The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-10-19

one of the indiinS AHA my Seii sict'1
with The ESkimos. To enter this place
we had to 20 down OH our hands aud
knees through hole after the man.
ner of prairie dog, and after cropping
around for a while, came into dark
room about ten feet by twelve and
seven feet high. The ceiling was on
a level with the snow outside and the
interior was heated by small whale
oil lamp. In this wretched hole eigh
Eskimos, one Indian and myself slept
or tried to sleep, packed like sardines
in box. l was wedged in between
a couple of those brutes so tightly l
could hardly turn over. The word
brute il mild term TO apply to
those Herschel Island Eskimos. They
apparently have no idea of decency,
and seem TO go out of their way to
horrify people. To see those animals
gorging themselves an raw frozen
whale blubber was a sight that tried
even the nerves of the Indians. But
thoy seemed well disposed and tried
to make us feel at home.
Leaving this place the next MORN
ing with a terrific gale at our backs,
and following the beach in an easter
ly direction, going all day on the trot
and covering at least thirty miles,
we reached Herschel Island and ,
rounding its southern point, saw
looming up through the driving snow
the masts and spara of the Arctic
whaling fleet, lying fast in the ice on
the east side of the islard i'm a little
cove. 1t was exactly twenty days
since |. had left Rampant House and
seven since we left the Indian camp
I'm the ROmanzof mountains.
Here were the steam whaling ships
"BalaenO''. ""NorwhaP, "Karfeek",
"Grnmpus", "Jeannette", Newport"
and MARY ID. Hume. manned by
three bundled white men and one
hundred Eskimos. Some of the ships
had been out from San Francisco
three years and were going to return
the coming summer; while tho most
recent arrivals had left there in April
1898.
OF course the arrival of "a white man
created great stir among the whal-
ers, aud there WAS something of a
tendency to lioniZe me. Whalers,
like miners aud COW boys, are pro-
verbally huspiiable and l was band
somely treated during my four days
stay. The officers were a remarkably
fine lot of men, thorough gentlemen.
Nearly. all;of them were men of con-
siderable education, and unusually
well read. Almost to man they
were from the sea-coast towns of Mas
sachusetis and Maine. Tho crews
were made up from nearly every sea-
faring nationality on the face of the
earth.
After a pleasant visit of four days,
/ started on the return to Rampant
House. In q week we reached the
Indian camp, ard after rest of one
day started for Rampant House and
reached it i'm seven days more, after
an absence OF thirty nine days, and
just fifteen from leaving the ships.
trip was something more
than six hundred mites and every rod
of it was Travelled on SHOW shoes. AL
though longer by two hundred miles,
it could not lie compared in hardship
to the FIT. Mcpherson trip, as it was
made at time of year when there
was plenty of daylight. Although we
had some cold weather, the thermom-
eter at one time reading AZ below z,ro,
it was as rule much warmer than
that, averaging probably 20 below.
After my return TO Rampant House,
on a pril Il, nothing of particular in
terest occurred. The weather grew |
gradually warmer and on May the
mercury crossed the zero line for the /
last time. On the 9th was the last |
snow storm and week later it began
thawing slowly. The ice has just |
broken UP i'm the river, and the long |
1ine-months Arctic winter has reach
I'd its end. While on the subject Of
he weather, L might say that the
owest temperature recorded by the
during the winter was
Y degrees below Zcro,-this by very
inc and accurate u. ;. Weather Bu-
eau instrument. Rev. Totty had an
ordinary scrub thermometer which l
hink he must have won in rattle,
hat reached at the same time rs be-
ow zero.
Mr.. Totty is just preparing to start
or the Yukon in his boat with a crew
f natives to meet the yearly steam
'oat and get his supplies and will
AXE this letter with him so that it
rill make connection with the steam
oat for st. Michaels and thence go TO
an Francisco direct, without any de-
ay..
As to my future movements, 1 leave
ere June 20, with either boat ar y
aft, don't know which Yet, and
rift down he Porcupine to its junction
nth the. Yukon, two hundred miles
nd shall get The boat which / left
10 Goptan,h ar anH in IN ,iriff