The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-09-05

skins of the rear half of the tent are of un-
tanned, undressed black sealskin, imper-
vious to water and almost excluding light.
The front half is of split walrus skin, and
sometimes of walrus intestines, made so
thin that it is a light yellow, perfectly
translucent and freely admits the light.
It forms sort of huge bay window in
front for this purpose. Unfortunately, this
thin stuff admits the rain of the summer,
light as it nearly always is in the arctic.
Rains are not frequent, so the natives are
not often inconvenienced in this respect.
There are numerous canvas tents IN the
colony, which have been got by barter with
the white men, although for comfort and
protection from the storms they are not as
good as those made of skins.
There were four whalers in the bay be-
sides the one on which my party had Sc
cured passage, and during every few days
we would see one searching for whales.
At our station we were about the centre of
the whaling grounds, which extended about
hundred miles on either side of US. The
navigation of the northern waters of the
bay is not easy. The Admiralty chart is
only a rough approximation, and many
dangerous reefs, rocks and shoals are not
indicated on the map. Add to this indef-
niteness that the ships compasses refuse
to work properly, often oscillating point
or two within "a hours without any appa-
rent cause. | was once on a whaler, how
ever. where it was considered wonderful
that two "warranted reliable compasses
alongside of each other in the pinnacle
should vary nearly two points from their
respective indications on the port and star
board tack of northwest course, yet within
II inches of one and Is inches Of the other
was the 4-inch stovepipe of the stove in the
cabin. The compass begins to act slug
gishly when about half way through Hud-
son Strait, and by the time the northern
waters of the bay are reached it is almost
worthless, any small attraction about the
ship being sufficient to overcome its weak
ened oscillations. OF course this is all due
to the proximity of this district to the north
magnetic pole, somewhere near the northern
cape of King Williams Land, and which
makes magnetised bar dip strongly to-
ward it, the friction due to this agent be-
coming greater than the freedom of play
in azimuth. fit was not for the fact that
the daylight and strong twilight are from
20 to "a hours long during the time navi-
cation here is rendered hazardous by the
ice and the other Instructions noted, we
should hear of much larger percentage of
wrecks than those that are already so fire.
quent in these desolate parts.
Short foot journeys into the interior re-
yealed vast network of beautiful fresh
water lakes, connected with each other and
the sea by low stretches of gravel and boul-
ders. which were carpeted with wet, spongy
moss. along the borders of which we found
many pretty flowers, grasses and lichens.
The geological characteristics of this land
are wholly plutonic, the entire face of the
country being an almost solid piece of dark
gray granite and contorted gneiss, slightly
undulating the great imperyious granite
basins filled with water forming congerie
of lakes, and the slightly elevated hills often
being broken into small abrupt cliffs, where
some ancient dyke had cut its way. Many
of these dykes are to be found extending
in all directions through the solid field of
rock, in which they look like a gigantic
case of japanese inlaying.
The first few days at our new camp were
devoted to putting things into ship shape,
and although the weather was very un-
favorable, astronomical observations were
taken and surveying was begun.
The natives soon commenced moving in
land to the reindeer hunting grounds, from
10 to 20 miles distant from the coast, and
by August % only a few men, old and
decrepit, were left to our companionship.
Even "Esquimau 10, as he was known in
the United States, "Jo' as we called him,
Ebierbing as he was called in the Innuit
language, caught severe case of the hunt
lug fever and left with party of natives,
many of whom we supplied with arma,
ammunition, and provisions, receiving many
promises of reindeer meat in return. That
was about all we ever did receive, as nearly
all Of the venison we obtained during the
ensuing winter was secured from other ma
tives, to whom fresh payments had to be
made. [ soon learned that advance pay
ments were considered null and void il
Esquimau fnanciering. 1t should be said
in extenuation of their conduct that the
whalers, who oftentimes pay them ridicu-
lously small amounts for articles and wages,
often outfit the best native hunters with
arms and ammunition, if they are short of
these, to insure good supply of meat for
the winter to prevent scurvy, and again
pay them some liserably insignificant tri-
Hes when the meat is delivered but these
trihes are fresh payments and as valuable
to them as if them actually amounted to
something. Their method of going on
these inland reindeer hunts was to take a
whaleboat or an aamien, and, waiting a
favorable day, fill it with their tents, cloth
ing, and few days provisions, start away
up some of the numerous fnger-like f6rds
that extend into the country from 2 to 20
miles at intervals along the coast. With
the men, women, and children the boat was
generally laden down to the guards, and
then lot of dogs, recognizing the fact that
! J0ey were Ou Iuc pOluO VI DClusS lOipj "OUiu
scramble in head over heels, until the most
anxious and importuning life insurance
agent would not have allowed policyholder
to be added at less than 100 per cent. a
day. With this heterogeneous mass they
make about six or eight miles day rowing
with their rude paddles, or twice as much
if a fair wind should allow them to spread
'leg of walrus" SAIL as the sailors term
their crude sails. A small skin canoe Oh
two towed along are laden with material
Once at the head of an inlet the OOnsien is
unloaded, and if there be an island nearby
the boat is left until they return, the OBJ
iect being to protect the skin boat from the
ravages of the foxes, wolves, and wolver.
ines. An ooneiien full of natives consist Of
two or three hunting parties, and after
landing they radiate outward and forward
in order to cover as much ground as posi-
bic. At this season of the year the rein
deer are scattered throughout the country
nearly always singly, except in rare in
stances of two and three being in a group
A good native hunter will secure one after
the other without driving the remainder Of
the game from the country, as would bt
the case if two or three were killed out Of
herd. Frightened reindeer have move
mode of picking up their comrades wher
| Io-o,t;n,. n J;atr;.t Oftanfimac a shrayuC