The sun., 1890-10-19
SOME ARCTIC SAMSONS.
ETTRlORDINARY FEAIs or STRENGTH
AnoNo tina kBKIlfO lTRLEEES.

Though there is little doubt, perhaps, that
| tho ski Of q highly trained athlete will al
| ways prevail over the unoultivatod strength
end endurance OF a savage, still there is some
thins in the quality Of pure brute force that
commands admiration. have often felt this
TO be particularly true In lite application to the
denizens OF the Arctic zone. The popular idea
OF an Eskimo is that he is a little fat man,
and most people will be surprised to learn that
| he and his chronological cousin, the Tchouk-
| tchis OF Siberia, ore probably the largest and
most powerful OF any people in the world.
Such was my impression Of the Eskimo
after nearly three years residence with them.
| and l 30 expressed myself among my ship
mates In the wardroom OF the Rodgers whom.
| in 1881, che sailed from Fan Francisco 10
search for tho Jeanette. So, too. l found.
later on. the Tchouktchls TO be not far behind
thom in strength aud endurance While at
| dinner on shipboRrd the evening OF tho day OF
our first meeting with those people one OF the
officers OF tho Rodgers. himself splendidly
der eloped specimen OF muscular manhood and
the athletic champion of his class whom at
Annapolis, said 10 me, with q tinEe OF sarcasm
| in his voice:
Il thought, from what you said OF these peo-
pie. that they were very strong"
You are mistaken" I replied. "in suppos-
ing TINT said anything OF the kind concern
ing those people, for mover saw them until
you did, but did say the Eskimo. whom
| know, are very strong. At the same timo
| believe these people to be strong. Have you
| any reason to suppose theysare not2"
| He then told me that there was big man on
| the quarter deck that afternoon and he could
| not put up seventy-flve pound dumb bell,
though the officer had set him an example +
replied that did not regard that as q test, for
| many strong men could not handle dumb bella.
| which was largely matter OF practice as well
| rs OF strength. While admitting the truth OF
| this assertion he snid he mad been worry much
disappointed because the man was big and
| looked as IL he might be very strong. The
next night. whom again at the dinner table. the
same officer said to mo, take back all said
about those people not being strong. They are
certainly the strongest ever saw, take them
by and large"
But they cant put up dumb BELLS" I said.
somewhat ironically.
| "Oh, yes. they can though" he replied.
That's what cleared my head as TO their
strength. There we're about sixteen OF them
| on the quarter deck this afternoon and they
| did 1t with tho greatest ease. the man who
failed to do 1t yesterday among them. Even
the little broken backed fellow whom you call
ed Richard the Third put it UP. The trouble
didn't understand me. To-day he put It up
with his hand and with such astonishing ease
him put up twice that weight" And SO the
great strength Of my savage friends was in
During my stay among the Eskimo 1 had
many opDortunities Tor Witnessing their Won
sa Wonder at the Strength OF men h Who are @ above
! tho average size. who live in the oren air and
| in the daily pursuit of game: who cot nothing
| but meat; who can run and head of rel ndeer,
and can throw a narpoon into wadrus and
hold HIM during his death strucgle1 In esti-
Nal fAa hn ,inffN
alton that d ul-Rrown walrus weighs about a
ton and no struggles for about half an hour b.
! fore his strength is exhausted so that he can
be despatched with q iance or knife.
| Eekeesik, who was one Of our party OF native
IN g hS ms 10 hnE sx
inches tall. and would weigh about $50 pounds
In his ordinary condition. Late one afternoon,
reindeer some distance from our camping
place. and; as he know we would pass that way
alter FIRST covering the carcasses with stones
to protect the meat from pack Of wolves
mornng Eek eesik Went out ahead OF tho sleds.
sas ;Gs s Mi maf s bs s
course had been changed and, instead OF dis
Dsss s Ssore s' nd H Fs eds i s'f
was not surprised when he at last Pe!oined u.s.
nT P tar and
When ne, first went among, the Iwillk
turned a GOLD shoulder toward him because he
came from another tribe; SO when hunting
was nsass DAY Hf he
5nE pig R wsF 5ns sd Ssen hauled
viz hRi@ hRDn It would have been @ cut S'u up and
divided, or. at least. conveyed to q place OF
sHsstyj sIsGj but dro as ho was alone he oEo con
his neighbors among the Iwillk hunters
that he was good man" 80 passing
started to drag II over the rough ice into camp
about six miles distant He had actually sue
seen by some OF the shArp-eyed villagers. and
deputation came to bis aid with dogs SO that
as ef hero. m lie needed no further Exhibition Of
his prowess to establish his reputation as q
The Whaling shiDs that seek their quarry in
aid them, as they are known to be By far tho
The Thsy not only Know It's habis 50 wen that They they
can soon have the boat close beAld him whom
s and S% ato
the SIDE SI the monster sb h so that Il Will stay
Whaers ss8n as Santa % Ana and GhaIlsy q S %d a"a
they were both as fine speetImens et Of physical
Wish to @ see. -, / have often admired them When
working, with their arms and upner bodies
| slip about under the skin with Il smooth and
easy motion tnat conveyed lust impression
Bo:h OF these young men were at ono time
| employed by the master OF the sch0onor Abby
! Bradford and thai officer told me that the two
indians: as he called them, wero little BIT
jealous u each other. and each wanted only an
| VIII ller. They were chasing whale one day,
| each acting rs boat steer0r, or hnrpQoner, OF
| his boat, aud both came up tn the whale ut the
| same time, so that II roso 10 the surface be-
| tweon them. Tho opportunity had at last ar
| rived. and at tho same instant each OF those
| powerful sRYRRes threw his harpoon with such
| force that tue weapons went crunching through
tho skin, an Inch thick. and through 4 foot OF
| blubber burying th0msOlyes deeD In the quiy-
| erinE flesh. so that the whale came up. as the
| Captain Riterward expressed H. Stone dend"
| once saw another exhibition OF Santa
| AnaB" pFOWOsS with the harpo0D. thirty
| foot lance warp was fastened % the harpo9p.
iHishttiiy" iHihttii "ASi q 81" l.it fPad; ~ "SsPdse$ss
81; ilEaE sid5Shl h raised LrsG,nM 6Is arm
back u moment, bo shot tho Iron forward tQ tho
full oxtSnt Of The rope with such force that the
REQ III brought II straight back and II tSll qgoD
| tho deck at Ills side. could not help thinkinR
MAKE a new TTcord u puttlng tho shot gf
lstIa pI!Sslas sSmss 'oY q cIiSlissS aadS. ~ ''' 1
| RekeOsik's great strength proved very handy
on Qno, occsslopi " least. tlat IysmembeE very