The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-01-12
EG,bildre Column
o.

zero, as II did frequently, for days to-
gether. Sometimes the sailors bundled
them up on Eskimo sledges, and
hauled them for miles over the ice; at
other times they went fishing, drop
ping their lines into holes which the
sailors cut through thin places in the
ice, where IL was not more than three
or four feet thick. There were Eskimo
dogs on the ships, and the sailors
trained them to act NJ pack mules,
two bags were hung on each dog, one
on each side, and the fish which were
caught were put in these bags; then
the dogs trotted along very carefully
so as not to drop the fish. When they
got tired they would lay down on the
ice to rest, and would get up and trot
ofwithout losing fish. Sometimes
the dogs were hitched to sledges, and
the girls were whirled over the ice SO
that they clung to the sides of the
sledge to keep from falling off.
When Dolly went outside the ship
she looked more like little Eskimo
than like the girls at home She
wore the heaviest of wooden clothes
in the cabin, but these were not
enough to keep her warm when she
and Jessie went on the sledges or
went fishing. AT such times she put
on coat of doerskin, which went to
her feet, it was lined with flannel. and
trimmed with fur, and had hood
which could be pulled over her head
and face; the hood was lined with
wool and trimmed with the fur of the
wolverine. Woolen stockings and
gloves covered her feet and hands, and
on top of these she wore Eskimo boots
of fur, and deerskin mittens lined
with wool. Jessie dressed in the same
way, but her coat was trimmed with
mink, and her boots we're of sealskin.
Out on one Of the ice-hills, old Tom
Barks, the boatswain of the Blackbird,
who made it his special duty to look
after Dolly and Jessie, made them n
toboggan slide, down which their
sledges would rush, to sweep far out
on the ice-plain; then some of the
sailors would haul them back to the
top again, for another swift, breath
less dash down the CLASSY slope. In
the mornings there were lessons to
be learned and recited, for Dolly's
aunt didn't believe in ''all play and
no work." so Dolly and Jessie, too,
had geography and spelling, arith-
metic and reading, just as though
they were not hundreds of miles away
from any school. Dolly studied
French, also, and both of them were
learning to play on the mandolin and
guitar, for several of the captain g
wives had their instruments with them
and were accomplished musicians.
One day Captain Ferry had killed q
great white bear, and Dolly and
Jessie had watched the hunt from the
top of the deckhouse, and had been
so excited that they nearly fell off.
The bear had been prowling around
the ship oil the night before, and
Captain Ferry said he was going after
1t because it was a dangerous animal
TO be in the neighborhood OF the ship.
So in the morning he started of, going
in boat part of the way, for the wind
had caused wide crevasse to open in
the ice not far from the ship. The
bear was lying down behind hum.
mock of ice when the captain shot it,
it did not seem to mind the bullet, but
got up and started after the captain,
who ran as hard as he could toward
the boat, into which he jumped and
the sailors pushed of. The angry
bear did not stop at the water, but
plunged in and began to swim after
the boat. The sailors Ind not got q
good start and the bear swan so fast
that it got one paw on the boat before
the captain could shoot il.