The morning call., 1892-06-08
4 THRILLING RIDE.


There had been pinched times at Piken-
blk. a little island in the Far North. Not
any real starvation. but Oftentimes Tatons
so low that to catch any game whatever,
even a little seal, sent thrill Of JOY among
the poor natives, while to capture walrus
would have been enough TO have maue
them indulge in the widest festivities, only
the Eskimo method Of showing delight
was simply to grin; they grinned little
when they got a seal, and would have
nearly griRned their heads off had they got
the waIrus. So far that winter they had
not done much grinning. Day OF night, fair
OF stormy, wind il shore or of, the hunters
had walked the ice edge, booking for walrus,
out no walrus were found.
The gale at times was feariully intense,
and thase who slept in their little snow
houses near the sea could hear the terrible
ripping sound as piece after piece OF ice
broke from the shore, and there were many
thoughts for the hunters cut in the storm
and hopes that they were not on these most
unstable ships.
On one Of these stormy nights an Eskimo
hunter was walking the ice watching for
Walrus. In front of him was the ap-
pearance Of small submerged reel,
which he identified by the bu'g.ng up
of the ice over it when the tide was low,
and this he thought ought TO be coed
anchor to hold the shore ice 10 its place,
OF else he would not be IN such an unsafe
place during such terrific wind On-ShOTe.
When the tide was low this was sale
enough, but as the ice only formed 10 or L
feet at its thickest. and as the tide rose and
fell over 20 feet, he did not know the top OF
the reef could not touch even the bottom OF
the ice when az high tide. 50 his anchor Of
rock would be useless, The poor SayageS
seldom do much thinking that requires adj
dilion and subtraction, even when their
lives are in danger.
Shoe r ke-lOT such was the Eskimo
hunters name-thousht he saw an object
near the reef that might be a waIrus, but
when he crept nearer he found that lt was
only a large quantity Of seaWeed a kind OF
pulp, very plentiful ia the Arctic regions,
that had been washed up on an ice-Cake,
and as it moved up and down IL deceived
sYeH the expert Eskimo hunter II The dim
light,
AS ne was turning to 60 back toward the
shore. with a grunt in Eskimo for angry
the strongest expression they use when dis
eppOinted-he heard terrible noise be-
hind him like the roaring of thunder, and
which Tie poor fellow knew at once 10 be
the giving way of the ice on which he stood.
With what TRpidity he could master lie ran
10 one end, but there saw very wide chan
mel Of water, and to his chagrjn saw that
had he gone to the other end he might have
saved himself, Tor the foe had swung
around that corner as On pivot, but bv the
time he reached the end CT the long foe il
was too late and he dared not attempt the
jump, for none OF the Eskimo know how 10
swim, and lt would have been certain death
had he fallen into The water.
All that he could do was to wait until his
ship should reach the edge Of solid lea and
then make lis way home as best be could.
This depended wholly on whether be was
able 10 hold Outand keep from starvation, or
bis home id not break TO pieces and tumble
into the water. Many Of his friends he
knew had drifted out to sea In this way,
some absent many days, and some, lie Bit
teTly Tenlem 5ered, never returned.
As the Eskimo eOple are accustomed TO
the greatest hardshipS, they are not accus-
toned 70 sit down aud bemOan their fate
on an occasion of this kind Shoe Roke
at once commenced to look around him.
aud was greatly surprised 10 see a DARK
object on the foe. Walking over to it,
he was astuuiShed 10 see 10 was his light
sledge and four dogs. The poor dogs,
lightly fed Tor many a day, had cuTled up
in bunch, aud were so comfortable that
they had not moved Shoe Rake took out
his snOWknife, that all Eskimo men and
boys carry with them, and built him a
snow house, in which be could crawl TO
protect himself from the fury OF the gale,
which sent the spray flying clear across his
open boat. He built another 10 protect his
Door dogs, for in case Of necessity they
would pEOiong bis life, skeletons though
they were.
Four long days he tasted, seeing no game
he could reach, when, TO his delight. he saw
walrUs, and aTming himself with his spear
he crept up 70 slay il, but only disaDpOint-
ment awaited him, for the walrus escaped,
and again be went to bed supDeTless. still
hoping 10 save the dogs BY killing game.
He hardly had closed his eyes when he heard
great noise Of his dogs barking and snaTl-
ing at something. GTaSpng his spear be
rushed out and found the dogs had brought
TO bay fair-sZsd Polar bear. The bear had
scented the camp and was investigating
when lie woke up the dogs. Undaunted
Shoe R0ke attacked him, and, after bsng
nearly killed by a feTOci0us charge from the
creature, he got a thrust In the bears neck
that ended him. So the subject of food was
settled for long time. While he was cut
ting up the first bear be happened to look
around and saw his sledge and snow house
had disappeared, and he blilt another one
on hls new foe. Many day be sat perched
on top Of his little snow house watching for
land, and at last be was surprised and
gladdened 10 see it to the eastward. a.
though he had been watching in the direc-
ton Of bis old home toward the north, and
when morning broke he was not over 80
yards from land.
lie had been over moon al sea. (They
reckon time from one full moon 20 another)
Il did not take him long to reach the shore,
and shortly afterward he met an Eskimo
with whom be could speak, but still
with difficulty understand. he found he
was on the great island OF Sed-luk South
amptOn). Of which his tribe had a half
tabled knowledge. The natives treated him
kindly, but as the ice was breaking mp and
these new friends had 20 good boats. be
was compelled TO wait until the next winter
to cross the Ice 10 bis home, 200 OF 300 miles
TO the nOTthward.
When be reached home his friends were
frightened almost to death by his appear
ance, for he had been given up long since as
dead. he had been gone within month or
two OF year, and lis return was regarded
as little short Of miracle. and is still re-
gaTded by the natives Of North Hudson
Bay as one Of the wonderful escapes of the
NE..n- kn.r L. 4