The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-07-24
HIS SIX WEEKS ARCTIC SPREE.
4 Survivor Finds Something that Tastes
Natural Where he Least Expected it.
from the San FRANCISCO Examiner.

Natur3f Wnerc he Least Expected 1t
From the San Francisco Examiner
"Du ypu remember when whole feet Of
whalers was lost in the Arctic, about
fourteen years ago?" said James Hanna,
one of the survivors Of The Elizabeth.
"Wcll, / was up there in - whacrthc next
season, and came across relics Of that
big disaster in a very strange and inter-
cstng way a hoatload Of us went ashore
at Point Barrow for some purpose, and il
sort o. struck me that I'd rather see
little Of that country than go back to the
ship just then SO slowed myself away
among the rocks, and when my mates got
ready to pull back to the ship they could
not find me. don't suppose they cared
much, because they didn't fool away
great deal of time looking for me. After
they left struck out inland, and pretty
soon lit on q native village.
"The Injuns were pretty decent chaps
and meant we'll, but they weren t fixed for
entertaining visitors in frst-class style.
They couldn't speak English, and their
lingo was Dutch to me, but we agreed be-
tween us by signs that it was about time
to pipe all hands to the galley, and they
brought me two fathoms of jerked meat.
1t was bit too strong for my taste.
Then they dug up some blubber and other
stuff that would make good sluch for a
mast, but it didn't hit my fancy, and let
on that | wasn't very hungry after all.
"Whcn it was time to turn in they led
me into IL hut and showed me pile of
furs that didn't look so ALFRED clean.
That was to be my bunk, and, after q
few months in the forcastle, wasn't kick
ing about little dirt and grease. The
hut was full of women, and thought I'd
sit up until they left. When got sleepy
and yawned they told me to turn in, but
wanted to be polite and wait until the
ladies had gone home. They didn't seem
to be in hurry, and pretty soon they
shocked off lliheir duds and rolled them
selves up in their furs. wasn't going to
be outdonc in politeness by Il lot of Injun
ladies, and so just peeled off my clothes
and went to bed.
Gin the morning got up feeling little
rocky. Ny stomach was empty and the
air in the hut was thicker than m0asses.
The thought of that two fathoms OF jerk
ed meat made me sick, and began to
think / had made blooming big mistake
in my expedition. One Of the head men
poked his nose into the hut and made
signs that were painfully like un invita-
ton to have q cocktail with him. tum-
bled out of the rugs and got into my
clothes, blushing like rose, because the
ladies were looking at me; and the whole
gang of us padded out across country to
a stretch of sand beach.
II wondered what blooming game was
up, not being able to see what was the use
of toddling out there before breakfast,
but one Of the men, who had Il walrus
tusk in his hand, gave me bleary wink
and began scraping away the sand with
his foot. Two Or three inches below the
surface he uncovered the bung and part
of the bilge of cask. Then he thumped
the cask with the walrus tusk, just as
waterfront barkeeker would handle a
bung- starter, and when the bung came
out thought smelt something natural.
Another chap stepped up with a yard
of rubber hose, put one end i'll the cask,
and took big pull at the other end.
Then he handed me the hose, and just
filled my tank plumb to the Plimsoll mark
with genuine water front whiskey. The
whole tribe took whack at it, and We all
toddled back home drunk and joyous.
81 concluded that my skipping from the
whaler was the biggest piece OF luck that
ever was, and wasn't III any hurry to 60
aboard again. Talk about being cast
away on on island where bread grows on
trees and turtles lay eggs that roast ON
the sand without fire! That's solitary
confinement at hard labor alongside of
tumbling into an Ipjun camp, where oil
you've got to do is kick hole in the sand
and get blind drunk.
"One day when the chief had lucid in
teryal, having been too drunk or sick early
in the morning to take his regular beach
cocktail, asked him where he got the
liquor, and he led me around point and
showed me the charred wrecks of lot Of
vessels. l saw that these were some Of
| the whaling feet that had been lost.
When the ships came ashore the natives
started in to strip them, and the first
thing they got out were the liquor casks
and the medicine chests. Anybody who
has been at sea knows what sort OF stun
| is slowed in medicine chest for sailors.
But the natives didn't know, and they
pitched in and drank up all the drugs and
ate what wasn't drinkable.
sThe chief gave me to understand that
the tribe wasn't much stuck on medicine
chests and he showed me where about halt
the original population of the village vas
buried. Ae well as could make out from
his signs and lis lingo he didn't feel very
we'll himself for few weeks after tack
Hing the drugs, and he shed most Of his
teeth before he got through with the job
aThe survivors of the medicine spree
thought the job had been put up on them,
and when they got we'll enough to move
around bit they went and set FIRE to the
4 wrecks.
81 was with the tribe for about sis
weeks and was full oil the time. When.
Il lever q cask was emptied they scrapec
i another hole in the sand and uncovered
fresh supply. don't know how man,
Il barrels Of liquor they had buried, bul
There must hare been lot Of them.
Finally got tired OF liying on whiskey
9. for I never did get so that 4 could ca
a their grub, and one dag when yasse
, showed up near the point 4 persnades
some natives to take me out to her IN 4
i canoe, and lefs them A few days late
I we iell iii with the ysry vessel ! had DC
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