward or back.
He set off to reconnoiter
Timberlake and | kept together and
staggered on, leaving Rathsbon and the
two others under some hemlocks. We
came out after while upon what seemed
the bank of a stream, and stumbled
along il for some distance.
Don't you smell smoker Timber
lake suddenly exclaimed.
I thonuht / did W.
forward, and bad gone a hundred wards
when suddenly ] stepped into a hole and
went plump down into it, head and
ears
As fell felt gust of hot smoke in
my face. Where | was going know
not,--into the crater of volcano | i'm
agined.
The next moment brought up twelve
feet below, in heap of ashes and hot
embers, and heard confused shouting
on all sides.
The place was dimly-lighted, and
dashing the smoke and snow out of my
eyes, stared around.
The first thing saw was an old mus
ket pointed full in my face. The next
was a crew of dusky forms, drawing
knives, catching up axes and billets, and
shouting the oddest gutturals had ever
heard.
Two or three snarlng dogs seized me
by the trousers legs and tugged away.
r"Nutatol Nutatow Icried, as depre-
catingly as possible. " Russkoi es krom-
ekrod BheelP' And that exhausted my
knowledge of the Yukon tongue.
The shouting ceased. / repeated the
words, and the grim old savage lowered
his musket; but all continued to
stare at me in great amazement and much
dlstrust
/ kept on repeating g" Nutato" and
Russkoi." They called off the dogs,
and got out of the fre-bed which had
| already scorched my boots
Suddenly heard the voice of Timber
lake shouting TO me from the ground
above. The Indians, also, heard him,
and several of them, crawling into a hole
on one side of the cavern, disappeared,
going out, as / afterwards discovered.
They soon returned, Timberlake crawling
in after them. He laughed heartily when
he saw me.
Didn't know what had become of
your he exclaimed. Fell down the
smoke-hole, didn't yeT' And he laughed
again.
| began TO appre hend the situation
little more clearly, especially as / saw
that several of the Indians knew Tim
berlake, and that he could converse with
them.
1t was a queer family of " Foolish
Folks" upon which had stumbled. and
queer house in which had fallen.
But the house, as / afterwards found
out, was notan uncommon one in Alaska.
1t was about as large as fair-sized room,
and was nothing more nor less than
square pit dug in the ground and rooted
over, with a hole in the center for the
smoke to pass out. The fire is built--as
/ had already scovered---directly be-
meath this hole.
In stormy weather, after the room has
been sufficiently heated, the hole is Gov
cred with a skin, and the ire allowed TO
snolder. bad stepped upon the skin
and tumbled through the smoke-hole.
which is not the usual way of entrance.
At one corner Of the room there was
! hole as large round as hogshead This
was the mouth of tunnel leading under
ground fifteen or twenty feet, and then
| turning up 10 the surface. Usually a
| little hut of bOughs is built over the hole
where the tunnel comes out, to keep the
snow from drifting in.
When / say that this underground
l hOuse smeileu unpleaSantly ana was
smoky hole, ] do not overstate the fact.
j had scarcely been down there fifteen
minutes when ] was attacked by violent
nausea. The odors we're many aud
mighty. would have gone back into
the storm, If Timberlake had not said
must get used TO such things if ] in
tended to be an Indian trader.
A squaw offered us fish that had been
cooked with moose fat on an iron spider.
obtained at the fort.
After some time several Of the Indians
who had gone to look up the rest Of our
| party came in with them. There were
then at least eighteen persons in
| the room, and the steam from the wet
| clothing of the newcomers added to the
variety and to the density Of the pent-up
vapors. From time 10 time our number
was increased by the arrival Of other
/ Indians
All, that was a night long 10 be remem-
bered
The squaws wore loose fur smocks Of
deerskin, with leggings of the same ma
terial Some Of these we're, or bore
traces Of having once been, ornamented
with trimming Of feathers, fur or parti-
colOred bark That they traded at the
fort uyaa indicated nv fho hroeg rsr.,