Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-01-13
ADRIFT ON ICE.

The scene of the adventure that I shall
relate is in North Hudson S bay, and the
time was late in February, 1879. l had
been among the natives of this region of
the great bay-the Iwillik Eskimo-since
the fall before getting ready for a sledge
journey to King Williams Land, in the
Arctic ocean. which these natives had
said could best be started in the early
spring, and had therefore set the first
week in April as about the time of our
departure.
One of the most necessary articles of
supply for such a sledge journey was oil
to cook our food, by the native method,
and give us light at night, and the seal
and walrus in the bay were the sources
ON which we depended for this material.
The contemplated sledge trip was to be
an overland one, and until we stood on
the shores Of the Arctic sea, probably q
month or two after starting no oil pro-
ducing animal could be met, and we
therefore urged our hired Eskimo to be
prompt in getting us a good supply.
Then there came in a superstition of these
seal and walrus hunters that they cannot
catch these animals or eat their flesh
until the reindeer meat of the fall
hunting season had been disposed
of, and, as our venison supply
was large this particular autumn,
it was well along in January
before the change was made. This was
followed by one of those hyperborean
hurricanes whose predominating feature
was consistency, and after its three weeks
of boreal blowing was over, and we were
nearly starved in our ice palaces, we
crawled out and stared the situation in
the face that it was hardly two months
until our departure, with no oil on hand
and little likelihood of being able to pur-
chase any of the natives in their depleted
condition. Ny own natives therefore
went to work with a will to supply the
deficiency, working early and late and
taking many risks on the treacherous ice
that they otherwise would not have done.
1t was in taking one too many of these
risks that the material for my story was
furnished me.
kqueesik and Nannook (the Elbow
and the Polar Bear)were two as faithful
and trustworthy walrus hunters as were
to be found in the whole Iwillik tribe of
Eskimo, and this saying was no small
compliment in It's line, for the name
Iwillik means walrus eating Eskimo from
the large number of these animals killed
by this tribe, and which really formed
their chief supply of food. Ikqueesik
was in fact over anxious to see that every
thing in general and the walrus oil in
particular would be ready for the trip on
time, for though an Iwillik by adoption
Since he was a boy, he was by birth a
Netschilluk, a band that lived on the
Polar sea. where we would probably visit,
and he showed true patriotic desire to
visit his native land
BY the Goth or 25th of February it was
quite evident that Ikqueesik's unusual
energy would be properly rewarded if
the weather only remained good, but this
was something in which no reliance could
be placed whatever, although my Net
schllluk walrus hunter openly avowed
that good weather or bad weather he was
gong to see that. as far as oil was con-
cerned, we should have no delay in start
ing.
Sure enough. a storm came tearing
down from the northwest that looked as
if 1t had come to stay for a while; and, as
good as his word. Ikqueesik, with Nan
nook and II or 15-year-old brother of
the former-Ahwanak by name-sallied
out in the fierce blast to tackle anv wal
rus that might be found out ENJOYING
such weather. Although during these
fierce off shore winds. the walruses gen
orally go sailing out to sea on the cakes
OF ice that break off from the edge of the
shore ice, our two hunters We're lucky in
finding an old one that had found it con-
venient to stay at home, and as part pay
ment for their exposure in such fearful
weather they found it easy to dispatch
the brute by taking advantage of the din
the wind was making. To cut up his
carcass was but the work of few mo-
ments; but, short as it was, it was long
enough for the tide, then rising rapidly,
to lit the great field of shore ice a foot or
so more and elevate it clear Of the reef,
which so far had acted as huge brake to
hold 1t to the land, and with a ripping,
roaring noise. ike the close volley of
musketry from battalion of men or the
crash of a near thunderbolt cleaving the
air, they heard this field of ice on which
they stood tearing loose from the main
shore, and by the time they reached the
crack, 200 yards away, it had become
SO large that it would have been
dangerous experiment to attempt to
leap across; for in his perpetually ice
laden waters tine Eskimo is a stranger 10
the art of swimming. They stood and
looked at each other for minute, grin
ming sort Of sickly smile that the eau
casian repeats when he chases his silk
beaver down a muddy street on windy
day in ''the presence of a large and ap-
preciative audience" They were adrift
in one of King Frost's men-of-war with
out Iudder, sail or compass, and, worst
of all, they did not know how long they
had been drafted for, An inspection re-
vealed the craft to be about 400 yards
long over all, about 200 yards beam, with