New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-22

~, ooo.,s IN below the Arctic Circle. Mr.. Trevor
pattve renewed In vain the search for the nesting
place OF the curlew-s andpiPer. That bird DOUBT
,ess breeds ON lands still nearer than kolguev
10 the Pole But he must have peeh "i'"'" VAIN
ing distance Of the spots where the oreH' sooSe
matches its eggs for his old Samoyed friehd apsed
int s,,ance when questioned on this topic Many
thin0s he willingly told-where the dinerent xmas
NJ Ash were 10 be found. how the salmon-trout ran
IN only two Of the rivers OF the island and 80 on,
hut n, the origin OF the brent he would say noth-
ing II was point Of honor with him ana win
nj. fellow tribesmen. Nor would ne leno team
NJ deer so that his visitor might ma the nests TOT
himself All the deer were wanted. ne saiu' ior
tho goose catching The inference was that the
brent bred somewhere on the island This con-
lecture WAS confirmed by the numbers OF THESE
creatures captured in the periodical hunts o' the
natives The author was witness 10 one OF
these affairs when In a single day small group
OF hunters killed 1890 brent geese besides ie"
of larger kinds. The geese were III th's case
driven into a trap formed OF nets Ihis trap was
set I'D on q small Island round wnich the uoe
flowed. The coast In each direction was grassy
marsh. On the seward side OF this isiand TWO
poles were set up about thirty yards apart FROM
these the nets were stretched inland. supported
by poles at intervals. gradually convergihs until
forty yards from the entrance they were not
more than fifteen feet apart. AT that point tney
rounded out into cul de sac. with TWO "aAs vi
netting from which there was no escape Inc
geese In tho morning were to be seen whenever
the mist lifted sitting In serried lines on the
banks some distance from the shore. ohoer
cover OF the fog the younger men OF the huh'iHs
Marty went stealthily down the creeks and out to
tha a
70 drive them toward the land Teams OF rein
deer were driven out on each side in the marshes
70 prevent the escape of the geese on land. Within
the lines of reindeer we're stationed the older
hunters and the women. all armed with what
they called polka" straight throw-sticK
about the size OF a policeman's club, but studded
all about with nails and bits OF iron. Though the
word has specific meaning with them, 1t Is really
only the Russian term for stick In general When
a goose wandered from the flock 1t was brought
TO the ground instantly with dow OF this SUCK
thrown with marvellous accuracy.
II was curious but all the geese that escaped
were those that got away the boatmen closed
IN toward the bank from the eaward side. The
secret was that most Of the brent were moulting
and could not fly while few OF the larger gray
geese bean geese and white-fronted geese-the
mink footed goose Is not found on Kolguev-were
so badly off Judging by the fact that thousands
were caught other thousands must have got
AWAY They could be seen through the rain rising
in hundreds from the sands. At such distance
the author would not. perhaps. have known the
difference: but old Uano the Samoyed way or
saying Ivan), his particular friend among the ma
tiyes. knew that these were the big graz geese
and he seemed TO consider their conduct In flying
away a sign OF profound immortality. Those that
could not fy took to the water and swan. with
the aid OF a little skilful demonstration now and
then from the outskirts Of tho hunt. straight TO
the opening OF the net. As they pressed onward
they crowded together more and more. the last
swimming brent. solid phalanx, In the van. The
very earth seemed geese" exclaims the author.
land for that matter. the sky too. For there was
never an interval when geese were not rising. and
instead OF going right away at once. as one would
have looked for geese to do. they hung about the
spot circl.ng round and rising higher and higher,
till they lost themselves in the mist. could never
have believed 1t possible that so many geese
could be had OH one small island" Near the OPP
ening OF the trap they halted. Every moment
/ looked 10 see the brent escape by diving or ex-
pected some to rise. for 1t was plain enough that
many were ful-winged. Neither OF these things
they did; only like a pack OF idiots, they wauked'
and swan along" Finally an old gray goose.
more idiotic than all the rest led the way out OF
the water and up the grassy slope between the
lines Of netting. On the scene OF slaughter that
followed II If best not to dwell But the Samoyeds
enjoyed It, and there was in their enjoyment
none OF the wantonness Of the civilized sportsman
who kills merely for the sake of killing.
Mr. Trevor Battye was a witness to many other
things which the islanders did. They laughed at
him because he put a buttercup In his buttonhole,
but as ne had never before found a buttercup as
fragrant as a violet, he thought that he was ex-
cusable. He saw them make and mend their
boats and sledges. He was amazed at their skill
with the few tools and weapons which they pos
sess. Out Of a piece Of driftwood which an Eng
lish workman would throw on the fire as worth
less they made serviceable bow and arrows. The
bow was not strengthened nor rendered more
elastic by layer OF sinew and fish glue. Appar-
entity 1t was thrown away after short term of
Use. But in the mean while the young hunter
who used 1t had added a number Of swans to
Mr.. Trevor Battyes collection. and had proved
the superiority OF his weak weapon to the gun
for hunting In cases where silence and caution
were Indispensable. The Samoyeds also have
guns. antique fintocks. which they use particu-
lary in killing reindeer at the annual battue for
the benefit Of the one or two Russian traders who
visit them They are more advanced a race
In Mr.. Trevor Battye's opinion than the Red In
dams and he claims TO have lived on good terms
with the latter He found them Unexpectedly
neat in their housekeeping An Esquimau has
little use for water But the Samoyeds wash the
hands at least on every opportunity He lived
with them for weeks Just they lived, because
he had to do 80, but ne appears to have liked It,
The reason for his savage manner OF life fur
nishes the romance his story OF Arctic ad-
venture. Imagine two men turned loose even at
the opening OF summer inside the Arctic circle
with clothes suited to ordinary cold weather In
the temperate zone. with a tent which they leave
behind when 1t comes to travelling with few
pounds OF meats and jams prepared In the usual
way; in short. regular picnic outfit. and then