The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-12-06

ALLS. MINNESOTA
splintered by the usage which these craft
have admirably withstood.
Professor French continued his observa-
tions and triangulations of the coast, the
watches lent us by the Elgin Watch COM
pany giving him correct time, fully as sat-
isfactory in results as ships chronome.
ter.
An incident of our stay at Walsh island
was the boiling of salt out of the sea, our
supply of that article having run low on
account of the large quantities of fresh
meat we have enjoyed.
The Arctic Summer.
Much of the weather during the week
was too warm for comfort. On several
occasions we have played whist in the
open air, and except when the wind blows
we prefer the shady to the sunny side Of
our tents. Our friends in America will
be surprised when we tell them OF the
genial weather we have been enjoying.
They did not believe us when we said we
should have too much warmth rather than
too much cold in this region. Nor could
they think us anything but idiotic when
we announced our intention of coming
hither without furs. We have passed
Through the arctic spring into the arctic
summer and have no use for furs of any
sort If we had them with us, they would
be simply a burden. The only thing in
the fur line we have are the reindeer sleep
ing bags, and they are so hot that we
Uften sleep upon instead of in them.
We all wear just such clothing as we
wear at home spring and fall-thick wool
en- underwear, strong boots, sweater"
and common coat, vest and trousers. For
two weeks we have had no use for gloves
or mittens and could always have 'manag
ed to do without them, for the lowest
temperature we have seen is l l degrees F.,
not below zero, but above. The mean
temperature is about the freezing point,
but the thermometer often rises to 40 or
so degrees in the shade and once register
ed as high as 5S degrees. The arctic sum-
mer is simply delightful if the wind does
not blow. For windy weather we find
much comfort in light suits of gabardine
made for us in London. They are better
than furs for keeping out the blasts that
come over the wastes of ice and snow and
in wet weather are as nearly waterproof
as one wishes. Not being absolutely wa
terproof, they are self ventilating and
therefore ideal garments for use in this
climate.
An incident at Walsh island was q
ducking and camera tour at midnight. 1t
is only in the arctics that one can go gun
ming and photographing in the middle of
the night, and it is the only country in
which should care to undress, as did
on this occasion, for the purpose of diving
off the ite into ice cold water and bring
ing in duck which the tide was sweep
ing away from us.
The walrus are beginning to run to the
west. One evening while boating for
ducks in the tide hole we found ourselves
surrounded by these big creatures, throw
ing up streams of water and coughing as
If they had hay fever. Though immensely
powerful, these animals are not to be fear
ed. They never attack man unless wound
ed or robbed of their young, when they
are ferocity itself, easily crushing boat
in their mighty jaws. The walrus appear
to have their share of that curiosity COM
mon to all arctic animals, for on this occa-
sion one big fellow left his herd and fol-
lowed us for several hundred yards. He
was evidently eager to learn something of
these strange visitors to his realm. for
he poked his nose out of the water within
an oars length of our boats, first ON one
side and then on the other, his little eyes
peering at us eagerly and almost mis-
chievously. The men wanted to shoot
him, but this we would not permit, be-
cause the water was very deep, and when
killed a walrus sinks like shot to the
bottom.
We do not believe in shooting game that
we cannot get. One walrus would afford
meat for a party like ours for several
months, but no one would eat it unless
all other supplies had failed. Walrus beef
is black, oily and disagreeable, but many
shipwrecked Norwegian sealer or whaler
has saved his life by recourse to it. After
following us some distance and coughing
and snorting at us to his hearts content
this big fellow made off to rejoin his COM
rades and perchance to tell them of the
strange things he had seen. The walrus
always travel in herds of three or four,
but years ago, when they were more nu-
merous than they are now on the Spitzber-
gen coasts scores and hundreds of them
could be seen together. Two hundred
miles to the southwest one may to this
day see on the beach long lines of bleach
Ing bones, scene OF wholesale walrus
slaughter by the Norwegian hunters.
Finding herd on the shore, the hunters
approached in their boats and landed. The
walrus, alarmed, made for the water, and
the foremost of them were killed by the
guns and pixies Of the hunters. Taking
refuge behind the rampant formed Of the
bodies of these first victims, the Norwe-
gians continued their work of destruction
until not one of the herd was left. 1t is
not so easy to kill walrus. He must be
hit in the eye or at the base of the neck,
where fold of fat gives poor protection
to the heart At any other place in his
big body the walrus' hide is SO thick
that bullet will not penetrate it. We
are thinking that when we get back to
civilization we shall need the hide of a
walrus to enable us to Withstand the
darts of the hindsight critics who are so
unpleasantly numerous in this world. The
walrus is not pretty to look at, but he
generally attends strictly to his own af-
fairs, and he has one good trait, showing
in his poor way the possession of pa
triotic spirit, for If one of herd be at
tackled bv man or an ice hear all the 9TH