The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-26

before L had finished the question, ne
was deep in one of his rapid explanations
of why he thought the Arctic Highlanders
the lineal descendants of prehistoric
man. And it was thus Mr.. Dyche par
ried every question regarding the possi
BILE date of his next visit to the pole.
To the latter part of my question he
made answer by pausing in one of his
extremely rapidly uttered sentences and
saying "You know the hardship is
something terrific to even go as far north
as women have gone before, though on
my first trip, the man who went with me
said that if five women would go, he
would arrange conveniences for their &C.
commodation on the Miranda"
zone woman expressed her desire to
go and sent $500 the sum required, but
the other four were hard to fnd.
"And," he added, sit is well no women
went, bacauss we had all kinds of trou-
BILE. l intend to make my next trip as
economical as to numbers as it is posi-
BILE; eight or ten men, and all of then
scientists l want two civil engineers,
meterologist, geologist. paleontologist,
a physician and surgeon of course. I'd
be censured if I didn'! take them; an
ethnologist, oh. l tell you it's a grand
field for an ethuologist.
Yes, l get great many applications
from people who want to go.
81 had one today from woman who
wanted a place for her "A year old son,
and desired that ! take him with me
when l GO again.
"Here's another from boy also. He
says I'm as good as the average boy and
l hope you will consider my application
AS good as the average boy!" and Mr..
Dyche laughed heartily.
II expect he is and if | wanted a boy
I expect I'd take him.
Turning to me again he said:
"Do you know my theory that it was
up north the first form of animal life ex-
listed; man with the rest; that it was from
there that he drifted down to Eden to be-
come endowed with mind, soul or what
ever it is that makes the garden story?"
have not heard Mr.. Dyche lecture,
but in a conversational way, he talks
with such rapidity that it is almost i'm
possible to follow him.
As he talks the baby frets and he stoops
over and picks it up, dandling it as he
talks.
Again he puts the baby back on the
polar bear skin to show me map of the
Arctic ocean.
"You know my theory is that
there is no land at the pole; the other
formations of land thereabouts don't in =
dictate that such is the fact.
"Of course there may be an island
there, but the chances are against it."
storv?" l asked.
ENot much, not much. You see if he
had discovered the pole we should have
heard something from him personally.
"Then the trader who claims to have
seen him is on the wrong side of the
place, provided Nansen discovered it ac-
cording to his own theory of drifting ND
on cake of ice which he had persuaded
to freeze around his vessel
SIN that case he must drift on mast the
pole the other way. He couldn't come
back against the current.
"Then its night there and he couldn't
have sighted land.
81 never credited the pigeon story; the
one that he let loose some pigeons, you
know.
"And then I've just heard that the
around according to his theory has been
explained by some officers, who say they
did it for a practical joke"
| Plainly, Mr.. Dyche refuses to accept
Mr. Nansen's discovery as authentic and
still aspires to discover for himself rea
| Kansas United States of America north
| pole and exhibit it duly stuffed and
| mounted in the Kansas University muse
UNI, before he will rest on his laurels al
| ready won.
| / hope he will go again, and how dc
want to go on polar expedition. From
earliest childhood I've read the discour
aging history of these Arctic expedi
tions, and all the discouragements have
only whetted my desire to be one of suct
a party.
/ can feel my blood Jingle with the ex
| element of the walrus hunt Mr.. Dycht
describes. and once more, for Pm little
like Mr.. Dyche myself inasmuch as to
nacity of purpose is concerned, ! said
"Do you think it wholly impractical BIZ
for woman to go on polar exPedi
| tion?"
Again he looked at me for half sec
ond and said:
the hardship is something awful
cannot even be imagined. What is you
object?"
"Oh, of course, to describe the trip ant
my experience as a newspaper corres
pondent principally; the remuneration
| should receive for that incidentally o
course. Pm really fond of exciting, evel
perilous adventure, though not as font
of the attendant notoriety as some peopl
might think, and really would like T.
go.
"When do you think of goiug?"
asked once more.
swell, of couse I'll wait now till thi
out. Then Pm real busy telling abou
the other trips I've TAKEN" and MI
| Dyehe smiled as he took from his poke
more than a dozen letters, and said thi
is my today's mail inQuiring about lee
ture dates. Pm very busy just now, yo
see. Do we lecture here tomorrow" b
said, turning to Mr.. Caldwell, his man
ager.
| "You see." he continued, sit is a cas-