The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-06

tainly impressed, and. considering how
hard 1t Is to tell so benighted a people
about religion, the seed seemed well
soWn. l was in the town about thir-
ty days. The people live from the fish
cries. Several whaling crews stop
there in the course Of summer and
trade provisions for furs and fish and
fish oils. When 1 was there a chrome
picture of Mrs. Grover Cleveland was
the principal prize left in Agilkuk by
a recent whaling crew. 1 believe that
furs worth a great many dollars had
been traded for the picture, worth not
cents to the whalerS. The ESkimOS
had not the least ideS Of whom the
picture was or where st came from
except from away off, an indefinable
land beyond their comprehension, the
same as fairy land exists in the minds
OF civilized children. The gaudy colors
IN the picture attracted the whole COM
munity.
II he people are very poor, but they
don't know 1t. In our American towns
their condition would be pitiable, and
even the most well-to-do there would
be subjects of public charity The chief
took me to each of the homes in the
village. where I talked as best I could
with the assembled families AS my
time was limited I chose the brighter
families for my efforts. But. as is the
rule in all Eskimo communities it is
most difficult to attract the interest of
these phlegmatic. undemonstrative and
densely ignorant people. The mission
airy has not even the satisfaction of an
argument with disputatious savage,
as among nearly all races of people in
un-Christian lands. These Eskimo
would squat on the hard mud floors of
their homes and stare stolidly at me,
without so much expression as a, wink
While [ spoke to them. A missionary
loves to have a race among whom he
is laboring ask him questions The
Eskimo seldom question any one. They
are very curious, however. and will sill
emily study over an article of dress or
personal adornment for hours al a time
L have had seVeal hundred Eskimos
(some of them white-haired men and
WCmen) follow me silently and curious
ly about a hamlet a full afternoon,
standing without a hut or mud house
until reappeared when the procession
would again struggle after me UP and
down the thoroughfare.
THE Journey back to Fort Yukon
consumed forty-one days. The weather
was growing colder every day, and the
heavy winds from the northeast were
setting in for a six months blow. We
wore our full complement of furs and
Walrus hide shoes, and we took turns
at sleeping on the sleds as we moved
made fires on the barren rocks. For
the last fifteen days the cold was in
tensely severe. It was away below
zero all Of the way back. We noted the
mercury at 22 degrees below zero one
day. and as we lost our thermometer
the following day, We were unable to
E.ake further observations although I
believe the temperature for a week
there after was So degrees below. Frost
III dc OH lie
common with US, notwiths landing that
we were bundled with heavy fur gar
Hlents. We Wore dark glasses every
minute of daylight, or we should have
been blinded for life by the wind and
peculiar light on the snow. Often we
Travelled all night long. The days were
so short at that time that we had to
travel in darkness or be caught out in
the fierce weather of the winter which
was fast advancing. We ran out Of
food the last two days we were out. and
several of the dogs died. We redoubled
our efforts to reach the Yukon river
When we struck that we saw familiar
landmarks. We were twenty-five miles
east of Fort Yukon. Luckily we came
upon an Innuit camp on the bank Of
the Yukon, and we were taken in and
cared for by these savage Samaritans.
A few days later we started leisurely
for Fort Yukon"
Mr. Sterritt has made other journeys
of hundreds of miles into the uneXplor-
ed regions of Alaska While he was
at Cape Prince of Wales he heard of d
laI ge population of friendly Indians,
living in the region between the SelWik
river. which emDties into KOtzebue
sound and the Yukon river, some 300
miles to the south Mr.. Sterritt found
that TO white man had, at that time,
at least. ever penetrated that region,
and that it was somewhat of a terra
ircC gnita to geOgraphers.
81 had reason to believe I might esab ish
a good mission IN the most populous COM
mun:ty in this UNEMPLOYED region" said Mr..
Sterritt. and / was assured by a trader at
an Old Russian post in the locality of the
reindeer station that strangers were well re-
ceived by the Indians where | had Planned
to go. With two Indians and a train OF
twelve large dogs on large sled l set out
for this unknown region On March A, 1894.
'In four days We reached Unalakih. Al cut
200 Indians live there, ard the only white
man was a German named Engelhardt- He
was a trader among the Indians. and in all
my experience In the wilds and out-Oi- the
way localities OF far-off Alaska, this man
Engelhardt was the MIST interest ng.
heard last September that he was Sill awe
at Uralakik. He is a remarkably wel-read
man in science. literature, and especially
German and French phi.o ophy. He was
once student at the university at LeiT sic.
He went to Sitka twenty odd years ago, with
some capital. looking for a place where he
could be alone with his books and theories
and thoughts and at the same time make
living by TO work. He became trader with
the Indians. He settled at st. Michae' but
there was too much civilization there Il be-
lieve GOzen white men lived in the town.
for his comfort. So he got some Indians to
move him across the Nor on sound and over
the mainland 10 Uralakik. There he has
been ever since. Four or five times a year
he ard some Indians transport all his furs
and smoked and dried FISH to the coast OF
Norton sound. There the whalers buy the
stuff and give provisions and clothing in
trade Then Engeihardt and his savage COM
ranions go back to the log house with a
mud floor at Unalakik. This trader Is by 70
means recluse or a monomaniac. He s
jolly, well-balanced man. who loves soli-
tUde and association with all that is rude
ard rough in life. And he certainly finds
Il in overwhelming Abundance where he
lives. He received cordially and well
camed us to his log cabin. He sad he had
not seen a pale face but mine in several
months He never hears from the world
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