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

was needed to complete the picture OF
outing comfort, and as there is not tree
in all Spitzbergen we were forced to find
relief from the bright glare on sunny days
underneath our tents. The eight days
passed here waiting for the southerly
wind which we hoped would clear away
the rough ice and give US boating water
farther north were days Of rest and COM
fort.
Our hunters quickly brought in cou-
pie of reindeer, and we gunned day and
night for the big fat elder ducks in the
tide hole near by. At first these ducks
would sit quietly on the water while we
walked up and shot them. They were not
acquainted with the destructive animal,
man, and the murderous methods employ
ed by him in satisfying the demands Of
appetite. But they learned fast enough.
There is no more experienced or artful
duck hunter than our Mr.. Dodge. He
knows all the tricks and wiles of the sport.
But he declares these elder ducks of the
untraversed north, after single days
sharpening of their wits, can give the Po-
tomac river ducks cards and spades and
beat them at their own game, and the
cuteness of the Potomac ducks he vera
ciously illustrates by the story that they
Washington to give them timely warning
whenever party of gunners take train
for the marshes Still we do get few
ducks, and as they weigh from four to
five pounds apiece and are as good as can
vasbacks at IS pair life in the arctics
has some compensations after all.
We try to live as far as possible upon
the country. Away up here near the top
of the globe-so near it's apex that the dis
tance around the world in this latitude
is only $500 miles-we see how nature
has ordained that the superior animal
shall feed upon the inferior. The lazy
seal feeds upon the meduse of the sea; the
sneaky ice bear lives upon the seal and
reindeer when he can catch one, and here
comes all conquering man to fill his pots
with bear and venison. Even the birds
prey upon one another. There is bird
up here called Thief Joe.'' He is big,
black, fierce, piratical. His favorite amuse-
ment is pursuit Of the ice moosa the beau
tifully plumed and ideally graceful gull
of the arctics. Round and round and up
and down they SAIL pursued and pursuer,
the former uttering shrill cries of terror
and the latter shrieking with ghoulish
glee. In vain does the white gull endeavor
to shake of her enemy. Now and then
his sharp bill reaches her body and gives
her a savage thrust, when her cries are
pitiful indeed. The result of the unequal
contest is that the moosa either drops the
morsel of food which she has been carry
ing and makes her escape, while ''Thief
Joe" pauses to devour it, or she sinks ex-
hausted to the ice and falls a victim to
her relentless Nemesis. The good DIR.
Mohun's sympathies have been SO sharply
reused by these conquests that he says
he is going to stop in England on his way
home and organize a society for the amel-
ioration of the condition of the unfortu-
nate ice moosa of Spitzbergen.
While at Walsh island we frightened up
the rivets in our aluminium boats. These
craft are in surprisingly good condition,
considering the usage they have had. The
Lockwood, built of S-16 inch aluminium
alloy, is as tight as drum and ready for
another battle with the ice. The Parry,
Of thinner and softer metal, leaks a little,
but can be easily repaired. While going
through the rough ice we have seen the
aides of the Parry move in and then out
again in waves, the result of pressure Of
hard pieces against her plating. While
some of the plating has bent it is all in
tact, and only the seams have suffered. An
ondinarv modern boat would. have been